Some Ways To Care For Your Conure

Conures belong to a breed of parrots that is found all over Mexico and Southern Chile; they are often referred to as the clowns of the parrot world.  These parrots are small, but have super-sized personalities as they are very clever and active. They are unique in various respects and adopting a conure requires proper understanding about their care to have many years of enjoyment.

A conure could be cared for in the following ways: 

• I would first say that it is best to ensure that cage for your conure is big enough space to accommodate its active nature; it should be able to move around and play and a cage of the dimension 44"x26"x40" would be ideal. Make sure the cage has a secure door entrance; conures are clever and they can figure out easily how to exit and enter the cage that does not close securely.  

• Become an interior decorator for your conure and fill the cage with enrichment opportunities as conures are inquisitive, intelligent birds and need to be kept entertained. Make sure to add sturdy toys that your conure cannot rip easily; avoid brittle toys and those with frayed ends and go in for toys made of untreated wood and rope. Avoid anything that would catch on beaks, tongues, or toenails.  Make sure you rotate the toys periodically to reduce boredom and increase novelty. It would be interesting if you can provide perches at different heights. Make sure you add a feeding bowl, seed guard and a water container.

• Pamper your conures with a bathe daily either in a shallow Tupperware container, or even directly in the kitchen or bathroom sink. They love both cold and lukewarm water and love to soak themselves and splash; you could also use a spray bottle to mist the conure as pet conures love to take a shower.

• Ensure you feed your conure a well balanced diet; besides fresh and sprouted seeds, feed your conure unsweetened breakfast cereal, cooked beans, cooked rice, cooked pasta, small whole wheat bread cubes, and mung beans.  Your conure should be fed dark green or dark orange fruits and vegetables like carrots, dried red peppers, broccoli, and dandelion greens to ensure he gets Vitamin A. Give you conure small portions of well-cooked meat, water-packed tuna, fully cooked scrambled eggs, unsweetened yogurt, and tiny bits of low-fat cheese for protein. Avoid canned vegetables that contain excess sodium, excess seeds and toxic foods like avocadoes or chocolate. Ensure your conure has access to clean water always.  

• It is best to clip the wings of your conure the first few times preferably by a vet or a breeder who can demonstrate the proper method to clip your bird's wings. This  would prevent your pet bird from flying into objects when startled; be aware that many conures have died by flying into dangerous areas, such as pots of boiling water, outside, and into ceiling or cooling fans.

Remember a conure lives for 15 to 25 years; adopting this pet parrots requires your being ready for a long time commitment.  

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