Queen of Bavaria conure

[Snowy]

I have the opportunity to purchase a young Queen of Bavaria conure.
The shop tells me that they are wonderful birds, affectionate, mellow and playful - just a tad noisy, but not constant and with ample attention, the noise should not be an issue.

There was another customer at the store who bought a female and was absolutely raving about it - he already has 2 pairs at home.

I was tempted, but the price tag and the fact that I was not familiar at all about them stopped me. Sooo---please tell me the pros and cons of this bird.
Is it worth the purchase price?? ($3K).

I am looking for a bird that doesn't require too much attention and a one-person bird (like 'too or grey), not a screamer (like macaws), one that's playful but not too energetic (like caique).

I was thinking senegal/meyer, hahn's, green cheek conure, pionus until I ran into this Bavarian conure!!

[2horse]

If you compare noise level to the other species then they WAY loud. At least twice a day and that is a happy bird. You need ear plugs for those at least 5 minutes spans. If you not in an apartment the noise is ok. They used to be classified aratinga.

[birdlady49]

I can't believe a petstore is actually selling a Queen of Bavaria. They are extremely rare and should be in breeding situations only.

I'm sure I'll get a lot of flack on that comment but I wouldn't want to see a Spix macaw in a companion home either unless you want to see the species disappear from the face of the earth.

[Monica]

I'd say that the queens or goldens are more common than spix's....

Either way, they usually sell for $1,500-3k. The cheaper prices tend to be breeder birds, where-as the prices more near 3k tend to be pet prices.

I've heard great things about them, and I have seen them... however, as far as noise... well I've never heard one scream before, so I don't know.... supposedly when they become hormonal, ALL will pluck but I can't say I've spoken with many breeders on that subject.. let alone pet owners.

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[Snowy]

Originally Posted by birdlady49

I can't believe a petstore is actually selling a Queen of Bavaria. They are extremely rare and should be in breeding situations only.

I'm sure I'll get a lot of flack on that comment but I wouldn't want to see a Spix macaw in a companion home either unless you want to see the species disappear from the face of the earth.

Many of the shoppers at Omars who were familiar with this bird mentioned this as well. They did tell me that Omars is part of some sort of conservation-breeding organization to breed these birds. Apparently, they breed quite prolifically and easily in captivity, so Omars is very successful in breeding them - so I guess they release a few for the pet trade. This is the first time I've seen them and there was one man who was very excited and bought one to add to his own breeding colony. He was trying to talk me into getting the remaining female (they had 3 and the other 2 were sold) - he denied my concern about noise and feather plucking, telling me that the other 4 he had were the sweetest, well adjusted birds.

The 3 they had there were indeed VERY cuddly and sweet. Didn't let out a peep while the others were squawking away.

I dunno, they were absolutely gorgeous and sweet...
I'm going back there to look during the week again.

[CrazyforCockatiels]

Do keep us posted and, if you are able, bring a camera! Would love to see pics!

[saucie]

Omar's has a good reputation, though they are a bit pricey. I would love to get a golden conure. Maybe if you don't, I will :D

[birdsnreps]

i know an excellent breeder down here in texas that has 5 diff bloodlines of goldens. i know they can be pretty loud, but they are very cuddly and sweet. the breeder told me that hers never go through their nippy, hormonal stage, they stay cuddly. most of her breeders are still tame. they either overpreen, or play really hard, so they dont usually have perfect feathers. i would say they are kinda needy though, but not as bad as cockatoos.

[tawny30]

Yes..they can be pretty loud...and if you want something that does not need a LOT of attention these guys are not for you.
3000 is more then I see them for in FL but not unheard of.
My male single was 900 and the pair was 2500 but they were on consignment and preowned birds.
Birdlady..actually that is not true any longer..many of the pet stores here sell them now. We have some GREAT breeders around who have the goldens so there is a decent amount of them now for breeding purposes...so it is fine for people to have them as pets.

As far as the noise level..they are not as loud as a sun but yes they are LOUD and sometimes for 5 minutes or more at a time and well single they are even worse

[birdsnreps]

really?? i thought goldens were louder than suns, lol. i do not like the shrill screeches of suns all that much, lol. i used to work at a bird store that had two pairs of goldies, whenever we went in there to change out their food/water and clean their cage, we needed earplugs!! they were so pretty and sweet though, i would be willing to deal with the noise if i ever came across one at a decent price :)