Home, Sweet Home

There are as many ways to keep pet birds as there are bird owners, but the main things to keep in mind are safety and comfort. Sun Conures like to play and investigate things; I like to make sure that they have plenty of opportunities for both. Some people leave their bird in a cage most of the time, with scheduled time out of the cage for socialization. Some people give their birds the run of the entire house, all the time. I think it depends on the birds personality and the preferences of the owner. The most commonly recommended minimum cage size for a Conure is 18x18x24 but again, it depends on how much of it’s time the bird will spend there. Our smallest cage is about that size, but the top is open and the play gym is right next to it. I would definitely get a larger one for them if they were going to be inside the cage for a lot of the day.

Daisy & Ringo have a cage and a play gym in our bedroom, a cage in the living room, and some small portable play gyms that can be taken wherever needed. I like this set up because they can be near us wherever we are and it helps them feel like part of the flock. They know to stay in their area , so we keep their cage tops open. They also hop off their cage and onto my bed when they want to go to sleep. They have a nest of blankets at the top corner of my bed. It is situated in such a way that there is no danger of me rolling on them and I can move the nest over to the bedside table in order to change my bedding. Sun Conures are very clean by nature, so they do not make a mess of my bed! (They are also both potty trained…more on that later)

When setting up your bird’s home keep the following in mind:

¯     The cage should be large enough that your bird can stretch his wings and play comfortably with room for toys, cups and perches-larger is always better

¯     The spacing of the bars should not allow your bird’s head to fit through them

¯     Ensure a variety of perches of varying size and construction – Concrete perches can help trim nails, wood perches offer a natural way to help your bird exercise his feet on different diameters as well as chewing opportunities

¯     Ensure a variety of chewable toys, bells, blocks, ropes, etc. and switch them out with others regularly to prevent boredom - note that birds will not always respond favorably to a new toy right away because their natural instinct is to view any thing foreign in their environment as a threat - give it awhile and the toy will probably be deemed safe and curiosity will win out

¯     Be aware of where your bird likes to perch and move any toys or food cups out of the “Fallout Area”

¯     Offer your bird somewhere to sleep like a Happy Hut (but be aware of dangers reported with such huts) Sun Conures are known to sleep in a nest year round and not just when breeding, so they really like these little huts.

Above all…be safe, use your imagination and have fun. I like to imagine myself as a Sun Conure and how I would swing, and play, and climb! Just walking around the hardware store or the pet store will get your imagination going. Just be careful, their toys can get expensive!