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The good, the bad, and the ugly on sun conures

Arlo&Raylan<3

Meeting neighbors
Joined
2/26/14
Messages
73
Location
Central Illinois
Real Name
Heather
My sunnie, Arlo is scared of so many things. He is very timid. He doesn't like strangers at all and will scream at people outside on the sidewalk. He likes to hide under blankets (as you can see in my avatar). He also is a picky eater, he doesn't like many fruits or veggies. He loves eggs, milk, pasta, pizza, ice cream, cereal and he really loves potato soup. He'll sit there and yell and yell until I share with him.
 

solo

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
1/2/13
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2,647
Real Name
jess
that is ollie to a T , except althought he would rather sit on me he loves my boyfriend a lot
 

Juliette

Walking the driveway
Joined
5/24/14
Messages
226
Real Name
Juliette
This helped me a lot ! I think i will go for the comire , i dont mind the noise and they seem so my type ! I love birds who are affectionate ,
I am still in doubt though , a jenday or a sun , and maybe a blue crown , one oft hose 3 if anyone could tell me the differences ?
Thanks so much mt his post really helped me
 

Tiare

Meeting neighbors
Joined
6/14/14
Messages
41
:laughing12:
This is my Jack 100%. Although we have yet to introduce him to strangers, he loves the whole family but I am his chosen one :D. I haven't seen him aggressive towards anyone or anything yet, but everything else you said was completely accurate! :jenday:
 

alcmene

Rollerblading along the road
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4/28/14
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2,405
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The deep south
Personality-wise, Sun and Jenday conures are virtually identical IMO. They are species whose genetics are so close, that they easily and readily hybridize. The biggest difference is color. There are subtle differences, but the personality characteristics are going to hold true for pretty much all species of aratinga conures.

Aratingas are a great size (not too big or too little), and they tend not to be aggressive around other birds. I have a book that describes suns as "stunning plumage, extraordinary disposition, and exceptional quality in a companion," and I completely agree. They are smart and energetic- which makes them great trick birds. They're more forgiving then a lot of other species. If you make one mistake you haven't ruined your relationship with your aratinga forever (which might not be true for, say, a cockatoo or an amazon). They are (in general) very affectionate, cuddly, hands on birds. They're clownish and silly in a completely endearing way. They are very charismatic and just completely charming. I think they have the best most loving, playful, wonderful personality of all parrots. I would never be without one.

On the down side- they are LOUD. Ear splittingly LOUD. If one is on your shoulder and happens to sound off, it's like a bullet to your brain. I am fairly certain that I have some permanent hearing damage from them shrieking directly in to my ear like that (and i don't mean that as a joking exaggeration, I mean it literally). Their vocalizations are horrible in volume, quantity, and quality. The don't have a cute little twitter or a whistle. The most common sound the make is an extremely shrill EEK EEK that you can feel reverberate in the roots of your teeth. A lot of species of birds vocalize frequently (like budgies or lovebirds). They keep up a pretty constant, never ending stream of chatter. But they aren't loud. Other species of birds (like macaws) have a lot of volume, but don't tend to vocalize often beyond the standard morning and evening calls that nearly all birds make. Aratinga conures have both issues- they vocalize frequently and with an absurd amount of volume (with a bonus of their call being unpleasant). Watch all the you tube videos you can of aratingas screaming- be sure to turn your speakers all the way up! But even that won't do it justice to what it sounds like in person.

Pyrrhura conures (like Green Cheeks) have a reputation for being quiet. But I completely disagree. I think they are QUIETER then their aratinga cousins. But that's sort of like saying a bullhorn is quieter then a chain saw. Pyrrhuras also tend to be less cuddly and more nippy then aratingas.

IMO, there is no parrot that has a better personality then an aratinga conure (and I'm especially partial to suns because of their exceptional beauty). They are cuddly and playful- they are just the whole package personality wise. BUT if you (or anyone in your household) is sensitive to noise- an aratinga IS NOT for you. And, truthfully, a pyrrhura probably isn't either.

