Sun Conure
Characteristics
Length: 30 cm (about 12 inches). Deep orange on head and belly; breast and back yellow; small primaries with green edges; large primaries blue. Broad white periophthalmic ring, smaller on the hen. Eyes brown, beak dark-gray, legs gray. Young birds have more green and less orange; their iris is black. The hen has a little more green on the wings. Expensive bird, which is most likely conspecific with the Jenday conure and the Golden-capped conure. Recently imported birds can’t be kept at a temperature below 20 degrees C. They have overpowering voices and like to gnaw wood.
Social Behavior
Prefers to be kept in pairs or colonies. Young birds may learn to speak a few words.
Diet
All parakeets and parrots, including conures, need a large variety of fresh, healthy foods, whether on a pellet or a seed diet. Beneficial foods include dark green, leafy vegetables like kale, broccoli, dandelions, and chard, as well as carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. Healthy table foods like cooked eggs, corn, beans, pasta, and rice can also be offered. Remove perishable foods after a few hours and at bedtime. Grit, gravel, and oyster shells should never be given. A seed-only diet will result in malnutrition. Eventually, a conure should become acclimated to a diet containing specially formulated pellets. An AVIAN vet can help with more information.
Cleaning
Tray liners should be replaced every day and the cage bottom, fittings and dishes regularly washed with hot water and soap. Once a month, disinfect the cage with diluted bleach and rinse thoroughly. Line the tray with black and white newspaper or paper towels. It is unsafe to use pine/cedar shavings, corn cob or walnut bedding.
Fertility
During the breeding season males become extremely excited when one enters the aviary and checks the nest box. For the night these beautiful birds like to retire into a tree hole or nest box. The female lays 3-6 eggs and incubates them for about 27 days. After 8 weeks the young leave the nest (40 cm high x 25 x 25 and an entrance diameter of 8 cm). After they have left the nest, while they are still fed by both parents, young birds like to spend the night in the original nesting box.
Health
All parakeets and parrots, including conures, should be examined by a qualified AVIAN vet at least once a year or ASAP if any bleeding, injuries, or other signs are noted. It can be hard to tell when a bird is ill, and by the time you notice a problem, the sickness is usually well-advanced. Delaying a visit with an AVIAN vet or using over-the-counter or human medicines may be fatal.
Warnings
All parrakeets and parrots, including conures, have very sensitive respiratory systems and should not be exposed to cigarette smoke, aerosols, harsh cleaning products, or other toxic fumes.
