The beautiful, energetic, comical, loud Sun Conure is indigenous of South America specifically Venezuela, North Brazil, and Guiana. It belongs to the Aratinga family. People love to pet sun conure because these birds are famous for their loud vocalization, playfulness, and adventurous spirit. In the wild, these social parrots live in a clamorous group of up to 30 birds. Their rummage behavior is targeted at fruits, flowers, berries, seeds, nuts, and sometimes insects. Insects are consumed during breeding season when bodily needs for protein increase.
These birds make magnificent pets. They are valued for their intelligence, temperament, and affection for human beings. A healthy bird is active, attentive, and social. It eats and drinks all through the day. It has a dry nose and bright dry eyes. The feathers are well-groomed. The parrot is neither slim nor stout. Keeping Sun Conure is a lifetime commitment.
Distinctive Features of Sun Conure
Sun Conure is a medium-sized vibrantly hued parrot. The plumage is golden-yellow and underparts and face are orange-flushed. The rich yellow is present on the crown, nape, mantle, and wingtips. The bird is speckled with a blotch of green. The beak is black and there are white rings around the eyes. The tail is long and tapering. The ears have red around them and the bill is black. On the legs and around the eye there is a white patch.
The bird is 12 inches long and 110 g in weight. The adult of both sexes looks alike. Males are slightly brighter. Males possess squarer flatter head while the females have rounder smaller head. Young birds do not attain full coloration until the age of two years.
Immature birds have green plumage. The unique yellow, orange, and reddish color on the back, abdomen, and head are gained at maturity. Adult maturity is reached in about 18 months. Immature Conures make monogamous pairs at the age of 4-5 months of age. The relationship begins with feeding and grooming one another.
Reproductive maturity is attained at the age of 18 months. Mating takes three minutes. The pair is affectionate with one another. The female's abdomen is noticeable with eggs. There are 3-4 eggs at a time. These are laid with 2-3 days intervals. In the wild, they nest in trees or cavities. In case the bird has calcium deficiency they eat their eggs.
The incubation period is of 23-27 days and female is responsible for it. She leaves the nest for feeding. Males in an assertive way safeguard the nest from possible predators. Eggs do not hatch if they are not kept warm. In case the birds are not able to break the shell successfully. The process of breaking the eggs may take few hours to few days.
Chicks are born naked, blind, and defenseless. It takes 10 days for them to open their eyes and feather quills begin to show. The responsibility of feeding the chicks is of both parents. The juvenile relies on their parents for 7-8 weeks after hatching. They get self-reliant after 9-12 weeks. Sexual maturity comes around 2 years of age. The birds lose fertility power by the time they are 9-10 years.
How to Take Care of Pet Sun Conure?
These birds are very favored as pets due to fun personality attractive colors and ease of training. The birds are very curious and insist on getting attention from the owners. They can be loving and cuddly. Once they get the attention they are content for several hours. Daily interaction is a must to whom they are loyal. They can be loud. The strong chewers require many toys and natural branches to chew.
What to Feed Pet Sun Conure?
Sun Conure should be given a 60-70% nutritionally balanced manufactured diet. It should be supplemented with a lot of fruits vegetables and some portion of fortified seeds. The birds have chewing needs. Portable water should be available to the bird and changed daily. Keep the bird away from sugar and high-fat treats. Treats should not be more than 10% of total food. Vegetables and fruits left by the bird should be discarded within a few hours.
How to Set up Habitat for Pet Sun Conure?
These birds are very loud with an ear-piercing scream and not suited to apartment living. This could disturb the neighbors. Conures require a big cage with lots of space to move around vertically and horizontally. Place many perches and an array of toys to keep the bird engaged. Clean the cage once a week and rinse the food and water containers. Different varieties of birds should not be accommodated in the same cage.
The bird adapts well to average household temperatures. Make sure it does not drop lower than 65 F or exceed 80 F. Make sure the bird does not stay in extreme temperature changes. The cage should be placed not on the floor but in an area that is well-lit and away from drafts. A variety of different sizes of perches will give exercise to feet and keep away arthritis. From a hygiene point of view do not keep food and water container below the perches.
What it's Like to Have Sun Conure as a Pet?
Hand-reared pets are very friendly towards humans once they get familiar with them. Strangers may make them aggressive and even territorial with visitors. Sun Conures can perform several tricks through learning. They enjoy listening to music. They also relish baths and preening feathers.
A few Sun Conures can be trained to talk well. They pick up a vocabulary of a few dozen words. Sun Conures favor sounds of whistles, microwaves, doorbells, and telephones.
What are the Health Issues of Pet Sun Conure?
A visit to the vet becomes necessary if not fatal signs as the following are witnessed.
- Problem in breathing
- Sluggishness
- Loss of appetite
- Variation in the droppings like being very wet or foul-smelling
Other health issues include;-
- Chlamydiosis
- Feather plucking
- Diarrhea
- Polyomavirus
- Conure bleeding syndrome
- Pacheco's disease
- Proventricular dilatation disease
- Psittacine beak and feather disease
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Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Sun Conure
Some commonly asked questions about the pet sun conure are answered below:
How Smart is a Sun Conure?
Sun Conure is extremely intelligent and can be taught a wide variety of tricks such as bowing, stepping up, and flying to people, etc. They adjust well to clicker training. Tricks give them mental stimulation. Some pick up talking and get proficient with many birds. They also imitate some sounds that humans make.
Why does Sun Conures Scream so Much?
These birds are not among the loudest of birds but they do scream a lot. Do not repent getting a bird that makes a lot of sounds. The cry of the bird is shrill and piercing and taken out in quick succession. The bird that is feeling lonely, insecure, stressed, or physically ill will persist with loud shrill sounds. The ability to make noises reach 120 decibels or more.
Do Pet Sun Conures Talk?
The bird is very vocal in the morning and the evenings. In-flight, they scream and very quickly repeat sounds. When set down chuckling and high-pitched murmur notes are heard. This bird is competent in mimicking human sounds but not as well as some larger parrots. Some among them are very proficient talkers.
Can I Keep this Bird in Captivity?
This bird is not suitable for apartment or condo dwellers. germinated sunflower seeds and spray millet.
Where do Sun Conures Nest?
They have been known to nest in trees or in cavities of Maurita flexuosa palms.
How Long Does a Baby Chick Last?
The young depend on their parents for 7 to 8 weeks after hatching and only become independent after 9 to 12 weeks.
