New Baby - Need opinions

[aboyce76]

Ok everybody...I need help/opinions. I am ready to bring another sweet baby into our home and we have decided on a Blue Crown Conure. I have first pick of any of the babies. I have been spending time with all of them and LOVE them ALL!!! Unfortunately I can't have ALL of them and have to choose my baby quickly since there are 2 other families that are waiting on me to make my decision. I am looking for opinions from other BCC owners regarding the difference between the sexes....there are 2 boys and 1 little girl. I would prefer to have the time to really get to know all of them individually but since 2 other families are waiting I don't get that luxury. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

And for anyone that wants to see the precious little babies...

 

[aboyce76]

Any body out there have any advice?

 

[JamesC]

I have both a male and a female blue crown but I don't know if I can give you much to help you. Both of mine came to me 3rd or 4th hand.

The female I have had the longest. Getting close to 15 years and she is 25-30 years old now. She is very needy. Can often start screaming when I leave the room. And she over reacts to the slightest nip or touch of a blood feather with a lot of noisy protest. I took her in because of her attitude towards my brother's family and her noise was making them consider letting her go. His home was the 2nd or 3rd that she has lived in. But with me she is very gentle and a great bird. Just showing her age more and more it seems.

The male I have had for almost 2 years now. I have no history on him at all and can only guesstimate his age being around 10. He is very inquisitive and likes to come close to look at me but he does not really like contact with my hands. He is much quieter than the female and I think that at least half of the noise he makes is just because he is joining in when she goes off. He is quite mischievous and is often the instigator in any chaos that occurs in the home. He is bravely standing on my Senegal's cage next to me watching what I am doing right now. The Senegal does not like either of them at all and will attack. But he is currently on my laptop chasing around the cursor.

But my experiences are with adult birds who have lost homes. Bringing home a baby would most likely be something else entirely I'm sure. I really don't think that there will be much difference between a male or female. So much of it is individual to the bird and how it is socialized. The only thing that would affect my decision in your situation would be how I would feel about the possibility of the female laying eggs. But my girl never has in the 23 years that I have known her. She never had any nest boxes or places that would be attractive as a nest area so that might have influenced her into not laying. My best advice would be to let the bird choose you. Play with them without thought of gender. Pick the one that feels right to you.

But they are all so darn cute I can see why you would want to take them all home.

Whatever you decision, have fun with the little one. There is definitely a reason that I occasionally call them "blue clowns".

 

[SandyBee]

The one that picks you is always the best choice.

 

[ann]

*GASP*oh my goodness they are so cute :O. look out, i might steal one!
i have only owned male parrots, but from what i have heard, female parrots tend to be more moody. Every bird is different and this is just my experience, but other people could completely disagree. Females tend to get "nesty" if they are hormonal. They may pick a "nest" and protect it, which can cause some issues. Males can also be pretty hormonal. Sometimes i think my nanday conure tries to get friendly with my foot, and has tried regurgitating. When this happens, just ignore it or stop the behavior you think is causing it. Other than that, he really isn't that hormonal and is usually in a predictable mood. I personally prefer male birds. Some people think males bond better to females and vice versa. However this is not always the case, and may not even be true. That's just what i have noticed, but every bird is different. For example, the resident grey at my local pet store, a male named Darwin, loved my dad but did not like me. IMO i think you should get a male because of health reasons. Females can lay eggs and can become egg bound. If egg laying becomes chronic, it can also pose a health risk. Most of the female birds that i own lay eggs, and even without a mate, its difficult to stop them. Either way you cant go wrong, BCC are great birds! Good luck
btw, have you heard that some people believe BCC are not conures at all, but mini macaws? It's still undecided, but i thought it was interesting

 

[Lintini]

I have a male BCC, but I wouldn't have cared if he was a girl when I got him from his previous owner. I just really liked him and his personality. Just go with the one who picks you I spent 3 hours deciding between 2 kittens before ....I couldn't decide for the life of me. I ended up getting the one who bit me in the waist since I guess he picked me in a way. Lol.

 

[MissTaz]

I agree with everyone make sure your bird picks you it make the naughty times a little less stressful. My gcc picked me and the bond we have is amazing.

 

[mimi88]

Honestly I can't help much because i've never owned a bcc. I believe the best advice anyone can give you is to let the bird choose you - see if you can spend half an hour with the babies and watch how they interact with eachother and you. Here is why I say this..... I originally wanted to get a cinnamon green cheek and had found a breeder, so I went to have a look at them and noticed that the lady also had a variety of other baby birds (quakers, lorikeets, eclectus etc.) The lorikeets were in the same price range as the green cheeks so she pulled them out for me too, but wasn't paying much attention to them. I was holding a gcc and told her that I would take him as he was the nicest personality wise of the bunch (still a little crabby though lol), when all of a sudden this green lorikeet ball of fluff bounced onto my lap and all over me. I put the gcc down and ended up taking that ball of fluff home with me, have not had any regrets since. He is now Margarita my scaly lorikeet. I totally recommend letting the bird pick you.

 

[MikeyTN]

I personally prefer girls cause all the girls that I've ever encountered have been sweet angels. Some of the boys were hateful....lol....But my boys are good except the occasional crabbiness. The two conures I used to have, a boy and a girl, the girl was better. But like everyone else says, when one picks you, that should be the deciding factor. But it's hard to say when they're not weaned yet as some may change a bit after weaning. So it's hard to choose right now....