The number 1 reason conures are rehomed is because their owners couldn't take the noise. But you decide the noise won't bother you and you get a conure. And it doesn't bother you- hurray! A perfect match! But hold on there- when acquiring one, please keep in mind that they live for 30 years. If the noise doesn't bother you NOW, what about 10 years from now when you, for example, decide to start a family. Does it bother you now that you have a baby in the house who's trying to nap?

I don't mean to sound overly negative about conures. I ADORE my sun. There is, truly, nothing about her personality that I would change. I love her more then life itself. I would run in to a burning building to save her. But way too many are dumped because people get them thinking that THEIR bird won't be a noisy one, or that the noise won't really bother them that much. And then it does. And the birds suffer for it. Please, if you have the least bit of sensitivity to noise, don't get a conure.
 

camelotshadow

Joyriding the Neighborhood
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11/9/11
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21,494
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S California
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Christine
Ugly.They seem to have a high rate of rehome frequency.
I couln't even post them all from crack list in the rehome section but I felt so sorry for them.

Personally they sound wonderful except for the loud constant calls which I know I could not in any way handle.
Wish them all luck getting to a forever home.
 

car34

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
12/4/12
Messages
4
Location
McKinleyville, CA
Real Name
Verta Henell
Guess I was very lucky because my little Speedway (female) was my first bird and she was very loving to everyone she meant. I only found two people she didn't like in her 28 years with me, one being the mother of the lady who was her breeder. She slept in in the mornings (not cover at night) until she heard you were up, then just cried to make sure you came and got her. The only other times she would scream was if she saw a bicycle or a cat. Never figured out the bike thing, it may have had something to do with her looking out the front window when the paperboy rode up to deliver the paper. She was a very good traveler although she did get car sick on curvy roads. She did love to climb down inside my husband shirts and chew holes into his T-shirts and pop the center out of buttons on my shirts, small price to pay for having her in our lives. I always heard the horror stories regarding the screaming that Suns can be prone to but I can honestly say Speedway was never like that, so I guess that every once in awhile a quiet one does come along.

I lost her in 2008 and knew from the beginning I would not be so lucky with a second one so I got a Golden this time around. Leo will be three years old this August and I could not have asked for a sweeter bird! He will allow me to hold and scratch him all day if I wanted do, very quiet and quite the lover!
 

Glacier313

Jogging around the block
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Joined
2/22/15
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909
Location
Missouri, USA
Real Name
Liana
Awesome post! I'm really considering adopting two Sun Conures, Midget and Gidget, from our Avian rescue center. I love budgies and all, but I want a bit of a larger bird. Hopefully some day! :) The post was very helpful!
 

Applebutter

Jogging around the block
Joined
2/19/15
Messages
937
I've put a deposit down on a 6 week old Sunday, his call is more Sun than Jenday so I think he inherited more Sun genes. He has an orange head and yellow splotched feathers mixed into his green wings.
 

Chihuahua

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
6/17/15
Messages
1,818
I've had mine for a week and a half... I have found him to be LOUD but only when he wants me... I left him at his cage to try and get him to eat his chop and he just stood there and screamed the whole time. Enough to make your ear drums shake. If he is out he is not nearly as loud. He is pushy... he wants to get his way, whether that is not stepping up when I ask or managing to find new ways to get to my shoulder. He bites HARD if he doesn't feel like stepping up.. he has yet to draw blood.
 

Tailfeathers

Strolling the yard
Joined
7/19/15
Messages
76
Location
Ohio
Real Name
Zach
I've had mine for a week and a half... I have found him to be LOUD but only when he wants me... I left him at his cage to try and get him to eat his chop and he just stood there and screamed the whole time. Enough to make your ear drums shake. If he is out he is not nearly as loud. He is pushy... he wants to get his way, whether that is not stepping up when I ask or managing to find new ways to get to my shoulder. He bites HARD if he doesn't feel like stepping up.. he has yet to draw blood.
How is he doing now??
 

