Deciding on which conure

[why_fly_high]

My family is considering getting a conure. We are having a tough decision between the Sun and a Pineapple Green Cheek. Through researching for a while it look like the suns are loud and the greens can get nippy. I have had a cockatiel and a budgie that were not tame when I got them but was able to tame them and make them in to nice pets so I am used to getting bit by smaller birds and think I could handle a nip from the GCC. Not so sure how my 13 and 10 year olds would react to getting bit.

I guess my main question is about the Sun Conure. Are they loud at night? I can handle and kind of enjoy bird noise but not when I am trying to sleep.

Thanks!

Dan

 

[Megapixel]

Under normal circumstances, noise would not be a problem at night.

 

[Terry57]

Have you considered a crimson bellied conure? Mine is such a sweetheart and also very quiet compared to alot of conures.

 

[crimson]

Terry is right, they are fantastic birds.

although I have the sweetest pineapple conure Kahlua, even my gc is pretty good, a little more nippy at times but still good.

 

[why_fly_high]

Have you considered a crimson bellied conure? Mine is such a sweetheart and also very quiet compared to alot of conures.

I had not considered them. I will research. A quick search does not show any available close by.

Thanks!

Dan

 

[crimson]

Have you considered a crimson bellied conure? Mine is such a sweetheart and also very quiet compared to alot of conures.

I had not considered them. I will research. A quick search does not show any available close by.

Thanks!

Dan

yup, they can be hard to find, that's why most people go with a pineapple.
one that is hand fed and hand tamed is best, you should end up with a real sweetheart.

 

[Echo]

Have you considered a crimson bellied conure? Mine is such a sweetheart and also very quiet compared to alot of conures.

I had not considered them. I will research. A quick search does not show any available close by.

Thanks!

Dan

yup, they can be hard to find, that's why most people go with a pineapple.
one that is hand fed and hand tamed is best, you should end up with a real sweetheart.

I wish people would stop recommending a hand fed baby as the best option for a tame companion. It is just not so and I am hoping that more breeders would consider the co-parenting way to raising baby parrots which produce a well-adjusted, healthy, loving bird. If not prepared to put the time in to adopt this method, then at least refrain from making such claim that a hand fed baby is best.

 

[Echo]

I think the most important is to have a baby that is comfortable with human interaction.

 

[Freespin]

I think the most important is to have a baby that is comfortable with human interaction.

A friend of mine who has raised birds has always recommended leaving them with their parents for at least a few weeks (or more depending on species).

 

[lquan]

If I had picked a conure that I liked, I would have gotten a Pineapple. I am so glad I got a Yellow Sided, my Lily. When picking a parrot, find a seller/breeder who has several to choose from. Approach the cage and let one pick you. Stick you finger through the cage bars, you will find out very quickly. If it picked you, you don't have to spend a lot of time taming and training him/her.

 

[Echo]

I think the most important is to have a baby that is comfortable with human interaction.

A friend of mine who has raised birds has always recommended leaving them with their parents for at least a few weeks (or more depending on species).

Co-parenting is leaving the raising to the parents until weaned. Human socialization is very important for the babies to accept human contact and become tame companions.

 

[Megapixel]

I'd take any of the Pyrrhura conures over a sun conure.
I've known many suns, many green-cheeks, a couple of painted conures and a maybe 4 black-capped conures. The black-caps are my personal preference of the pyrrhura genus.

 

[Squirt]

I love my sun conure. Yes, she can be noisy but at night when I cover her for bedtime she is quiet until I get up in the morning. She is very sweet but also a little bratty. She isn't nippy but likes to "mouth off" as my boyfriend says. Most of the time if she goes to bite she just closes her beak gently on your finger and it doesn't hurt.

 

[Kalidasa]

It all depends on the bird, and that's the luck of the draw. Green cheeks can be very loud, and they can get loud at night if they hear noise. All parrots get loud at some point every day. Suns can be as nippy as any other. It all depends on socialization and training. And even then, they will turn around and break all the rules. Conures draw blood when they bite--almost every time. They can be extremely possessive of the person who they bond with...and that decision is theirs and theirs alone. It doesn't matter who the bird is "for", when they make their decision they generally stick to it and very fiercely. Having a conure is like having a super hyperactive child. There is no day off.and if they don't get the attention they need it explodes out in different ways. They get super hormonal and that's when all hell breaks loose. They hump (like dogs), shred, scream, and bite bite bite. That's half of the year. On the other hand, for the person they are bonded to they are the sweetest, cuddliest birds I've ever encountered next to a cockatoo. If you get him for your son and he bonds with him (luck of the draw) this bird will probably live until he's married and beyond. He can't just leave him behind. Is a huge responsibility. But you know your son better than anyone, and if he's ready, he's ready. as long as he's extremely patient and willing to accept that the bird may not bond with him. Conures also frequently attack the people they are not bonded to without any provocation.

