Want to buy a sun conure...some issues though. help needed!

[WoOdY12i2]

i posted this in the introduce yourself...any help would be really appreciated

Hi everybody, my name is Tom.

My family is allergic to animal dander, which measn we cant have dogs or cats, ferrets, rabbits, anything fun basically. I had hamsters growing up, and i was quite the aquarium buff for several years. most of my fish where actually prize winning oriental goldfish, all about 8 inches long. before every pet i would get or anything i do, i want to know as much possible information before doing the actual action.

i have been turned onto getting a bird, they offer companionship, my parents and i would not be affected by their feathers or anything, a HUGE plus, and they seem like a fun animal to own. after doing extensive research I decided I would like a Sun Conure. Someone my mom works with just happens to be a huge bird buff, he actually sells and designs a special window perch and has a successful bird business. we visited his house the other week and met all sorts of birds. they tried persuading me out of buying a sun conure, and had given a lot of negative comments about them. Such as that they are aggresive if they do not know the other people, very protective of their owners and also loud birds. my parents think that given my lifestyle, being 21 and going out, sleeping late and such will interfere with owning a bird, but i am confident i can make this 30 some year commitment. i would truely love a little companion.

but given this info and the fact that these two people devote their lives to birds and had tried so hard to persaude me from buying a conure really threw me off. these people operate bird rescues, they want everyone to own a bird, so it was suprising. Why woudl these people be so against owning a sun conure...can i get some help on this? one issue my parents also have with the bird, is that we liv ein an apartment complex, but that it is a very open apartment complex, it is more like a dormitory than anything. our neighborhs come in, eat with us, or pop in periodically...our neighbors also consist of a 3 year old and 5 year old that idolize me. we are worried that this over protective bird could possibly hurt these 'strangers' .

so i am torn...i really want a sun conure after how much research i have done...but i need tomsone to tell me, some first hand experience about the ins and outs of sun conure ownership please. any info regarding their behavior, how they handle strangers, habits, how aggressive they are. i am already leaning towards them...i just need the extra push, and some info that will let me know that everyone who visits will be safe inour house. i would hate the bird to bite one of the kids hard.

thanks for reading all this info, i blabbed but i just wanted everyone to know the full story to help me.

i am also considering a parrotlet....but my heart is set on sun conure, hard

*noise is not an issue, it is if the bird will attack the little kids, or anyone else for that matter

[xafsmom]

Then, get the Sun!

First, EVERY bird has the potential to be aggressive to everyone but its' favoured person. With Suns, it's all about how much socialising it gets with different people. If you're the only one that ever holds it or touches it, it's going to be very wary about others. If other people are in its life, it will most likely be happy with others too. Keep in mind that they are multi-flock birds and are usually happy to welcome new people as long as they're not pushed on new people.

Second; Every bird bites. Every bird bites hard. Every bird will bite harder still. This does not mean YOUR bird will bite you, but it can, and it might. Don't ever think just because a bird is friendly that it won't clamp onto a finger; yours or a kids. Use common sense and supervise. Don't let children reach up and grab for the birdie. Sun's usually adore children and if introduced calmly, will be happy to accept pets or even cuddles - if the Sun likes such things. Mainly, you hold the bird and allow the kids to talk to it and possibly even pet the back while you're shielding them from the beak. I'd give that advice even for parrotlets ...which can bite the wholy .... out of you too, btw!

Again, upbringing has a lot to do with that. My babies are raised by adults and children alike in a very loving, trusting environment, so they fully accept anything thrown at them. Look for a breeder that follows socialisation practices according to your needs. Most good breeders will raise babies that are fearless and loving and easy to acclimate to families of any type.

As far as over-aggressive? I haven't found that at all - not even my breeders are combative, but come up to the cage for air kisses through the bars. I do have one Sun that hates - absolutely hates - every single human alive; but me. However, he had a bad upbringing, and I 'saved' him it seems, so he adores me and would love to make mince out of everyone else. He is the only Sun I know that has that personality.

