Sun Conure

[chuck]

I got my wife a Sun Conure for xmas she is completly new to birds as am I. Hatch date is 8-25-06 so little so little over 5 months. I a few Questions to ask and would like some answers but also feel free to answer with any advice on how to raise this bird.

Any advice of food to feed or mix of food snacks ect

I have seen a lot about bottle brush is this for a sun conure or bigger bird and is conure part of parrot family

Talking wife claims bird is talking says step up baby and kiss is this possible at 5 months and what can be expected in the way of talking out of a sun

what kind of toys are best i bought a bunch same time i bought cage

am going to attempt a gym before long thinking pvc and dowell rods and what ever else i may get at home depot

ok this is probably enough for now pl;ease help and feel free to give any advice even if it wasn't one of the queations I asked

Thanks Chuck

[Monica]

There's various beliefs on diet.... but most agree that a wide range of healthy, fresh foods is a must.... veggies, sprouts, whole grain breads, cooked beans, cooked eggs... basically though, try to stick away from dyes (if you can....), dusty seeds, seeds with webbing (infested seeds are fine if you freeze them before feeding... however you don't want any webbing in the seed when you first open it), and seed mixes high in fatty seeds... (sunflowers, safflowers, peanuts...)

Bottlebrush, if you can get a hold of it, is great for all birds alike! Birds love to chew on the branches, the leaves, and even flowers!

I've heard of birds talking before they are weaned... so I don't find it surprising at all... conures are said to be pretty good talkers, although not all will talk. Being that I have two conures, only one talks... The younger (at about 12 1/2 years old) still picks up new words.

In this video (don't have a microphone.... and Charlie hates cameras.... easiest to get vids of him talking if he can't see the camera...) Charlie says his name "Charlie-Saurus" three times...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trEpDq9LMY0

In the next video (first one I was laying down in bed before sun got up.... too dark for him to see cam... this one, I'm holding him in one hand, with the camera behind my back as I'm recording him... otherwise he would have stalked the camera and attacked it....) he repeatedly says his name, AND I also get him to say "big feathers", which isn't quite as clear but then again he's only started learning it since he's been here which was back in October 06...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zc6rOSuieQ

He learned to say "Charliesaurus" in his foster home, that he was in for 5 months. He also says some other words, such as "Hello", "Sorry", some words I've only heard him say once or twice, and others I can't quite understand!

For toys... wooden toys, acrylic toys, leather toys, cotton toys, beady toys, just about any time! Try and get a big variety, and see what your sun prefers the most...

Gym sounds fine... any questions you can ask specifically!

[Valo's Moirana]

Any advice of food to feed or mix of food snacks ect

generally, feed your baby pellets with loads of fresh veggies on the side... at the beginning we bought a little bit of everything and then just tried to see what they like (of course their tastes are different like day and night ).... our conures get carrots with almost every meal, then also broccoli, bell pepper, sweet potato, fresh greens etc.
they also get some seeds, but it's the exception rather than the rule....
for treats, both like fruit a lot - can't beat blueberries (of course... i always HAVE TO HAVE a bag of frozen ones at home) and apple.... valo goes crazy for those birdie bananas you can get at the store, while bella would sell her soul for banana chips... i guess you just have to try stuff out... and you'll probably spend some money on things that won't get eaten :D
also, a piece of broccoli makes a great toy... our love to tear it apart (and watch us pick up the pieces)

Talking wife claims bird is talking says step up baby and kiss is this possible at 5 months and what can be expected in the way of talking out of a sun

i've heard conures talk... pita (gbird's baby) talks... so far a few things but he's not much older than yours.... he says "good boy" a lot...
valo just mutters away... the only thing he can say clearly is "mama" (well, might also be my imagination LOL) and kissing noises (that's not... he REALLY makes those, i swear)

what kind of toys are best i bought a bunch same time i bought cage

ha, that also depends on your baby - all i can say, try a lot of things... valo loves anything acrylic, bella doesn't care for it (which is great, since he gets all her toys ). bella loves to shred... anything wood... that's a good idea anyways, provide loads of chewing possibilites (reduces the amount of occasions your finger will be used for that )

am going to attempt a gym before long thinking pvc and dowell rods and what ever else i may get at home depot

check out the DIY section... plenty of inspiration there....

