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breeding season for sun conures

lamagdalena

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good morning!! :)

anyone know when the breeding season for sun conures starts and ends? I can't find any information on this subject. I imagine since they are from the amazons and surinam.. they would breed sometime in spring (march thru may)... but quite honestly I am just making educated and wild guesses.

Tequila my sunny has been very moody and clingy lately. Right now she even would go after Lady (chihuahua) if she caught me carrying her o_O
 

karen256

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My GCC gets hormonal and nesty in the summer. Fall/early winter is when she molts. Your Sun's moodiness might be due to her getting ready to molt.
 

lamagdalena

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I found some interesting information on sun conures, and conures in general... here are a few excerpts..

"Sun conures reach sexual maturity somewhere around two years of age... breeding is very common in captivity. While captive birds have no true breeding season, the increasing intensity of light and higher temperatures often stimulates them to breed in the spring. However, in their natural environment, nests have been found most often in February."

I also found interesting information on other topics about conures and suns in particular.

"Little is known about sun conure reproduction and nesting in the wild. There is no known courtship behavior among any species of conure."

"In captivity, their diets should be varied and include seeds, grains, beans, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Often times, however, they prefer to eat what tastes best to them over what they actually require for a healthy diet, often leading to malnutrition. In rare cases, these birds can eat large amounts of food and still die from malnutrition if they are not getting all of the nutrients that they need. Despite this, they are not picky eaters and can live primarily on grass seed. However, a diet of seeds alone can have a significantly negative effect on breeding. These birds really enjoy a variety of foods such as spinach, Chinese cabbage, cress, roquette, kale, broccoli, carrot tops, alfalfa, peas, endive, sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, citrus fruits, oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, currants, rowans, elderberries, hawthorn berries, rose hips, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. These foods can be given fresh, dehydrated or in the form of baby food. Dandelions and chickweed are also occasionally fed to these birds as well as soaked corn, germinated sunflower seeds and spray millet. Buds from fruit trees, elderberry bushes, willows, hawthorn, and aspen branches are suitable as well. While insects are not a wise choice in captivity, some people may include mealworms in their diet. Others substitute the mealworms with hard-boiled eggs, bread, biscuits, hard cheese and low-fat dry cottage cheese. Ant eggs, though expensive, are also sometimes included in the diet. Finally, cuttlebones, mineral blocks and gravel or ground oyster shells should be given to aid in digestion."

"Because of an adaptation in the wild, conures will not eat anything they haven’t had before unless they see another bird eat it first. In captivity, some birds then want to try what their keepers are eating, which can be dangerous to their health. Spicy foods and salami are particularly bad for these birds. Lettuce, while definitely healthy for them, can cause intestinal problems and should only be fed in moderation"

so I shouldn't give Tequila jalapenos?
 

Laurul Feather Cat

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Most parrots like jalapeños or any other pepper. Birds do not have the taste receptors for capsaisin, so it does not burn their mouth like it does for mammals. My parrots love hot peppers, but I am allergic to the capsaisin (causes skin burns) so I never offer them. But they also love green and bell peppers which I do give them. Actually, I give them lots of different veggies on a daily basis and they have gotten used to eating raw veggies; which is really good for them. Salami is a high seasoned meat with huge amounts of salt, so would not be good for any bird. Birds also should not be given onions or garlic or anything in that family as it is toxic to them. Avocados are also not good for them. Generally human food is not good due to the high salt, sugar and fat content of the foods. I do give my birds shreds of chicken or hard boiled eggs for protein once a month, and I cook my veggies and pasta without seasoning and give the birds their serving before I season it for myself. There are long lists of food birds should not have and I am sure you can get the list here on AA if you look for the 'sticky' under nutrition.

I have cockatiels and my tiels breed starting right after the fall equinox in September. They do their courtship in Oct, Nov and Dec and then usually lay eggs in Jan, Feb, March and April. This is really understandable because cockatiels come from Australia and their summer is opposite ours, with their spring starting in Sept. With Sun Conures being a South American bird, I would think their breeding season would be close to the same, but I could be wrong. I recently adopted two rehomed Green Cheeks, but I have not seen any courting behavior in them as of yet.
 

Monica

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As per what I have heard from some breeders, sun conures will breed year round.


When we set birds up on a strict 12/12 hour schedule of day and night, when we feed them warm mushy foods, when we keep the temperature of the house constant year round, when we stroke and pet them inappropriately, when we provide them with places to potentially make a nest in.... it's a recipe for hormones year round!
 
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