I need help choosing a new conure (crimson bellied conure owner's give me your advice)

[SCC]

Last year I was going to get a new bird but because of some personal issue, I had to give up the crimson I was just about to buy. Now that that personal issue have cleared up and I have most of the stuff needed for the conure (cage, toys, bowls), I started looking for some hand reared conures for sale. There where three birds that I was interested in; SF violet green cheek, blue throated conure and crimson bellied conure. I was really torn between the three but what made me decide crimson was that the crimson babies wouldn't be ready for another 6 weeks meaning I had more time to get ready. The blue throated conure on the other hand is around 11 week already and that would mean I have less time to get prepared for it (I didn't cheek the green cheeks but they we all almost weaned). So I decide to make a deposit on the crimson, the breeder even sent some photos of him.

I was in love with him already but a breeder that I had contacted told me that she stopped breeding crimsons due to them being temperamental and aggressive. Ever since then my mind has been all over the place, don't get me wrong I did research the species before even thinking about getting them and it seemed like crimson are cuddly and friendly bird that are less nippy then green cheeks. I just don't know that to think, I did some more digging around for infomation but found conflicting infomation. I am at point in my life where I have the time but I planned on buying a travel cage so I can take the bird to my grandmas, maybe go over seas for a week (this like at the end of this year not right now). The way this video I watched about crimsons made them sound like any change in it's environment will stress it out and cause it to bite, but don't most parrot do? Like I would desensitize the parrot to change and teach it not to be so frighted of different environment, but for this breeder who breeds all sorts of parrots (conures, macaws, cockatoos, etc) deciding not to breed crimsons has really made me worried.

I have owned budgies (I still have a budgie) and have done a lot of research on parrot but I want to make a decision that is in the best interest of the bird. To any crimson bellied conure owners, are crimson temperamental and bitey? What do you guys think, which bird should I get?

 

[Shannan]

We have a hand raised male crimson bellied conure and he is a hoot. Remember each bird is an individual so you could get anything but you asked about our experience. Dragon is a year old now and he is very funny. He is opinionated and knows what he wants. He is playful and cuddly. He would definitely be a velcro bird if we let him. Some days he is very very cuddly and just wants to cuddle in for hours at a time. Other days he is very playful, attacking his toys and playing with everything. Everything is all out with him. He loves to be the center of attention but we have also taught him to entertain himself. He is not aggressive but he can be assertive at times. He is high energy but he is young. We have spent a lot of time teaching him to be adaptive. He has a rough schedule which includes dedicated time in the morning when he is left alone in his (very large) cage with lots of toys so that he learns to entertain himself. He then gets to come out into the center of the house in his travel cage which he loves. We have also made a point of having him meet different people, which he tolerates. He is a little flighty and will jump easily at unusual noises but also settles back down quickly. I could see where he could get nippy if we don't listen to his smaller cues but after working through the early phase where he learned how to use his beak politely. he has not really bitten or drawn blood but he can be a little rough with his beak, pinching when he doesn't mean it, kinda like a puppy. I find that this particular bird is fairly easy to read (compared to like my African gray, or other big birds that I have worked with). I would say with crimsons is to get the biggest cage you can afford as they are high energy, but also have a smaller cage that allow you to take them into different experiences. Dragon definitely prefers my daughter (she owns the bird) but seems to like me fine as I also take care of him sometimes. I would encourage whoever you have as your back up, spend time with him often so that he gets used to them as well. Think small bird, Big Personality.

As far as your comments by your breeder, it is possible that the particular individual lineage tended to lean to being more aggressive. There is someone online who used to breed crimsons and I hope they will chime in because they have so much more experience than us with the Crimsons. (Sorry I can't remember who, but I know they had a lot of good advice when we were looking) We got lucky and have a sweet, sassy, eager of attention little guy that his highly highly entertaining but also needs LOTS of stimulation and attention. It sounds like you are prepared to handle this type of bird and if you have the time, and patience, I think you will find out how wonderful these little guys are. I would encourage you to look for an individual bird more so than a breed and hopefully you will find your special bird. Meeting lots of breeds through a rescue can be a good way to find your special one. We would have loved to gone through a rescue but sadly there is not one in our area and most of them will not adopt to households with cats.

 

[April]

I think you're thinking of @Mockinbirdiva and @Matto Also breeds them.
I had a DNA Male Crimson for about 6 months before I had to rehome him to @webchirp due to the fact that he was screaming non stop for hours no matter how much attention,toys or out of cage time I gave him.
He came from a breeder who had a lot of birds so he very much needed a flock around when I couldn't be and that unfortunately was never something I was going to be able to do in the foreseeable future do to money limitations as well as space.
But I will say he was one of the sweetest birds I've ever had. He was extremely cuddly and wanted to be with me and on me all the time. The only "bad" thing about him was his volume level it was absolutely unreal far louder than my 3 green cheeks I've had previously and he could go for hours non stop. It absolutely broke my heart to rehome him a Crimson had been my dream species for 12 years. But he's absolutely thriving now with Chandra and having a flock to keep him company and an entire room and aviary to fly around in all the time.