hope this helps,
bee

[ray1457]

Since you are new to birds, I thought it might be helpful to emphasize that your Sun will *need* to chew, and your clothing and jewelry won't be immune! Put an older shirt on (and take off any jewelry) before allowing your bird on your person; that way it won't matter if he adds a few holes here or there... And another diet idea: do a search on the forum for "birdy bread"; most birds love it and it comes in handy when you are attempting to get them to try something new. I've read good things about (but haven't yet tried) the "kitchen sink" recepie found in the forums, too.

[Doyle'sMommy]

You've gotten some good advice here!

Food- My fids get fed a mix of fresh fruits and veggies twice a day, breakfast and dinner. About twice a week I let them have some birdiebread as one of their meals, which they LOVE! I have one conure who will eat just about anything, especially if I am eating it in front of him. My other conure will throw what he doesn't like out of his bowl and eat the rest. Whenever my husband and I get the chance to eat dinner together at home we like to include the fids (our families and friends think this is nuts btw). Danny doesn't like to sit at the table, but Doyle and Prinny will. We give them a plate of a little bit of what we are eating and they happily try a little bit and then eat what they like. This has really helped me get them to try new foods, because we are their flock and if the flock members are eating it then it must be good! I give them pellets and seed mix in their cages while I am gone, just enough to cover the bottom and to make sure they don't get hungry. Remember no Teflon or non-stick pans please!!

Talking- I don't have a sun but my Nanday is a talker. And quite a good talker too. He is 8 months old and he can say "Doyle" "Doy Doy" "Step Up" and "Cooper". He started mumbling around 5 months and the mumbling eventually turned into talking. He practiced alot before he went to sleep at night, so once you cover his cage and turn out the lights linger for a minute and you might hear him say something. It is completely possible that your sun is talking now.

Toys- All my birds are big shredders! I buy them the pinata toys that are all weaved together and also you can weave newspaper through the cage bars for them to play with. Also fresh Kale weaved through the cage bars is a fun toy and healthy treat. Doyle also loves to chew on soft wooden toys. And the treasure box toy he plays with everyday! The more toys the better in my opinion it's keeps them entertained and with all that energy conures need something to do.

Playgym- We made our own playgym out of wood. It isn't the most attractive thing in the world but it serves it's purpose. PVC would make a great gym.

And I have to agree with the suggestion of bird clothes. Before I even take the birds out at night I change into an old t-shirt and pants and take my jewelry off (otherwise I would be peeling Doyle off my rings all night ). If you have any more questions please feel free to ask.

[chuck]

is this raw and fruits we are talking about and also are you saying not to feed seed mixes very often and any other advice would be apprecitated

Thanks Chuck

[Doyle'sMommy]

Originally Posted by chuck

is this raw and fruits we are talking about and also are you saying not to feed seed mixes very often and any other advice would be apprecitated

Thanks Chuck

Yes it is raw fruits and veggies. I feed them some steamed ones occasionally but they prefer raw veggies. And I would stay away from seed if you can, it can be fattening.

[ray1457]

Frozen mixed veggies work good, too; I defrost a handful using hot water and my bird loves them (esp. corn and peas). Cooked beans or rice, fresh or frozen greens, fruit (without seeds!), peppers (anything from radish to jalepeno), small portions of lean meats; your bird can eat most of the things that are good for you. No milk products; they cannot process lactose. Unsweetened cereals (Cheerios, Grape-Nuts, etc.) can be used for treats and training. "Prohibited" things include chocolate and avacado; also keep your bird away from things that contain lots of sugar or salt and anything containing caffiene. Have you heard / read about replacing all your Teflon stuff yet??