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hi, i am thinking of getting a conure. i currently have 3 cockatiels. can anyone give me some pros and cons to having a conure? i have seen quite a few for sale. thankyou in advance for anyone that can give me some good info.

Good for you for asking questions!

A conure, like any parrot, can and will make an excellent companion if you know what you're getting into and are well prepared.
Research, research, and more research.
Definitely spend time with some conures and make sure you can handle their screams.
Conures are said to be the "dogs" of the bird world. They can make excellent family birds, truly becoming part of the flock. They, like all birds, are very family oriented.
As I mentioned, they scream. A conure scream is easy to differentiate from any other parrot's. If you've ever heard one before, you know what I mean. Some species are quieter than others though.
Conures basically have the same pros and cons as any other type of bird. If you've done the research and find that this is the type of bird for you, you won't be sorry.

What kind of conure are you considering? We can give you more specific advice if you can tell us what you have in mind since they're all pretty unique.
As you know, all birds have their own highly individual personalities, so the information you receive here is only general information.
Any other information that you can give will be helpful. For example, are you leaning towards a larger conure or a smaller one? An Aratinga conure? A Pyrrhura conure?
Why do you want a conure? What research have you done thus far?

What kind of conure are you considering?


i am considering a sun conure, or a green cheeked conure(hope i got that one right)...screaching doesnt bother me, i do however want a conure that my kids can handle with supervision....what do i look for when looking to buy a conure? do i get one that is a baby?
my neighbor does have a sun conure for sale, but it is not kid friendly at all he bites kids prefers adults. so i have spent some time with conures...my neighbor had asked if i wanted to buy it, which i had considered. another question is how easy is it to break them of biting? any info is greatly appreciated

julie3512 wrote:hi, i am thinking of getting a conure. i currently have 3 cockatiels. ...

Good morning, Julie -- Busy morning here, so I'll be back later with more information if you signal any interest. In brief, the things I would think about first if I were you are quarantine facilities and money for vet care. I've lost track of what's happened with the 2 babies you were thinking of taking in. They would make your 'tiel count 5, which is a lot in many important ways. Plus a conure would be 6 birds in just your first few months of BEGINNING to know about birds. The baby tiels and then the conure would need to be very carefully quarantined from each other (baby tiels in one space and conure in another) and from your 3 tiels. If you have central heat and a normal size home, this would be virtually impossible for you. Doing it wrong can mean a fortune in vet bills and possible heartbreak for you, illness or death for the birds.

It's easy to fall in love with birds in a big way and overload. It's harder to slow yourself down and do it responsibly, to learn what responsibly IS before bringing new birds into your home. I know you WANT to do it right, but learning how is essential. Please take the time to do that. You have the rest of your life to enjoy birds. They're worth a little patience.

If you need to know more about quarantine or vet expenses, I'll gladly provide information later today.

Paca

ParrontPlus wrote:

julie3512 wrote:hi, i am thinking of getting a conure. i currently have 3 cockatiels. ...

Good morning, Julie -- Busy morning here, so I'll be back later with more information if you signal any interest. In brief, the things I would think about first if I were you are quarantine facilities and money for vet care. I've lost track of what's happened with the 2 babies you were thinking of taking in. They would make your 'tiel count 5, which is a lot in many important ways. Plus a conure would be 6 birds in just your first few months of BEGINNING to know about birds. The baby tiels and then the conure would need to be very carefully quarantined from each other (baby tiels in one space and conure in another) and from your 3 tiels. If you have central heat and a normal size home, this would be virtually impossible for you. Doing it wrong can mean a fortune in vet bills and possible heartbreak for you, illness or death for the birds.

It's easy to fall in love with birds in a big way and overload. It's harder to slow yourself down and do it responsibly, to learn what responsibly IS before bringing new birds into your home. I know you WANT to do it right, but learning how is essential. Please take the time to do that. You have the rest of your life to enjoy birds. They're worth a little patience.

If you need to know more about quarantine or vet expenses, I'll gladly provide information later today.