 

[aooratrix]

If I understood your post, you'd like to take the bird with you on an overseas trip? You're going to need to do some research on the logistics of that. You can't just take a parrot, or any animal, for that matter, from one country to another. There's paperwork, vetting, quarantine, etc. Continue to do your research and good luck with your crimson research.

 

[SCC]

If I understood your post, you'd like to take the bird with you on an overseas trip? You're going to need to do some research on the logistics of that. You can't just take a parrot, or any animal, for that matter, from one country to another. There's paperwork, vetting, quarantine, etc. Continue to do your research and good luck with your crimson research.

Sorry for the confusion, when I was talking about getting a travel cage I didn't mean going overseas (I wanted to add the overseas part as I might be gone from the bird for a week or two and I was worried if it would be able to handle that).

 

[haze]

I have a 15 year old crimson bellied conure. He is very, very loud. Like, on sun conure level. Much louder than a green cheek. He is also cage aggressive and gets upset if I walk near the cage or if another bird lands nearby. He was originally handfed and kept as a pet, but at some point in his life he became an aviary breeder bird, and then found his way to me. He tolerates me but will not sit with me or come out of his cage. I do agree though that they may not have the same biting tendencies as a green cheek. Charles only bites when he is very scared and feels threatened, like if I have to transfer him to another cage for a vet visit. He is usually gentle with his beak otherwise. My crimson also struggles with a serious plucking problem, but he came to me with that issue and has improved since I've owned him. He is very temperamental.
I know that another user on here also had one, and ended up rehoming hers due to not being able to handle the extremely loud noise. That bird now lives with another member of this forum and is very happy there, but it just goes to show that they are not great birds for everyone especially if constant loud noise is a problem for you. Personally I will never have another CBC after Charles... I love him but man he is a handful!

 

[April]

I have a 15 year old crimson bellied conure. He is very, very loud. Like, on sun conure level. Much louder than a green cheek. He is also cage aggressive and gets upset if I walk near the cage or if another bird lands nearby. He was originally handfed and kept as a pet, but at some point in his life he became an aviary breeder bird, and then found his way to me. He tolerates me but will not sit with me or come out of his cage. I do agree though that they may not have the same biting tendencies as a green cheek. Charles only bites when he is very scared and feels threatened, like if I have to transfer him to another cage for a vet visit. He is usually gentle with his beak otherwise. My crimson also struggles with a serious plucking problem, but he came to me with that issue and has improved since I've owned him. He is very temperamental.
I know that another user on here also had one, and ended up rehoming hers due to not being able to handle the extremely loud noise. That bird now lives with another member of this forum and is very happy there, but it just goes to show that they are not great birds for everyone especially if constant loud noise is a problem for you. Personally I will never have another CBC after Charles... I love him but man he is a handful!

That's me who had to rehome Tobias to Chandra. He was just unreal in his noise level,I researched for 12 years listened to so many vids of Crimsons screaming and he was just so incredibly loud. He almost rivaled my old Sun Conure.

 

[haze]

That's me who had to rehome Tobias to Chandra. He was just unreal in his noise level,I researched for 12 years listened to so many vids of Crimsons screaming and he was just so incredibly loud. He almost rivaled my old Sun Conure.

Yes they are extraordinarily loud.. You would never guess from that tiny body. It echoes through the entire house too. I've recently been giving Charles outside time on the screened porch in the afternoons so that he can sunbathe and get some of his screams out.

 

[April]

Yes they are extraordinarily loud.. You would never guess from that tiny body. It echoes through the entire house too. I've recently been giving Charles outside time on the screened porch in the afternoons so that he can sunbathe and get some of his screams out.

That's definitely been helpful for Tobias to have the aviary to fly around in and burn off a lot of that excess energy. I'm so grateful I was able to love him and experience his personality aside from the noise he was everything I'd always dreamed of having but boy I'll always tell everyone that asks about his noise level because so many sites say they are quieter than green cheeks and that's an absolute inaccurate statement.

 

[haze]

That's definitely been helpful for Tobias to have the aviary to fly around in and burn off a lot of that excess energy. I'm so grateful I was able to love him and experience his personality aside from the noise he was everything I'd always dreamed of having but boy I'll always tell everyone that asks about his noise level because so many sites say they are quieter than green cheeks and that's an absolute inaccurate statement.

