upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

All right, quick back story. A birdy friend told me about a breeding pair she knew was for sale. They'd been for sale for about a month and had started at $900, down to 8, 7, 6, 5, 4... Supposedly the owner wasn't posting ads or anything like that, just asking the local bird club and pet stores to get the word around. But she was desperate to sell them...

So, we go meet them and see if there is maybe another reason. Well, the birds themselves are in good weight, excellent feather, alert, no discharges or other signs of illness. But the cage is tiny, rusted, and filthy. They are being feed a very basic safflower mix and have just 1 perch - no toys, nothing else. The owner tells us the male squeals his head off and she doesn't like it. So, we ask if maybe she could get a bigger cage, toys, and improve their diet. She isn't interested, just wants them GONE. Oh and, she's pretty sure they mated the day before we came to see them. I also learned she was their 4th owner and originally they had been imported from Hawaii and that they are 4 years old. They have supposedly clutched without any issues with only the occasional egg of 2-4 not being fertile.

I felt so bad for them and I know I have the room so I take them off her hands and pay the $400. Now, I have a breeding pair and I honestly don't know enough to handle a clutch yet so I want to get as much info as will possible sink into my head before we have chicks.

Now, timeline here is they bred on Sunday, picked them up Monday, and here we are. We have no eggs yet, but the female is in the box all the time only coming out to eat or drink - the male is outside being protective. He goes in frequently to regurgitate and feed her. So, first question, how long after breeding does it take for Suns to begin laying eggs? I know with some birds it's the next day, and others it takes 10. I don't know what the time frame for Suns though.

Now, I am switching their food to what I feed my female I already have. 10% large parrot nut and seed mix (almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds), 40% cockatiel diet (safflower, millet, dried fruit, a few nuts) and %50 pellet. The lady who had them said she couldn't give me more then a bowl of what she was feeding so I used that and mixed it with my current stuff to help transition, but is 3 days long enough? They don't pay much attention to the pellets - how can I encourage them to eat them? My other girl loves them and eats a full variety. Also, I feed my girl fruits and veggies every day and for the 2 years the last owner had the breeding pair she did not offer that kind of diet. Is it okay to introduce that stuff slowly as well or should I wait until they fully transition on to my seed and pellets mix?

I added a big toy, a cuttle bone, some gravel and shell but it's my intention to get them a new cage; I'm bringing it home today. I've attached a picture of the one my girl is in, this i the same one I am getting for them. How do I go about moving them? Should I wait until they lay or...? While I know the space, more perches, toys, etc will be much better for them I don't want to stress them out too much. I also have the additional goal of curbing the males screeching which - yes, he does! - by giving him more space and things to do while his mate hangs out in the box. I also have been keeping my curtains open but closing them if he squeals, opening when he is quiet. He is catching on quickly and we only got 6 loud bursts yesterday as opposed to dozens the day before. I am otherwise leaving them alone and they are in a fairly quiet room with just my other sun conure. Back to the cage - Would like to get them moved and settled, when is the best time?

Next questions - she said something about the bands on their feet. They are backwards? The male's is on the left and the female's is on the right? Is that backwards? I wasn't aware there was a standard.

Will the males pluck their chest? He did it the day they mated, supposedly, and so she put pine shavings in the box and he stopped. The female did not pluck hers. He only took a few feathers in a small patch that you can only see if he is standing upright. But, I for some reason had the impression only the females would do that...

Okay, so that's what I have right now. I am sure more will come up!

First thing is to REMOVE the nest box!! These birds should not have a box on for at least a year so they can become healthy. I'm sure other breeders would say less time, but if they were MY pair I wouldn't even think of a nest box for at least a year. They may still lay eggs, but not having something to lay them in might curb the hen some from laying and wanting to nest.

I highly doubt they will lay eggs coming from the conditions they did. Birds have to have all the right conditions to lay eggs, if they are not being met, they will not nest. They may still mate, but she more then likely will not lay eggs.

I can't speak for other breeders but ALL of our birds have toys. They get rotated weekly, along with perches. It ALWAYS ticks me off when I see birds with NO toys, no stimulation (well except to PRODUCE), etc. These "breeder birds" are NO different then their offspring they produce. They should be treated the same as a pet, IMHO. We have happy, healthy, loving birds and they actually do produce babies as an added bonus. So do NOT let anyone tell you that because they are breeders they shouldn't have toys and stimulation in their lives.

Sing it, tweetebirds!

LOL...I will I'll step down from the little soapbox now...that is all...