Conures: Jandaya, Nanday, Green cheeked and Sun are the most commonly held. Sexually monomorphic i.e. difficult to determine sexes. Can be very noisy especially when they get excited. May upset neighbours with their noise. Demand a lot of attention from their owners. Destructive to timber. Attractive birds with the Sun Conure probably the best coloured of the more popular conures. They can be aggressive birds requiring only one pair per aviary and needing double wiring between aviaries. They will also accept suitably sized suspended wire cages.
There are about 20 species of conures
They are small slender parrots that are less
noisy than the other genus of conures. They are generally less destructive
of timber than the Aratinga genus. A nest box of about 200 - 250 mm square
( 8 - 10 inches square) base
and about 300 - 600 mm ( 12 - 24 inches) deep can be used. Rosemary Low
recommends nest boxes of as little as 310mm ( 12 inches) deep.
Aratinga genus: Aratinga birds are generally noisy birds that have a habit of being destructive of timber and of the wire mesh if the wire is damaged or too thin. They can use a slightly larger nest box and a slightly larger entrance hole.
Cyanoliseus genus: The only member of this genus is the Patagonian Conure.
Nandayus genus: The only member of this genus is the Nanday Conure.
Myiopsitta genus: The only member of this genus is the Quaker Parrot. Some references place the Quaker parrot in the Conure group.
Government Regulations & By-Laws: Refer to "Government Laws" web page.
Diet: Refer also to the
"feeding birds" web page.
Commercial pellets can form part on a balanced food intake.
Many successful overseas breeders feed their birds a fruit and vegetable "breakfast". Seed and/or pellets are always available. Suitable size pieces are about 12mm (or 1/2 inch) cubes. This size is easy for them to handle easily. Breeding birds always get additional servings to cater for the rapidly growing young. An additional serve of fruits and vegetables can be given during the afternoon. Leafy green vegetables such as endive, cos lettuce and silverbeet can be offered.
Conures like a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as well as a good quality seed mix. Dry commercial pellet feeds are becoming available and may be part of a balanced diet.
Only feed first quality fruits and vegetables. If you wont eat it, don't feed it to your birds.
Fruits & berries: Most fruits that are seasonally available such as apple, orange, grapes, pear, peach, mango, passionfruit. Avoid feeding avocados to birds as some types of avocados can be toxic to birds. Berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries etc can be offered.
Vegetables: Fresh or thawed frozen vegetables, the birds seem not to care. Examples are peas, snow peas, beans, corn or corn-on-the-cob, broccoli, celery, carrot, pumpkin, cucumber. Do not feed onions as they can be toxic to birds.
Cooked rice and pasta can be mixed in with the fruit and vegetables.
Cake & breads: Plain or Madeira cake, fresh multi-grain or wholemeal bread can be offered. These foods should only be fed in small quantities and as a "treat" as these items can cause the birds to gain weight rapidly.
Sprouted seed or soaked seed can be offered.
Supplementary foods: If a good balanced diet is offered to the birds, supplementary foods are generally unnecessary. There are a lot of supplementary commercial foods available from pet shops and bird clubs as well as lots of "home made recipes" described in reputable parrot/conure books.
Mineral and Vitamin Supplements:
With a good balanced
diet, supplements should not be needed but, if used, it is best
mixed into or sprinkled over the soft food. Keep in mind with
supplements the correct dose rate should give good results, but, if
more than the prescribed dose is administered it could be toxic or
even fatal to the adult birds and / or the babies.
A separate refrigerator for the storage of the birds perishable foods is a good investment. A separate refrigerator that is only used for the birds usually means other family members or housemates do not pinch the birds foods. Most medications can be stored in a refrigerator especially during the hot summer months.
As most Conures are monomorphic, DNA or surgical sexing is usually required to accurately determine the true gender of each bird. Two adult conures acting as a "pair" does not imply one is a hen and one a cock bird. Two of the one sex may act as a pair. Two hens may act as a true pair and make a nest, lay a clutch of eggs and incubate the eggs and without stating the obvious, the eggs are infertile.
A basic overview only.
Typical Log / Nest-box:
Length 300 - 600 mm (or approx. 12 - 24 inches).
Some of the larger conures may benefit from a deeper log or nestbox.
Conures have a habit of removing all the nest box material and laying their eggs on the bare wooden base. If this happens, add more nest material so the eggs are not damaged on the nest base.
They may roost in the breeding box year round. Although there may be a nestbox or log in the aviary throughout the year, it should not cause the birds to lay during their normal non-breeding season.
Refer also to the "housing birds" web page.
