Sun conure potential???

[BACON]

Hi guys, so today I went into my local store(pet) and I was met by a very pretty sun conure. It craved my attention and out of all the birds there was the most interested in me, her eyes were bright and all her feathers were in brilliant condition.
But..... Yes always a but..... So I started asking about her. It seems it is a 'she' and she is 4years old. She's an ex aviary bird but now in a pet store cage.... I'm wondering about her potential as a pet bird??? Do you think she would come round to it??? With training and the right interaction etc. If anyone has advice for me regarding plus's and minus's of this potential bird I would be appreciated, because she is STUNNING. Annnddd I'm kinda in love with her 😂😂

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Birds can be finicky particularly with people. They choose their owners. It sounds to me like she is interested in you as well.

I'm of the mindset that any pet can be a good companion with proper treatment, care and patience. In regards to parrots, it all boils down to what you are prepared for.

Are you willing to put in the time and effort to tame/train- likely needing to do more than usual given the age and previous environment of the bird.

I'd ask about what that previous environment was like. What was she surrounded by, how was she treated (hopefully, you'll get an honest answer). Was she tamed, did she have regular human contact and interaction. Maybe try visiting a few times to see how your interaction is. Most pet stores won't let you hold birds, but if they will, try it (but be prepared, she may be nippy). Sunnies are VERY social creatures and need interaction regularly.

I think if you do all your research and are prepared for all the potential pitfalls, it may be a good fit. If she is regularly singling you out and showing interest, that itself shows a lot of potential.

Skittles was a year old when I got him and he had been shuffled around to different pet stores. But he was also very well treated and received regular contact with the pet store clerks. I didn't have to tame or train him at all. But I think my situation was an exception.

I wasn't even in the market for a new bird when I got him. But because of how he reacted to me (especially in contrast to other customers) it was clear he wanted to come home with me. He would ignore other customers and when I was around him, he'd climb down to the bottom hop and roll over. I was instantly smitten. BUT, given my inexperience with sunnies (and conures in general) I took several days to think it over and do research and I'm glad I did. Sunnies are loud, not necessarily noisy, but very LOUD! They also are very needy birds. You will need to interact with them daily and they are very much 'velcro birds'.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Great advice from Skittys Daddy, wishing you luck and please let us know how this progresses?

I can vouch for the very loud as looked after a friends Sun when they were stuck one weekend. We were strangers and he was in a strange place and quite rightly told us so!

I didn't get the impression he was like that all the time at home though and was extremely affectionate with her. Unfortunately he died at the age of 16, this was mainly put down to him eating 'human' food in which he was over indulged.

 

[BACON]

Thankyou for the help/advice. Having thought on it for a little while and speaking to another bird man we came to the conclusion that she might not be worth the risk. She's 4yrs old and a ex aviary bird and as much as I'd love to give her a home, I just don't think she's the right fit. I brought my blue fronted Amazon at 4yrs old and it took 3-4 years for her to settle down with me, now she is totally a one person bird (to me) where as if I'd of brought her from a baby she might have been a more rounded bird in terms of temperament and her likes/dislikes. The chap ive been speaking to has said if I would like a hand raised baby he knows a breeder..... So that might be the better route to go down.

I feel tho that she did single me out a bit. Like my girlfriend would go to her and she'd back right away (which I don't want) and when we'd walk to other birds or away she'd squat down and shuffle her wings and call. Noise personally isn't a problem I have a blue front remember, but I live in a house with my girlfriends brother at the moment.
Having a Velcro bird isn't a huge problem either, dispite work I'm home most of the time... And I could come home for lunch if I need. It's only 0.5 of a km away and I get an hour... I found her just at the wrong time I think.

 

[snowflake311]

Who is to say this Sun will be a velcro bird . It is a conure they love attention and love to play. conures in general are not known to be one person kind of birds. The age should not matter much.

I think the real problem is you already have a bird that takes all of your extra time. Splitting your time between them can be hard. I love the Idea of 2 parrots but reality is I can't handle it right now.