Yes oh my goodness there is so much misinformation out there about them. He is the most stubborn and noisy bird I have ever owned. He has the cutest personality and he can be very silly and fun to watch, but after him I don't think that I would own another conure at all. Canopy birds are not for me. It is in their nature to scream all day because that's how they communicate with the flock in the wild. In the future I think I will stick with old world grassland parrots. I find them to be much quieter.

 

[April]

Yes oh my goodness there is so much misinformation out there about them. He is the most stubborn and noisy bird I have ever owned. He has the cutest personality and he can be very silly and fun to watch, but after him I don't think that I would own another conure at all. Canopy birds are not for me. It is in their nature to scream all day because that's how they communicate with the flock in the wild. In the future I think I will stick with old world grassland parrots. I find them to be much quieter.

Absolutely agree. Tobias was a hoot to watch he'd climb all over his toys and could destroy them in the blink of an eye it was fabulous to watch him have so much fun. He was always on the move and into something.

 

[Pixiebeak]

That's definitely been helpful for Tobias to have the aviary to fly around in and burn off a lot of that excess energy. I'm so grateful I was able to love him and experience his personality aside from the noise he was everything I'd always dreamed of having but boy I'll always tell everyone that asks about his noise level because so many sites say they are quieter than green cheeks and that's an absolute inaccurate statement.

I agree, I've only heard a few sound off in person pet stores , it was piercing and louder than my GCC ever make. At pet stores it was just short burst. Not ongoing like my quakers ..

But besides April's experience, I've read others say they calls are much louder than gcc. But don't remember if there were issues of long periods of vocals. GCC are always listed as the quieter species of conure in this family .

 

[haze]

He came from a breeder who had a lot of birds so he very much needed a flock around when I couldn't be and that unfortunately was never something I was going to be able to do in the foreseeable future do to money limitations as well as space.

My cockatiel is from the same breeder, and I will say that he is very much louder than you would expect of a tiel, and he also does not make the typical cockatiel chirps, but rather seems to mimic a green cheek conure as that is what this particular breeder mainly bred. I always figured that this was because he was raised in a house full of conures. This is just to say that the breeder's home environment will also impact a bird's behavior, just because it's something that we don't normally consider when buying a bird.

 

[haze]

But don't remember if there were issues of long periods of vocals.

Charles generally starts his vocalizing around 11am, and settles down right before sunset. It's pretty much constant unless he is eating.

 

[Pixiebeak]

Charles generally starts his vocalizing around 11am, and settles down right before sunset. It's pretty much constant unless he is eating.

AAAAAH
Sounds like my quakers!

 

[April]

Charles generally starts his vocalizing around 11am, and settles down right before sunset. It's pretty much constant unless he is eating.

Yup that's about how Tobias was. If he was actually out with me he was quiet but if he was alone in the room even before I walked out the door it would start and he'd just go on and on and on with no ending in sight.

 

[April]

My cockatiel is from the same breeder, and I will say that he is very much louder than you would expect of a tiel, and he also does not make the typical cockatiel chirps, but rather seems to mimic a green cheek conure as that is what this particular breeder mainly bred. I always figured that this was because he was raised in a house full of conures. This is just to say that the breeder's home environment will also impact a bird's behavior, just because it's something that we don't normally consider when buying a bird.

Ah I didn't realize he was. That's so interesting that he's also much louder I honestly had never thought of that aspect of what the breeders was like in terms of noise impacting their future lives.

 

[Pixiebeak]

Ah I didn't realize he was. That's so interesting that he's also much louder I honestly had never thought of that aspect of what the breeders was like in terms of noise impacting their future lives.

Oh definitely!!!
Pikachu lived with teils before me, and she came making their lovely sounds the trills. Unfortunately she dropped that quick and took to the screeching quakers sounds .

Penny came in with one of the most obnoxious quaker vocalizations ever heard ..not sure how to describe like a braying with a 3 note repeat. Ever single quaker made that as the go to greet the morning let me out of the cage sounds!!

 

[webchirp]

Tobias is a lovely bird but as April said, he is loud. I can her his voice above the others in the room and he has a call that hurts whereas the sun conure has killed my hearing to the point that it doesn’t hurt anymore if they are close. Tobias is a sweet little bean though.

 

[April]

Tobias is a lovely bird but as April said, he is loud. I can her his voice above the others in the room and he has a call that hurts whereas the sun conure has killed my hearing to the point that it doesn’t hurt anymore if they are close. Tobias is a sweet little bean though.

That's what I'm saying,he's like the love child of a Crimson and a Sun with that powerful voice of his.