Paca

well lady keeps changing the date to pick them up...i just figured something isnt right there...either you want me to take the babies or not..

anyways on to the conure i looked at sun conures and green cheeked conures before i purchased my cockatiels.... and put the conure search on hold when we got CoCo and Elle.. i am just trying to get some good info on conures...since this would be a birthday present to myself in february....
thanks
julie

I would definitely buy a handfed baby if you hope that your children will be able to interact with your new companion.
That's not to say that older birds don't make wonderful companions, but they take a lot of extra work and dedication and you really need to know what you're getting yourself into. As far as your question about breaking the biting habit goes, it all depends on the individual bird, but that bird would not be able to interact with your children for quite some time and even then would probably need even more supervision than another bird.
That said, a handfed baby may still not like children. Also, all birds bite. They do it as a natural response to certain situations. Children are especially apt to get bitten because they can't read the bird's body language and don't know the bird's limits. Always supervise your children around a pet bird, at least until you've had him/her for a while and then again when the bird reaches maturity. (I'm being realistic. I know no one's going to supervise their children and a bird all the time once they've grown to trust that bird.) They'll have to be especially careful when the bird gets hormonal. It's not anyone's fault, it's just that children don't realize when he bird is exhibiting certain behaviors.

Green cheeks are known for being sweethearts a lot of the time, but they're also known for being bossy. If you let a green cheek around your 'tiels, your green cheek will boss them around. The bossiness can lead to some nipping as well.
Sun conures are known for their beauty, but their also known for have especially harsh screams. Whenever I'm at a zoo, I can recognize a sun conure scream without being aware that they even had them beforehand.
These are just generalizations though. I've heard of relatively quiet suns and overly sweet green cheeks. Each bird has such a distinct personality.

Definitely do research on both types of birds online. Check out the books at your local book store in the Pet/Animal section. Keep an open mind as well.

Also, Paca is absolutely right especially about quarantining. It cannot be stressed enough just how important that is.

Why exactly do you want a conure? Conures are not 'tiels. You can't treat them the same. Yes, they're all parrots, but conures are "bigger" parrots and are more to take on.

Paca is completely right that six is a lot of birds, especially for a beginner. Taking in a conure without taking the extra time to learn about behaviors (like from Sally Blanchard's Companion Parrot Handbook and other books) can be a disaster. A lot of conures end up in shelters, stuffed in back rooms, ignored, and in all sorts of other bad situations because people didn't really know what they were getting into. Make sure your prepared, especially since you're new to the bird world.

Again, research, research, research.

i definately know birds are alot of work...i know that from having my tiels. at this point i have the 3 tiels, and may in february after doing much more research i may purchase a conure...thankyou everyone for all the great advice its all greatly appreciated.

and with being new to the bird world in general i may be best to wait a bit

I do not know how tame your cockatiels are nor how demanding they are time-wise. Do they want to spend a lot of time with you? Just be prepared that a conure might want all your attention all day long

Julie brought home a special-needs tiel tonight, an unweaned baby who was unwanted by a breeder who should be tied to a fence overnight I'm guessing the conure will have to wait a few weeks.

Paca

actually the conure has been put on hold till after the first of the year if not longer....since i am sure this baby tiel is going to be a very expensive vet bill and with the spunk this little sweetie has it has already stolen my heart.. so i am doing what i can for Sonny...thats what i named my newest baby tiel....

What is wrong with this tiel that is is a special-need fid?
I hope everything goes OK.
He sure is lucky you found him. Enjoy him.

Anneka wrote:What is wrong with this tiel that is is a special-need fid?
I hope everything goes OK.
He sure is lucky you found him. Enjoy him.

if you would like to know the whole story about this little baby you can find it in the cockatiel chat in forums under please help Sonny
its a hard situation right now

Thank you. I will visit the tiels' chat.
I am very interested.

I have a sun conure he is new only a couple of weeks but this is what I can tell you so far about a sun.

He was handraised and extremely affectionate!!! He will even rub me to give loves. He just loves people, all types it doesn't matter he will go to anyone!!

He is ear shattering loud when he screams. Very disruptive when on the phone and have company etc. I personally just go in another room if he is screaming and I have to use the phone, or go talk to him a bit and see what he wants.

He is totally trustworthy with even my 2 yr old with assistance to both parties part. I have no fear IF my child (boys ages 2, 7, 12) stuck his finger in his cage he may get a nip because Romeo would be trying to see what it is, but not a hard bite.

He can chew a toy up in no time flat. He is very busy with his beak. Loves to shred things or tear things up. So expensive on toys.

I love him with all my heart. He is my dear. I would have no problem recommending one after my expereince. The worst thing everyone has told you is that they are LOUD!!!!

I have a green cheek conure and could not be more pleased. She has a great personality and is very affectionate. She is also very bossy and can be nippy at times (not real hard bites - but enough to feel it). Green Cheeks are known to be in everyone's business! Mine will go after all birds and pick a fight. She even bosses the dogs. She loves my 9 year old the best!

She is mostly quiet - although she can scream, I find her not as loud as a cockatiel.