Sun Conure Parrot As Companion – 5 Tips on Care of Your Pet Conure

So you’ve decided on a Sun Conure Parrot as a companion. Congratulations! They are sunshiny birds in terms of color and personality. They begin their lives as a muted green colored bird, and upon maturity blossom into stunningly beautiful birds with feathers the color of the rainbow-brilliant oranges, reds, yellows, greens, and blues– that are a joy to watch. Here are 5 things to provide in their care that will keep them happy and healthy for all the years of their lives.


Spacious Housing– The general rule is the bigger the cage the better. Since most Conures are approximately 12 inches long from beak to tail, the cage should be not less than 20 by 20 by 24. This will give them room to exercise by flapping their wings inside the cage, and will allow a choice of various perches placed at different heights. Make sure to avoid cages that use brass, lead, zinc and other toxic metals. And if the cage is painted make sure the paint contains no lead. Clean the cage daily to avoid disease and infection.


Healthy Diet-Feed a well balanced diet of sprouted seeds, pellets, as well as fresh fruits and leafy vegetables. (Sounds like a great diet for the owner too.) Most of their diet should be seeds and pellets, followed by a large percentage of fresh, leafy green vegetables with fruit and nuts comprising less than 10 percent of the total diet. Remove food before it has a chance to spoil, and provide fresh, clean water as often as necessary. Be sure to rotate a variety of foods to avoid boredom, and avoid foods that are toxic to birds including chocolate, caffeine, and avocado, iceberg lettuce, parsley, and cabbage. Consult your vet for other foods that may be harmful.


Daily Activity-You have chosen a very active and energetic bird, so plan to allow it to spend at least an hour outside the cage in a safe environment daily. Make sure you are always there to supervise this free time. Stop ceiling fans, cover mirrors and windows, put the top down on toilets, and close off rooms that contain other pets that could possibly harm your bird. Consider creating a corner of perches and toys in the room where it can go to play. This will help prevent your bird from using furniture or other inappropriate objects for play.


Consistent Training-These little birds train easily and can be taught to speak a few words. Their voices are squeaky and but they will not develop the extensive vocabulary of other Parrots. They more than make up for this with their ability to imitate sounds and learn tricks. They are little clowns and love to “play dead” by lying on their backs with their feet up, sometimes even when they sleep. Not to worry, most of the time they jump up just in time to prevent their human’s heart failure. Teaching them tricks should be fun for both you and your bird, and a little time spent daily will produce better results than long sessions done infrequently


Safe Toys-Because they love to chew, make sure you supply fresh twigs, and use perches made of wood. They also enjoy shiny toys, and toys that make sounds. Short tightly woven ropes are a good choice. With rope it’s important to make sure their head or feet cannot get caught and that it is short enough to eliminate possible hanging. Monitor toys regularly to make sure they remain safe, and rotate toys to keep their interest high.


With proper care, diet and exercise you can expect your bird to live 20 to 30 years. Conures are generally healthy birds and pretty resistant to disease. The best way to safe guard their health is to get to know your bird’s habits when it is healthy. Any deviation from these patterns should be cause for concern. Symptoms such as lethargy, loss of appetite, discharge from nose or eyes, or diarrhea are serious symptoms and your bird needs immediate professional attention from an avian veterinarian. Early detection and treatment is the key to your bird’s longevity.


Using an air purifier to filter their air will keep air passages clear lessening the chance of respiratory infection and disease. This will also help increase their life span.

An excellent resource for an air purifier to filter your Sun Conure’s air is offered by PurerAir.com– the Bird Dander Purifier at http://purerair.com/bird_dander_air_purifier.html