Sun's are loud birds on average. They're also (Back to the multi-flock stuff) very social. They are happiest when they're in the thick of every activity. When they're not, they will scream to get that way. If screaming doesn't get them attention, they might very well bite out of frustration. Just an FYI.

A Sun is a wonderful addition to a family with kids and without. They're loving, endearing birds that usually remain that way past puberty (though, watch them as with all birds during seasonal changes).

[WoOdY12i2]

thankyou for the informative and personal advice, it really helped a lot. i really want a sun, just those people seemed to want me to get another bird. they had a parrotlett that we played with and enjoyed...i want a bigger bird though haha.

well hopefully the conure will be fine then, the family will take us to which ever bird breeder we want to buy the bird fo our choice. the parrotlett biting didn't hurt, but i saw a conure bite a man and draw blood, but he was hormonal and all that jazz, so understandable.

again, i really appreciate the info. i don't want to be a multi bird man...i just want one bird, i feel like the ocnure will make a nice addition to the family.

[KrytterKrys]

like xafs said every bird has its own personality,quirks and bad days, but as long as its well socialized you shouldnt have a prob with it being an aggressive bird, especially if you get it as a baby...they only "problem" you might have is the volume! but not every sun is a screamer either of course they have their yelling times (morning/evening) and such but so does every bird...if you really want a sun get one, otherwise you might settle with a bird your never gonna really be satisfied with...im gettin a sun too soon i hope you make the right decision and enjoy your new fid

[xafsmom]

Originally Posted by WoOdY12i2

thankyou for the informative and personal advice, it really helped a lot. i really want a sun, just those people seemed to want me to get another bird. they had a parrotlett that we played with and enjoyed...i want a bigger bird though haha.

well hopefully the conure will be fine then, the family will take us to which ever bird breeder we want to buy the bird fo our choice. the parrotlett biting didn't hurt, but i saw a conure bite a man and draw blood, but he was hormonal and all that jazz, so understandable.

again, i really appreciate the info. i don't want to be a multi bird man...i just want one bird, i feel like the ocnure will make a nice addition to the family.

Definitely get a baby from a reputable breeder if you can. That way you know exactly what's been in that bird's life from day 1. I normally would suggest rescues for most people but when children are involved, better to be safe, than to have behavioural issues from the bird's past.

I love my trouble sun dearly, and he adores me completely, but like I said, anyone else, and he'll tear their faces off. Who knows his past!

[RED DAVE]

Go with the love. Suns are pains in the neck: messy, screechy, demanding and wholly adorable. You will be missing out if you deprive yourself and a Sun of companionship.

David

[Halo]

Conures make awesome pets!! They have great personalities and are so much fun to interact with :) But definatly for your situation, get a baby if you can!

[Conures on the mind]

Hey take it form me I work with 8 different types of birds. I do have to say that out of all I find Conures the best. As some one stated before birds do and can bite. And they can bite hard. What I tell people at the store I work for is that if you are afraid to be bitten then a bird is not the pet for you. And yes I will actually refuse to sell the bird. But back to the topic at hand. I suggest researching about the different birds that you are interested in. Please keep in mind that these animals live a long time and are very intelligent. Try starting off with a smaller size conure such as a green cheek if you are interested in conures. And try to find one recently weened or still young.

[AnimalNut]

What about a Quaker? They are fun and silly like conures, bigger than a parrotlet and not **quite** as loud as a Sun. I saw a SunDay yesterday and can appreciate why you fell in love. They are just so incredibly gorgeous! Good luck! What I liked about the Sun was it was so much less nippy than a GCC. The Quaker was really pretty and so animated that I was really tempted..... Let us know what you choose!!

[EmpEro517]

My sun only gets aggressive at all when there are small children around.
He doesn't get to see them much and I think they just kinda freak him out.
Other than that, he hasn't been extremely noisy. He will squawk for a while if I haven't played with him yet that day and walk out of the room, but its no more than 10 minutes, and they aren't as loud as he could go, he saves those for when he first comes out. But he loves the rest of my household (sister 12, brother, 15, mother, and father) and all of my friends that come over to see him.