Conures are very active birds that demand a lot of attention from their owners. They like to be entertained by their owners and will enjoy playing with bird toys to make their own entertainment. Many retail pet outlets sell "play gyms" and other accessories that can be attached to, or placed in a conure cage or aviary.
Most conures can be very noisy and may cause problems with neighbours. Yelling at a conure often excites it and it thinks you are "playing" with it and it will only get more excited and more noisy. Giving it no attention or interaction and just walk away often works better than loud verbal interactions.
Conures love to chew on timber materials including branches and perches. The aviary should not have framing timber accessible to the birds as they will probably start to chew on it and eventually may destroy the timber. It is good therapy and exercise for the bird but not recommended for the aviary structure. A good supply of green and dry non-toxic branches, including leaves, will minimize the likelihood of any structural timber damage. Wood, chipboard, melamine or masonite cages that have a very smooth surface devoid of holes or surface damage are usually not attacked by the conures but a close inspection should be routinely done to ensure they have not found a weak spot in the surface. A steel frame is the preferred material for any aviary that houses any types of parrots. The birds have a strong beak and will require strong wire mesh on the cage or aviary. Parrot breeders often use 12 or 13 gauge, 12mm x 12mm (the old 1/2 in. x 1/2 in.) hot dipped galvanized weld mesh.
Conures are intelligent birds and will try to find any weakness in the aviary and make a escape.
Conures like to bathe in a bowl of water. This can result in a wet messy indoor cage. A special spot can be set aside in the room if the birds are let out. They will quickly learn to have a splash in the bowl when outside the cage. Make sure the weather is warm enough to allow them to fully dry after their bath.
With indoor cage breeding being common for conures, I do not have the top of the cage higher than my eye level. Conures like to develop a level of dominance within its group and also over their handlers. With a cage equal to or lower than my eye level this minimizes the possibility of the bird/s feeling superior or dominant in the pecking order. This seems to minimize many daily battles and when the bird or birds are being handled outside the cage it is preferable to keep them about elbow height or lower and not allow them to climb up to shoulder or head height. If a bird is on your shoulder and squawks or screeches the level of the noise may, over time, damage the humans hearing. A startled bird may flap its wings and a wing tip can cause an eye injury to the owner. Conures also "nip" to develop or maintain its level of dominance and ears, eyes, lips or nose may be "nipped" resulting in an injury to the owner. Birds than are allowed to fly free in a room often fly to the highest point in the room and over time become harder to get back in the cage. Removing all perching places above head height in that room makes their capture easier and they tend not to develop a superior attitude.
Many indoor cages walls have mostly vertical wire bars but few horizontal bars. This may be suitable for large cockatoos but the wide horizontal bar spacing makes climbing in the cage difficult. The ideal cage has lots of horizontal bars with fewer vertical bars.
Food and water in a cage should be on the opposite side to the nest box and not under a perch.
Many species of parrots and conures can be trained when they are outside their cage to stay on their cage. Many new wire cages now have a roof that opens and has a perch and play toys incorporated in the roof level. Many pet shops and bird dealers use these cages to display tame birds and the birds stay in or on the cage even with the ever changing customers passing by.
Conures are very adaptable birds and allow us to house them in a wide variety of cage and aviary sizes. They will also accept suspended wire cages. A cage in an indoor room can be about 1000mm long x 600mm deep x 600mm high ( about 3 ft. x 2 ft. x 2ft.). A breeding box can be attached to the outside of the cage and with an nest box entry hole of about 70 - 80 mm (3in.). Birds that are used for breeding and are housed in an indoor cage or suspended cage will benefit if they are given some time in an aviary during the non breeding season. The time in a bigger aviary will allow the birds to exercise more and flying, hopefully giving the bird/s more body condition and better muscle tone at the start of the next breeding season.
Outdoor aviaries for conures are similar to those of any medium size parrot design. A sheltered area about one third the length of the aviary or a minimum of about 1500 mm ( 5 feet) with a half or fully covered roof. Double wiring between adjoining aviaries with about 75 - 100mm (3 - 4 inches) between the wire layers is recommended. Many owners paint the wire with black paint to be able to see the birds in the aviary better and to minimize the risk of the birds ingesting zinc from the wire.
Conures have one advantage in winter when housed in an outdoor aviary as most conures will roost in the nest box.
If the bird/s are in a cage are able to be handled or are able to be easily removed from the cage, cleaning of that cage can be thorough and cause minimal disturbance or stress to the bird/s.
General References: Refer to references listed on " Book References " web page.
"A Guide To Popular Conures as pet & aviary birds" Authors Ray Dorge & Gail Sibley. Publisher Australian Birdkeeper Publications. 2001 Cost about $30 - $32. Pages = 112.