Sun Conure Breeding Season
Parrots are Strange by Brenda Smithy
When I bought my first parrot A Sun Conure I call Tiko I knew very little about the sometimes strange behavior of parrots. The first time Tiko stuck is nail in his Cree, the parrot equivalent of nostrils, and left it there, I was ready to call the vet. Help, my parrot has his talon stuck in his nose!! Turns out this is normal behavior, well, for a parrot anyway.
One day I noticed Tiko had toothpicks sticking out of his head!! Oh my God, what is that?! He was having his first molt. He resembles a porcupine! One thing you want to know about molting parrots is that they are very cranky! Being a single parrot and not having a friend to preen with, I had the honor of helping Tiko preen those feathers he couldn’t reach. He let me know quickly if I touched one too tender!
Sun Conures are very beautiful with electric yellow, orange and blue green plumage. As with all birds you can tell a lot about their mood by their feathers. A fluffed out bird sitting contentedly preening is a happy bird. Of course a fluffed out bird with his wings out and head down is thinking of taking a hunk out of your finger!
Parrots also have a drive to be high, in the air that is. This is a built in instinct for safety and the reason why your parrot keeps flying for the curtain rods, or your head. It’s best to keep your pet off your shoulder, and your head, to avoid nips on the face or lost ear rings
.
Speaking of nips a parrot beak can crack nut shells!! Sun Conures tend to be a little nippy in nature. In the wild bird often “disagree” and may nip each other. Just remember it’s not personal and a pretty normal reaction to not being able to fly away which is a birds main safety mechanism. If you need to move your bird and your afraid he may nip use a stick to move him. Above all don’t blame the bird. It’s not personal. He’s just a little bird trying to live in an unnatural environment.
Parrots are very sexual and wild creatures. Unlike dogs and cats we don’t have a way to “fix” them and when breeding season comes around noise, irritability and the occasionally love affair with toy or the mirror can occur! A parrot in love may exhibit increased aggression and “calling the flock.” Sun Conures are small parrots but don’t let that fool you. They are very loud. If you live in an apartment this may not be the best bird for you.
So with all this strange behavior why did I decide to get a parrot companion? Parrots are beautiful, intelligent on par with a toddler and fascinating. What they are not is low maintenance. None-the-less, Tiko is mostly a joy to have around and I’d get him again if I had it to do all over again.
About the Author
Brenda Smithy writes articles on parrot care. Check out her site to find parrot trick information and parrot care.
Breeding Pair of Red Factor Sun Conures