Caring For A Conure Parrot

Some points to ensure a long and happy
relationship with your pet conure...

Social Interaction

Conures are very sociable by nature, and love
interacting with their owners, which is one of
the reasons they are so popular as companion
birds. Nonetheless, because they constantly
crave human interaction, they can be extremely
demanding of your time and attention.
Hand-raised conures make brilliant pets, the
main reason being because they are imprinted on
humans, and quite honestly, believe that they
are human. There are some species, such as the
sun conures, that can become extremely vocal in
their efforts to grab your attention, and this
is something that you need to think about before
taking on the responsibility of a bird that
requires lots of love and attention. If you are
unable to commit a good deal of your time to a
companion that will reward you with lots of
pleasure, then consider getting a less demanding
pet, as a neglected conure will result in stress
for both the bird and the owner.

Diet

It is best to provide your conure with a well
balanced diet that contains whole grain cereals,
fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds to keep it in
good health. Commercial seed and pellet mixes
should be supplemented with fresh fruit and
vegetables. Fresh apple, corn on the cob and
sprouted seeds will all be thoroughly enjoyed by
your pet conure. Commercial pigeon mixes,
consisting of corn, a variety of peas, and
sunflower seeds can be cooked up and fed to your
conure as a healthy part of his daily diet. Avoid
feeding your conure milk products, which can
cause sour crop. Chocolate, alcohol, and onions
are definitely off the menu, and avocado pear,
is extremely toxic to parrots, it can kill your
bird straight away, so never ever let your bird
eat avo.

General Health

Keep you conure's cage away from draughts and
out of direct sunlight. Put his cage in a
central part of your home so that he is part of
your daily household activities. Tobacco smoke,
aerosol fumes, and household cleaners can all
negatively affect your bird's health, so try to
avoid these around your bird where possible.
Your bird needs plenty of sleep, so if you are a
night owl, make sure your bird's cage is covered,
and placed in a quiet dark corner at night time
so that his rest is undisturbed. If your conure
is going to spend a lot of time out of his cage,
it may be a good idea to consider trimming his
wings so that he cannot fly off into the sunset.
This is for his benefit, as he may accidentally
fly into a window and injure, or even kill
himself; or fly off, where his chances of
survival are extremely limited. If your bird is
going to be kept in an aviary, wing trimming is
not recommended, as free flight is essential.

Choosing a Cage

Although conures are small in size, they require
a fairly large cage as they are active birds and
require lots of stimulating toys to prevent them
becoming bored. A small cage would quickly become
too cluttered and restrict their movement. There
are some fantastic cages on the market that
offer open-up play-tops or play-gym combinations
that allow your bird to move in and out of the
cage freely. Choose a strong cage, that will be
able to take the wrath of your conure's beak.
When choosing a cage, avoid painted or plastic
coated wire cages as your conure will chew at
the bars and can ingest this, which can
compromise his health. Pick a cage with bar
spacing that will be appropriate for the size of
your conure. Smaller conures require cages with a
narrow gap between bars to keep them from
escaping. Finally, look for a cage that is easy
to clean.

Toys

Conures are extremely playful, intelligent, and
active, so provide a range of toys to keep them
stimulated. These can include chew toys, such as
rawhide and wooden toys; things they can climb on
to, like ropes, toy chains, and ladders; toys
that make noises, like bells and shakers; and
swings, which give them hours of pleasure, and
provide good exercise too.

Playtime

Conures are extremely playful and fun-loving.
They have a cheeky air about them, and can be
real clowns. They are intelligent and will
instantly learn tricks. They often roll over
onto their backs in the palm of your hand.
Conures also tend to be real water babies, so
keep a spray mist bottle handy in hot weather,
and provide a bird bath for them to splash
around in. They have even been known to join
their owners in the shower, but it's advisable
to be careful not to overdo it, and make sure
they dry off in a warm, draught-free area.

----------------------------------------------------
Alex Kelly

As a pet and website owner, my articles are
based on issues I feel are important for fellow
animal lovers.
Pet Promenade has everything you will need for
the furry member of the family. From pet food,
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