 

[Peeko]

Every bird is an individual and not all fit their species' norms. I'd stay open to the thought of several species and let a bird choose you, if possible. But with that said, I've heard screaming suns and its like nothing else I've ever heard. It made my ears ring after only two or three screeches. My green cheek's screaming is much more tolerable, but everyone has their preferences. Suns are beautiful, but their screaming is another story You could look up suns and green cheeks screaming on Youtube and get an idea of what you'd be getting yourself into with either kind, if you haven't already.
My green cheek isn't nippy whatsoever. He's extremely affectionate and cuddly, and has never truly bitten anyone. The only time he nips is when the person on the receiving end deserves it, like my partner being thick headed and not listening when I say "Don't do such and such, Peeko doesn't like it". Peeko has been exposed to many children of varying ages ever since I've had him, the youngest being 3, and he's been an angel with all of them. Of course, they were well behaved and listened well when we told them how to handle him, which can make all the difference. I've been sure to get Peeko well socialized with people of different ages, genders, and races and he's never met someone he hasn't liked. He's bonded to me and would rather be with me, but he's still very willing to socialize and play with other people. Of course, with everything said, he's an individual like every other bird and that's not to say another green cheek would be exactly like him if you got one.
Since you have young(ish) children, I would see if its possible to get a conure that's been around children before with positive experiences because its never fun for anyone involved when a kid gets bit, then reacts by flinging or flailing and the bird literally goes flying :c
Overall, I would recommend a green cheek over a sun, but in the end you should go with the bird that chooses you and your family. Peeko chose me, and he's easily the best pet I've ever had <3

 

[riddick07]

I think AmysAviary in PA has a crimson breeder pair but not sure anymore. They hadn't breed the last I looked and not sure if she gave up on the pair or not. Depending on where you are she would be a good option for a baby. I got my male GCC from her and am on the waiting list for a red factor sun baby.

 

[brittani299]

I love my little green cheek. I have had her since she was 3 months old. She is very bonded with us and loves to play and hang upside down on us. She does tend to be super nippy though. Usually with no warning. She almost ever screams only when you turn the light on after bedtime will she scream or in the morning if you havent gone downstairs by like 8 am. Suns have really loud screams but they are beautiful and as playful as green cheeks. They are both pretty good little birds

 

[FA22raptero]

My first bird was a green cheek (a crimson bellied is very much similar but with different colouring... they are in the same sub-species (Pyrrhura) and are generally considered to be pretty quiet!) . I strongly believe that starting off with a small bird is a good way to go. Parrots are an OFTEN underestimated responsibility, and the bigger you go the harder they are to take care of. They are just... more. Green cheeks and crimsons can offer you alot of the benefits of a larger bird in a slightly easier to manage package.

Also, my little sibblings (I'm 20, they are 8 and 10) can't even handle the nip from a green cheek, never mind a sun conure. Luckily our other green cheek Mango was bought as a baby and bites much less hard, and they don't mind hanging out with him.

Overall, I would recommend the green cheek But i'm biased... Good luck either way! I'm excited for you!

BTW... I HIGHLY recommend that you look at sanctuaries/adoptions near you. There are WAY too many unloved birds out their who could use forever homes. Many of them are not so irreversibly damaged that they cannot become just as friendly as a baby with a little work. You could at least check it out, it's a lot of fun and shows you a lot about parrot ownership!

 

[MikeyTN]

Co-parenting is a great thing to do yes, BUT you must have all the time in the world to interact with each and every single baby. When there's siblings involved, it does not mean co-parenting is going to help in the situation as some may not turn out so well without being hand fed. Most breeders have to breed quite a few to sustain their business otherwise they would go out of business. So if you have one pair, of course co-parenting is a easy process to do when you have all the time in the world to spend with their babies. But when you have multiple pairs, that becomes complicated. And sometimes going within the nest box to co-parent isn't a easy process unless you want to lose a finger or sometimes the parents can and will hurt the babies in the process of attacking you. Most breeders do leave the chick within the nest for several weeks before taking them out to hand feed. But sometimes the inevitable things happen where they must take them out when they first hatch and such.

 

[Echo]

Co-parenting is a great thing to do yes, BUT you must have all the time in the world to interact with each and every single baby. When there's siblings involved, it does not mean co-parenting is going to help in the situation as some may not turn out so well without being hand fed. Most breeders have to breed quite a few to sustain their business otherwise they would go out of business. So if you have one pair, of course co-parenting is a easy process to do when you have all the time in the world to spend with their babies. But when you have multiple pairs, that becomes complicated. And sometimes going within the nest box to co-parent isn't a easy process unless you want to lose a finger or sometimes the parents can and will hurt the babies in the process of attacking you. Most breeders do leave the chick within the nest for several weeks before taking them out to hand feed. But sometimes the inevitable things happen where they must take them out when they first hatch and such.

I agree. It is very difficult to co-parent if you're a big breeder and time and amount of babies is a factor. Yes there is a difference between raising birds to sustain a breeding business and raising for passion only. In my experience, you really don't get rich being a breeder, you merely make enough money to feed and care for the pairs you own. So maybe reducing the amount of birds a person breed could benefit both the breeder and the bird. But that's another debate.

Edit : HOWEVER I mean no disrespect to the breeders who do an incredible job hand feeding and raising babies to be wonderful companions! I want to be clear on that