Thinking of getting another sun conure....

[dedjer]

Hello. It's been 6 months since I bought my sun conure, and my family and I were thinking about getting another one.

What's the process of introducing a new bird? My current sun conure is around 10 months old, and we're thinking about getting a 2 month old sun conure.

I have 2 cages and figured I'd keep them separate until they start to get along. We have a pretty big cage so housing them in one cage shouldn't be an issue.

So how long would it take to acclimate 2 birds?

Thanks.
DJ

[svolk]

There should be a quarantine period of 30-45 days when bringing in a new bird, especially a baby. Babies' immune systems are not built up enough yet. 2 months sounds kind of young, will the baby already be weaned?

When housing birds together you have to expect eggs if you have a male and a female. They can bond together and might mate, even if you do not provide them with a nest box.

It is best to first house them separately, as you suggested. I, personally, would never house two birds together, but some people do and do just fine. You also have to think of the possibility of the two birds (no matter what sex they are) overbonding, if allowed to share a cage, and possibly becoming aggressive to human handling.

Also be aware that they might not EVER get along. Even same species sometimes do not get along.

[Monica]

Good points on quarantine and using the extra cage for the new sun. Indeed, 2 months sounds far too young for a properly weaned sun, and even at that the chick could regress and want handfeeding. Your better off getting a 3+ month old chick, and even at that the chick could still be a bit too young.

As to how long it would take for two birds to become friends... Well, that depends on the birds themselves. It could be within a matter of minutes, to days, weeks, months.... maybe even years! And even at that there is no guarantee that the two will EVER get along. However, saying that you have younger birds, you may have a better chance than I do.

I have a approx 16 yr old cherry head conure that lives with my first cockatiel, and they have been sharing the same space for over 4 years now (I've had both for about 5 years though), however, it took several months for the two to bond and form a friendship. Would I trust my cherry head around another cockatiel? No.

I have more recently taken in a 12 yr old mitred conure, whom I hope, given time, will form a relationship with my cherry head. So far, they get along "okay" in neutral territory, as long as one (Charlie - mitred) doesn't get jealous or two they don't invade eachothers (Noel - cherry head) "bubbles". However, I am fully prepaired for the fact that they may never form a relationship either.

Point being, don't ever expect two birds to get along. If they want to live together (such as Noel and Casey the tiel), let it be THEIR choice, NOT yours. However, you should also accept the fact that they may never get along well together.

[Joel]

Originally Posted by dedjer

Hello. It's been 6 months since I bought my sun conure, and my family and I were thinking about getting another one.

What's the process of introducing a new bird? My current sun conure is around 10 months old, and we're thinking about getting a 2 month old sun conure.

I have 2 cages and figured I'd keep them separate until they start to get along. We have a pretty big cage so housing them in one cage shouldn't be an issue.

So how long would it take to acclimate 2 birds?

Thanks.
DJ

DJ......Unless you are going to breed eventually, I would suggest NOT getting another Sun. I personally suggest something quieter as a playmate (like a Meyers)....Noise may not be a problem where you are located NOW but may be someday in the future. Suns (IME) get much noiser when they mature (at about 2 yrs. old), so please think in the long run, not the short run - as a general rule, always an exception though I guess?

[dedjer]

Thanks for all the info, it's been really helpful.

We ended up buying a 6 week old bird (pictures to come). The place we bought it from was Birds and Beasts in Crystal Lake, IL. They will continue to take care of the bird until it can eat on it's own.

I'll do the 2 cage thing for now, as far as noise goes that doesn't bother me because we have a large house (3 story / 3000 sq ft) with no intentions of moving anytime soon.

If the birds do not get along then I'll keep them separate, but if they do get along, we'll probably shell out more money for an extra large cage.

My only real concern is that the birds will "overbond", and how I would handle that.

I'll post again as we progress through this experience.

Thanks.
DJ

[Monica]

It's good to hear that the baby wont come home unweaned! If you handle each one daily, with separate play times, or play times together, you should be able to keep both fairly tame! At least that is until they reach maturity! Then they might become difficult for a while, but with extra work can remain sweet pets!

[birdiechick]

Goodluck to you and your new tweetheart!

[Conure & Macaw Mom]

Good luck. Keep us posted. Crystal

[dedjer]

OK here's pics of our new sun conure. For now the name is "Coco"

[Monica]

Very cute little baby! Keep updates coming!