Conures As Pets
Conures are a small, long-tailed parrot group originating from South and Central America. Most of the species are well established in captivity and color variations are becoming more common. Nearly every species of conure makes an excellent companion but many have habits potential owners must be aware of.
The biggest complaint I "hear" from conure owners is the amount of noise they make. There are two general families of conures- the Aratinga (ara) and Pyrrhura (pyr) families. There are a couple less common families but you rarely see these offered as pets. The pyr family is generally smaller and includes conures such as the green cheek, maroon belly, rock, gold ear, etc. The ara family is much larger and includes the dusky, jenday, sun, nanday, gold cap, orange front, mitred, white eyed and green conures just to name a handful. The ara conures are also bigger in body size.
If your considering an ara conure expect a more vocal bird. They chirp, whistle, scream and talk often. The pyr conures are more quiet but still vocalize in a less rambunctions way. Consider your neighbors and personal sanity- making noise is a natural part of being a conure. Sun and janday conures are beautiful but need very understanding owners without neighbors!
Every conure you find in pet stores in the United States is captive bred. They are usually hand fed from a few weeks of age and very accustom to people. this does not mean they will enjoy being handled because every bird is different. I've seen conures bond to one person, entire families or accept anyone willing to give them attention. When buying a pet conure spend time with the bird, away from its cage if possible to see its personality. A pet conure will be with you as a pet for many years so don't rush into taking home the first bird you look into.
I recomend visiting a possible pet conure 2-3 times before you decide it is the one for you. Try different times of the day to catch it in different moods and watch his actions closely. It should be attentative and active. Also watch it eat to make sure it is weaned off hand feeding- I can't tell you how many times I have heard of people taking home a bird too early and having to wean it on their own. Weaning is not task I recomend for the typical pet owner. Its better to wait out this tricky period.
Your conure should be eating a nice varied diet of prepared and fresh foods. I don't recomend a pellet or seed only diet for any bird- I feed my birds both! I also have another dish for fresh fruits, vegatables and other treats. Wash all fresh foods and avoid pitted fruits and junk food.
For a conure cage you need to get the biggest you can afford. they are active birds and love to climb and play. Cramming one into a small cage is cruel. I look for a cage that has at least 3 food/water cups and plenty of room for perches and toys. I change the perches and toys weekly; switching them with last weeks gear which I cleaned after taking them out. It adds variety for your bird and makes cleaning easier.