Chihuahua

Rollerblading along the road
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6/17/15
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1,818
he is a lot better behaved now, he can still be pretty bad about the screaming but he steps up a lot more readily and is much less nippy :) he wants in my shirt or on my shoulder always. super sweet and cuddly.
 

Tailfeathers

Strolling the yard
Joined
7/19/15
Messages
76
Location
Ohio
Real Name
Zach
he is a lot better behaved now, he can still be pretty bad about the screaming but he steps up a lot more readily and is much less nippy :) he wants in my shirt or on my shoulder always. super sweet and cuddly.
That's good news!
I love suns, but the screaming is such a
deterrent....
How often does your guy scream? Haha
 

Chihuahua

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
6/17/15
Messages
1,818
it varies, he was decent yesterday but the other day he was screaming right next to me because he wanted to be held RIGHT THEN and it went on for a couple hours. i ended up putting on my big skullcandy headset and listening to music until he calmed down. he also screams any time he hears me if he is in his cage, or if he is out and i leave the room.

my blue crown joins in sometimes and he has higher volume but a deeper voice. i actually prefer orion's voice for short spurts, if one of them has to be screaming lol but orion's is more grating over time due to the pitch.
 
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TwoNames

Strolling the yard
Joined
7/4/15
Messages
87
Location
Kamiah, ID
Real Name
Jason
I feel this is a very informative read and has tons of useful information for people looking to get a Sun or Jenday conure. My only addition would be to add Gold Capped conures to this list. Baxter has many of the same qualities listed here and even has the "bullet to the brain" shriek. After visiting a friend with a Sun conure I began doing some research as I noticed the similarities of my Gold Capped to their Sun and found this ...

Gold-Capped, Jenday and Sun Conures
 

greys4u

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
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12/30/14
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Valentine is a sweetheart but if someone trys to touch her, feathers fluff and eyes pin. Thats when I tell the person to slowly back away LOL She is so quite sometimes I forget shes here. I get a scream for waking, breakfast, dinner and snacktime. She screams when she sees her outside birds or when someone comes in the yard she doesnt know. I love her to pieces and pieces. My heart melts when she gives me a kiss just because :cool:
 

Chihuahua

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
6/17/15
Messages
1,818
I feel this is a very informative read and has tons of useful information for people looking to get a Sun or Jenday conure. My only addition would be to add Gold Capped conures to this list. Baxter has many of the same qualities listed here and even has the "bullet to the brain" shriek. After visiting a friend with a Sun conure I began doing some research as I noticed the similarities of my Gold Capped to their Sun and found this ...

Gold-Capped, Jenday and Sun Conures
they are quite closely related as well buy not nearly as common so that may be why they were overlooked. cute birds though.
 

Blupogu

Walking the driveway
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Joined
11/18/13
Messages
257
I am going to adopt one of them, their mom has eaten away the wing.... One which is male is my baby..... i know he'll never be able to fly and he's considered 'discarded' but he's just special to me......
 

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Evelyn

Sprinting down the street
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10/16/09
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316
Location
New Jersey
Real Name
Evelyn
I am so glad I read this, gave me great insights , I am getting my baby Sun next week, I hope, (DNA'd) she is taking a long time to wean. I named her Jackie when she was a few weeks old, figure that would cover boy or girl till we found out. I hear from breeder she is very loving, hope she stays that way.:marlenesmile:
 

learnincurve

Walking the driveway
Joined
5/2/15
Messages
180
Location
Derbyshire, UK
Real Name
helen
Yet another Mango (we are an original lot us bird owners) it's all about managing the fear with him. I've found he does not scream, and boy don't think we are joking about the noise, for no reason. Things that set him off: being able to see outside. Cocktiels. This is entirely down to where he was kept before which was in a totally exposed cage in a pet shop opposite about 30 'tiels. Once we got his cage in a place he was comfortable with he's been chilled as anything and no longer SHOUTING.
 
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