Sun Conures

Sun Conure Cage & Diet Information

Do you want to be responsible for your Sun Conures illness or bad behavior?  Of course you don’t.  One of the most important things you can do to ensure a healthy happy Conure is to make sure it has a healthy and happy home.  This means your Sun Conure is in the perfect cage and is eating the perfect diet.  Don’t worry, it’s not too tricky to give your Sun Conure perfection. 
 

The Perfect Sun Conure Cage: You have several considerations when choosing your Conures cage: Material Size Shape Door Bottom Tray Let’s examine them each in a bit of detail.

The best material for your Sun Conure’s cage is stainless steel.  Steel cages coated with a non toxic paint that is durable and wont chip off are okay too.  Your Conure will chew on the cage bars and you don’t want them eating the paint. 

There are also steel cages that are coated with a powder paint, these cages are okay and are generally less expensive than a stainless steel cage, however make darn sure the paint is non-toxic.  It may be worth the extra expense to avoid accidentally poisoning your bird. 

Size is a common source of frustration.  How big should your Sun Conure’s cage be?  The general rule of thumb is ‘bigger is better.’  Seriously, birds are natural roamers, climbers, and explorers – they need room to move around. Imagine sitting in a closet all day and think about how happy you would be. 

When you’re purchasing a cage you will want your Sun Conure to be able to climb up several feet and to move around side to side as well.  A typical Sun Conure will grow to about one foot in length from tip to tail, buy your cage for your adult bird not for your little one. 

The best cage shape for a Sun Conure is a rectangle which is taller than it is wide.  The reason for this is because your Conure will explore up and if the cage is round then it will be tapered at the top. 

This will limit your birds ability to explore.  A rectangle cage with a dome top is okay too.  Additionally, rectangular cages are easier to place in your home, think about an open corner where your bird can look at the family and keep his back protected and to the wall.   

While we’re talking about cage shape, it is important to look at the distance between the bars.  You don’t want your bird to get stuck or to get out.  Make sure the bars are a maximum of a half an inch apart.  

The perfect door, the safest door, for your Sun Conures cage is a door that opens down like a drawbridge.  This type of door eliminates any kind of accident that might happen and it makes it easy for you to retrieve your Conure from their cage. 

Doors that open up like a guillotine are extremely dangerous, especially for the clever and curious Sun Conure which are masters of escape.  Too many owners have found their birds trapped under the cage door.   

Sun Conures are not generally foragers like African Greys however you will want to make sure your cage bottom has a wire grating so that waste and dropped food can fall through and be easily cleaned. 

Make sure the cage bottom is far enough below the wire grating that your Conure cannot reach through the wires and retrieve food.  You probably don’t want your bird eating food dropped in their waste and you don’t want them eating between meals. 

Speaking of eating between meals, what are you feeding your Sun Conure? 

The Perfect Sun Conure Diet:

Organic, not colored, pellets are the absolute best diet base for your Sun Conure.  Nope, not seeds and nuts.  A diet based on seeds and nuts will kill your bird.  Pellets have the foundation of nutrients your bird needs every day.  If you don’t know which organic pellet food to purchase or where to buy it, call your avian vet.  Chances are they have a few highly recommended brands right in their office.  For more information on the perfect diet see Feedyourflock.com

Now a pellet diet is only the foundation of your Conure’s diet.  Your Sun Conure needs more.  They need fresh fruits and veggies every day.  Apples, bananas, oranges, melon, spinach, broccoli, peas celery etc…Your Conure probably won’t like all of them.  Offer them a small sampling every day and take notes on what they like and don’t like.   

“But what about the seeds and nuts,” you ask…”my bird loves seeds and nuts.”  Of course they do, they’re full of fat.  Save the seeds and nuts for treats and rewards during training.   

The first key to a happy and healthy bird is a proper environment and a proper diet.  The perfect cage environment and the perfect diet aren’t difficult to obtain.  All you need to do is put a little time and effort into your cage selection process and diet.  Trust me, it’s worth it - illness and discomfort always lead to behavior issues.