CARE

Sun conures are not for everyone. They require patience, dedication, and commitment. They form loyal and lifelong bonds with their owners. When their owners give them away or die after several years with them, sun conures may pluck their own feathers and/or die. In the wild, sun conures form lifelong bonds with their mates and rarely leave each other’s sides until they die. When sun conures form bonds with their owners, it is actually a mate bond, so when owners cut their relationship with their sun conures, it causes them physical and emotional distress. Even leaving sun conures by themselves for more than a few days causes them physical and emotional distress. Keep sun conures happy by reading the important information below.

Housing and Interaction

If sun conures could, they would want to be with their owners all the time. They should be socialized everyday by their owners; this can range from talking to them, petting them, and teaching them tricks. Letting sun conures sit on their owners’ shoulders greatly improves bonding. If sun conures are to be left alone, play the radio or leave the TV on to distract them. Sun conures can be socialized with other parrots, but they should not be in the same cage with other parrots, besides other sun conures.

Sun conures should have the largest cages possible; they should be able to spread and flap their wings fully without hitting the metal bars. Their cages should be placed in the house where there is the most traffic, and away from drafts and kitchens that use Teflon products. Teflon products can kill sun conures. Sun conures need plenty of room to move and climb. Small cages can cause sun conures to become overweight, which can lead to health issues. They should also have a variety of toys to choose from. Toys that were chewed on should be replaced every few months to promote healthy growth of the sun conures’ beak.

Diet and Nutrition

The sun conures’ diet should be well-balanced, and have variety or they will get bored and refuse to eat. Small parrot pellet feed should make up at least 70% of their diet and vegetables, fruits, and fortified seeds should make up 30% of their diet. Fresh, chlorine-free water should be provided every day. With balanced nutrition, exercise, and regular veterinary visits, sun conures can live a long and healthy life.

Do not feed sun conures avocado, caffeine, alcohol, salt, fruit seeds, or chocolate. Caffeine, chocolate, and avocado are toxic to sun conures. Salt should not be given to sun conures because they cannot excrete salt.

Grooming and Hygiene

Provide sun conures chlorine-free, room temperature water every few days for bathing. When they are done bathing, remove the water. Misting sun conures with water can also be done as an alternative.

Clipping sun conures’ flight feathers can prevent accidents in the house. If sun conures’ wings are not clipped, they may fly into trash cans, washing machines, ovens, stoves, toilets, fireplaces, and windows. Sun conures that fly into windows often die. Windows are the number one cause of house birds’ deaths.

Sun conures’ beaks may sometimes need to shaved and trimmed by professionals, so that they can properly eat. Overgrown beaks can cause sun conures to starve and injure themselves and their owners. Nails should also be trimmed to prevent injury.

Behavior and Health Concerns

Sun conures should be regularly taken to avian veterinarians to make sure they are healthy. Regular visits to the veterinarian can help catch illnesses and diseases at an early stage, which can be treated quickly and effectively.

Healthy and happy sun conures exhibit the following behaviors:

are social and active
chew their toys constantly
eat and drink throughout the day
groom their feathers (feathers are clean and smooth)

Unhealthy sun conures exhibit the following behaviors:

sit at the bottom of the habitat
do not eat and drink throughout the day
do not groom their feathers (feathers are soiled and dirty)
pluck their feathers
cough and wheeze

Common health concerns include the following issues:

Psittacosis: An infectious disease found among parrots caused by the bacteria Chlamydophila psittaci. It can be transmitted to other birds and humans by inhaling dust from dried droppings. Dried droppings can remain infectious for weeks. In birds, it causes loss of appetite, fluffed feathers, nasal discharge, and diarrhea. In humans, it causes flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and chills.
Polyomavirus (PVD): An infectious disease found among birds. It can be transmitted to other birds by inhaling feather dust, direct contact, and dust from dried droppings. It can cause appetite loss, weight loss, depression, swollen abdomen, anorexia, diarrhea, tremors, and sudden death.
Feather Plucking: Birds pluck their own feathers. Caused by multiple problems, such as stress, poor diet, boredom, illnesses, and diseases.
Diarrhea: The fecal portion of the dropping is not solid. Caused by multiple problems, such as change in diet, stress, diseases, and parasites.