Mating my conure??

[Gz.Lady]

I have a somewhat huge dilemma in which I could use some help. I have a male green cheek conure (Sugar) and my friend recently adopted a female green cheek, and has brought up the idea of mating them at some point. Now I would love to have more green cheeks around, but I have read that once a green cheek bonds with another bird it will break its bond with its human and essentially reject them, is this true? Like I said I would love to have more green cheeks but I do not want to sacrifice his bond with me...help! Not sure what to do or think about this situation, I would love some advice.

 

[MikeyTN]

They don't necessarily will like each other what so ever! Yes it can break your bond but it also depends on each individual bird themselves. Some will do better then the other. There also might be complications to think about if you were to proceed!

 

[MonicaMc]

I'm just going to come out and say this.... parrots are not dogs and cats. You can't just breed them, have the parents raise the offspring then separate the parents and expect to have happy go lucky offspring and happy parents.

Whether or not you lose your bond with your bird if he were to pair up with a hen, he would not be a happy bird if you were to separate him from his mate.


If you want tame and friendly offspring, then you are going to need to hand raise the chicks. Usually, the chicks would be pulled at 2-3 weeks in age, but what if the parents don't know how to take care of the offspring? Day old chicks will require hand feeding every 2 hours around the clock. The formula that they eat should be around 105° F, give or take. Too hot, you cause crop burn. Too cold, the chick might freeze or have crop problems. Feed too much, you might overstretch the crop.

Besides hand feeding supplies, you'll also need a brooder, thermometer to check the temperature of the formula and another to check the temp of the brooder, possibly a hygrometer (if air within brooder is too dry, it could cause dehydration in the chick), a heat lamp, a heating pad, fresh supply of clean towels, etc....


And that's probably just the tip of the iceberg!


Sorry, but breeding should not be taken lightly! It's something you could lose sleep over, and if you aren't home 24/7 or you can't take chicks with you, then something could happen while you are away.

It's a nice thought, but chances are, you or your friend might end up without a bird.... because once they are bonded and you try to separate them so that they could be pets again, they might end up screaming for each other until reunited.

 

[Gz.Lady]

Thank you, this is the kind of information I am looking for, I need any and all information on all different possible aspects. In order to make any type of decision it needs to be an informed decision! In which I am not very informed like I said I am in a sense entertaining the idea until I know more about it and from the sound of it, it's not a good idea or a path I am ready to go down at the moment.

 

[MikeyTN]

At the beginning stage feeding by the hour around the clock isn't fun I can tell you that much!!!! Within hours of hatching you have to feed yogurt to start the bacteria process if the parents didn't start it. It's a very very tiring process that you have to be there for them at whatever cost. I just dealt with one not long ago with my little EggBert but he died from eating wood chips that he's not supposed to which it broke my heart. So now I'm using paper towels once again, I started out using paper towels many years ago then I changed it to wood shavings and never had an issue until EggBert so because of him I'm back to paper towels. He was a malnourished baby that I had to hand fed multiple times per day, only sleeping a few hours per night caring for him. Unless you can tolerate sleep deprivation and still be able to function, I would not advise in breeding period.

 

[Acindo]

If I ever win the lotto one day I'm absolutely going to handraise birds forever! Sleep deprivation means nothing to me because I only sleep to survive lol.

@OP I would be very very cautious as once a bird bonds with another bird it can change your relationship forever. I heard the absolute worst story today from my boss about 2 lovebirds she had and how they both died on the same day. Broke my heart.

I was honestly thinking one day I might mate my bird with either someone elses or by buying one but I have totally reconsidered that now.

 

[KeroRocks]

I have a little Green Cheek named Sheldon. I got a second green Cheek with his own cage. Whenever Sheldon was out he would make his way to Cooper's cage. Walk the floor, ride the dog's back, whatever...so I ended up putting them into a cage together. They were both very happy...with each other. Now Sheldon won't let me near him. He has become super aggressive and attacks me when I put food into the cage.

I wouldn't recommend adding a second bird. I have a Sun and a Quaker that love each other and I let them play on the stand together but I WILL NOT put them into the same cage. I'm not making that mistake again.

 

[MonicaMc]

Acindo, parrots usually don't die because of being heart broken... when they die, it's most often the same thing killed the second as it did the first.... and it's just a matter of time before the second dies. People blame it on the birds being heart broken that they lost their mate and then never got a necropsy done so they don't really know why the birds died in the first place. Birds don't mate for life. Not to say that they can't, but birds are like humans! Two males may fight over a hen. Both males and females may cheat on their mates. Certain species are more prone to polygamy than others. (which is why I'd love to know more about macaws and cockatoos in the wild and how often, if at all, they separate and repair up with another mate)


Gz.Lady, I'm glad you are looking at this with a level head! If it is something you want to be serious about in the future then I would recommend finding a breeder to tutor you in the entire process before you attempt to do so on your own!