CLOWN AROUND WITH CONURES

CONURES make great companion pets: they're intelligent, capable of learning to talk and can be taught tricks. In general, conures are the clowns of the parrot family. Appropriate both for beginner or experienced bird owners, conures are relatively easy to care for and have simple dietary needs and fun personalities. A tame conure will quickly bond to its new owners and become part of the family.

These parrots have long tails and come in various sizes and colors. One of the largest is the Patagonian conure, measuring 18 inches in length. Conures also come quite small, such as the orange front, green cheek and maroon belly, which each measures about nine inches in length-about the same size as a cockatiel. Most conures greatly resemble the macaw family, but in a much smaller version.

Before The Bird Comes Home

There are certain supplies owners should already have purchased and set up prior to the new pet's arrival. The entire cage should be set up and ready for the bird. This will make for a smoother transition for both pet and owner. Essential products include: the cage, perches, food and water bowls, a cage cover, food that the bird is used to, toys and some treats. A basic and informative book on conures also should be purchased and read by new owners. Fancy treats and new foods can be purchased after the bird is home in its new surroundings.

Regarding housing, most quality, large cages that are suitable for a cockatiel or small parrot work well for most types of conures. A minimum size cage would be 30½" high by 21¾" wide by 16¾" deep. The most important thing to look out for is that the bar spacing is not too wide so the bird cannot get its head through the cage barring. Some parrots quickly panic when they think they are stuck, others have hung themselves by thrashing around, and still others have been attacked by a cat or dog on the outside of the cage. Be sure to carefully check the bar spacing when helping a customer purchase their cage.

When it comes to cage placement, warn customers against placing the cage in front of or right next to a window. A draft on a cool day can irritate a bird and may ultimately cause it to get sick, or the sun shining through the window on a warm day could even kill a bird.

Diet Delights

Premixed seed packages designed for small parrots are available. The large hookbill foods usually have too many hard nuts and grains that could just be wasted by many conures, so steer customers away from these. There also are pelleted diets formulated for mall parrots. In addition, conures need and enjoy eating fresh fruits and vegetables including oranges, grated beets, rated carrots, spinach, peas, quash, yams and more.

There are a variety of fun snacks and treats that these birds just love. Remind owners to provide a large bowl of fresh water for drinking as well as for bathing. These clowns love to bathe and usually will only do so in fresh, clean water.

Bird Play

Many tame conures love to play with bird bells, plastic chains, swings and other birdsafe toys. There are a variety of attractive and fun wooden chew toys now offered in different shapes and colors; conures will entertain themselves for hours by chewing them up, which is good for their beaks too.

Urge new bird owners to purchase a few different types of toys so they can keep rotating a variety of toys around in the cage. Birds, like people, get tired of the same old thing. Some pets may be afraid of a new toy, so tell owners to place the product next to the cage until the bird appears curious about the toy and shows signs of wanting it. Each individual conure is different, so be aware of the different personalities.

Special Care Notes

These birds love to come out of their cage to play gym can be just the place for this freedom. The play area should be equipped with small bowls so the bird can have some food and water along with treats and toys to keep it occupied.

Advise customers to always supervise the bird when it's out of its cage. Conures are very curious and will get into everything if not closely watched they can injure themselves, or damage wooden furniture and other household items. Some other items conures will find to chew on are phone cords, electrical wires, furniture, clothing, plants and more.

Most conures do best with just their owner's companionship. Sometimes, if two conures share a cage, they will bond with each other and no longer want the human companionship and attention. Usually, though, pet conures become jealous of new birds that are introduced into the household. It is best that all individual pet conures each be housed in their own cages; this will keep them tame and loving toward their owners. This will create a healthier and happier environment for both.

Common Conures:

• Sun Conure
• Jenday Conure
• Gold-capped Conure
• Orange-fronted Conure Aka Half-moon Conure
• Dusky-headed Conure
• Peach-fronted Conure
• Brown-throated Conure
• Green Conure
• Red-masked Conure
• White-eyed Conure
• Blue-crowned Conure
• Nanday Conure
• Blacked-capped Conure
• Painted Conure
• Green-checked Conure
• Patagonian Conure
• Maroon-bellied Conure

 CONURE BASICS

• Conures from the Pyrrhura genus, such as the maroon belly or green cheek, can be very quiet pets. Species from the Aratinga genus, such as the sun, jenday and nanday can be very noisy at times. Help customers choose the best type for their particular living situations.
• Some conures learn a few words, while others can learn more than 50 words - depending on the time their owners spend teaching them words and their innate ability. Remember that each bird is an individual.
• Before the bird leaves the pet store for its new home, certain supplies should already be purchased. The whole cage should be set up and ready for the bird.
• New owners should also purchase and read a basic book on conures before the bird goes home. This way, the owner will already have necessary knowledge about their new pet, such as personality, diet, taming, training and general care.
• Premixed seed packages for small parrots and cockatiels are one option. Also encourage the purchase of pellets formulated for small parrots. Conures also need fresh fruits and vegetables in their daily diets.
• Most large, quality cages suitable for a cockatiel or small parrot are fine for conures. Be sure that the bar spacing is not too far apart so the bird cannot get its head through the cage barring.
• Conures love to come out of their cage to, play and a play gym can be just the place for them. The play area should be equipped with small bowls so the birds can have some food and water along with treats and toys to help keep them entertained.
• Most conures do best with just their owner's companionship. Sometimes if two conures share a cage, they will bond with each other and no longer desire human companionship and attention. Many pet conures become jealous of new birds that are introduced into the household, so it's best that all individual conures be housed in their own cage. This will keep them tame and loving toward their owners.
• With proper' diet and regular veterinary check ups, a companion conure can live up to 30 years.

Reprinted by Pretty Birds from Pet Products Magazine by Robbie Harris, author of "Breeding Conures".

Use Browser BACK Button

Pretty Birds: Copyright © 1997: Last Modified 05/04/01: Copyright Law and International Treaties protect these Web Site Pages. Warning: Reproduction or Distribution of these images, program, text or any portion of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law.