hello, i am new

[sunbird]

Hi.i am new here .i am going to get a sun conure ,but my mom says i need to join a forum first so I can get info on them.anyway,a few questions on sun conures:
how many hours of play do they need?
how many toys do they need, and what type of toy is their favirote?
are there any toys/foods i need to avoid?
what are their personalities like?
and finally,any thing else you might want to tell me?
sorry for all the questions!


Go sun conures!

 

[antoinette]

and welcome
Your mum is correct in saying you needs lots of info before becoming a guardian.
I have attached two links will assist you.

Good luck

Sun Conure pet parrot information from a sun conure owner

Sun Conure Basic Care - The Essential Rules of Sun Conure Care

 

[wenz2712]

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[MonicaMc]

how many hours of play do they need?
Two hours, minimum, is recommended per day... however, birds are very smart creatures and enjoy being around others.

how many toys do they need, and what type of toy is their favirote?
Minimum 5, but the more the merrier! Types of toys they enjoy can vary depending upon the birds interests.

are there any toys/foods i need to avoid?
Avocado, chocolate, caffeine, sugar, salt, garlic, onions... just to name a few in the food category. Toys are kind of tough, as it may depend on how much the bird plays with the toy.

what are their personalities like?
Conures in general tend to be goofy, clownish, loud, boisterious, bratty, hilarious, cuddly, etc!

and finally,any thing else you might want to tell me?
Well... if you are still living with your parents, who's buying the bird? And the cage? Who's going to be taking the bird in for vet care to ensure that he/she is healthy? Can you/your family afford this?

Sun conures are extremely noisy birds, despite their radiant beauty. Can everyone in the house-hold take the noise of a sun conure screaming his/her head off?

If you're still in school, will your family be interacting with your bird as well? What happens to your bird if you end up going to college? Most dorms do not allow pets, and it can be expensive living off campus. If you can't take your bird with you, will your family still be able to provide proper care for your bird?


Not trying to stop you from getting a bird, just trying to put some things into perspective. I've had birds since I was 12 years old, and in the beginning, my mother had to pay for their food, cages, toys, etc. I now have my own job (and technically, my own place) and pay for my birds things. Because of my birds, I wasn't able to move in with any of my friends when they were buying/renting a place to live. My friends had said that the birds would be fine, but birds are noisy! I don't know how well they would be able to put up with noisy birds, let alone their neighbors. I haven't gone to college because there's no local colleges I'm interested in, and it would be expensive, not to mention difficult, having to find a college I *do* want to go to and having to relocate not just myself, but my entire flock as well. My family are not bird people, so I can't leave my birds' care in their hands. Don't get me wrong though, I don't regret owning any of them!

 

[ruffledfeathers]

MonicaMc already pointed out a lot of the main information about suns. i will add some more to the 'anything else we want to tell you'.

I think it's always good to take a new bird to the vet for an exam and feel free to go in with a list of questions you may have. My avian vet was happy to educate me when i was younger and newer to birds. He basically always stressed 3 primary things--watch the droppings for any sign of change; buy full spectrum lighting and set a timer for the exact on/off time and correct number of hours of exposure; diet/nutrition means a lot (good pelleted food with healthy table food).

My sun needed/demanded a lot of attention. The more attention i gave her, the better she behaved. When i had time off work, she would be a totally sweet, chilled out little angel. When i was very busy, there was hell to pay. They love some consistency and i think when i changed her routine by being too busy, she was angry.

Something i would do differently, looking back--i would have trained her to do more tricks. She enjoyed showing off...she would even do it when i was too busy to play with her. She would start squawking her head off and i'd tell her to be quiet, and look over and see her "brushing her teeth" or something else i thought was really cute (as if to say "look mommy, i'm being cute, right? don't you want to play now?")

Oh yeah, and definitely beware of non stick cookware. Don't 'heat the pan' and leave the room because the phone rings or something. The fumes can kill a bird rapidly. When i got Georgie, i bought some new pans. (I do use non stick again, but have had birds with me for about 20 years and i'm so used to being very careful in the kitchen).

Do you already have your sun picked out?

 

[MonicaMc]

ruffledfeathers, just picking this out of your post... its a great point to bring up, too!

Non-stick pans. Not all non-stick pans are dangerous, but ones that contain PTFE (known under the brand name of Teflon) can be dangerous when cooked on. There are hard anodized aluminum pans out there that do not contain a PTFE coating but are non-stick. I have two sets at my house! ("inherited" a set... which should be going back to my sisters family once she moves back to the states and gets a place of her own)

There are other pans as well, some are called "Green Pans". The only thing you have to be aware of is whether or not it contains PTFE.


PTFE can also be found in ovens, hair dryers, coffee pots, toaster ovens, toasters, electric grills, dryers and other house-hold appliances. It can be hard to avoid entirely.


On that subject, smoke, aerosols, hair sprays, body perfume, ionizers, candles, etc that puts chemicals into the air can also be a danger to our birds.

 

[sunbird]

no, i dont have a sun picked out yet.but my family loves, loves, loves birds so much,we will probably end up making a schedule to ease the quarrelling about who gets to take care and goof off with the bird.