Another question about my Sun Conure?

Question

I just moved to Fl. and don't have a job yet so I bought this beautiful baby bird. Since I don't work he is out of his cage and w/ me and walking around on his cage all day is this unhealthy? about the tricks he seems a little to inquisitive to coentrate on tricks. Also when I got him he had bitten off his tail feathers he still has his baby colours will he bite his adult feathers off to? He is not plucking he is just bitting them off.

Answer 1

It's alright for him to be out of his cage as long as he is supervised and can't harm himself. Maybe he plucked his feathers due to boredom before you got him, but it seems like he has got lots of attention now and if you give him plenty of toys to play with then he shouldn't get bored and pluck any more out.
If you want to teach him to do tricks then only work with him for short periods at a time so he doesn't get bored, continually repeat what you want him to do and he should in time do it, it takes a lot of time and patience, but will be worth the effort the first time he does what you want him to do.

Answer 2

I have Suns and out of cage time is a requirement.
Mine are out in AM before work and from the time I get home until bedtime.
Interaction with you should be calm and repetitive.
A conure is controlled by their stomach---find a treat item they like and they will learn VERY quickly.
First item is "step up". Then add as you will.
Mine shake, fetch,kiss, fluff, go to perch on command, return to cage on command, sing (well, kinda--they think they are singing), dance, limited talking.......
The only thing you can't teach a conure is to "shut up".
Is your cage too small and he's breaking his tail feathers? Then he will remove them. Perch and toy placement must allow for free movement without striking/bending tail feathers.
I think the minimum cage size listed on most websites is too small--the bigger the better.
You could live your life in an 8 x 8 room but would you be healthy and happy?
Time, patience and maturity will result in a great companion.
I lost a Sun last year that had lived a long and happy 20 years with me. When I rescued him he was a nasty little thing (approximately 4-5 years old we think). Took almost a year to break the bad habits. You have a baby, which is MUCH easier as they don't have to unlearn the nasty bits.
Good luck and enjoy.

Answer 3

I also have a Sun Conure and there's nothing wrong with him being out of his cage all day provided he's well looked after and doesn't get himself into trouble. As far as his feathers are concerned, more than likely he's just losing his baby feathers. All young birds go through this to make way for their brighter adult feathers.
It's especially noticable on the tail. They will look torn and ragged and simply fall out. Not to worry though, soon he'll have long, extremely colorful plumage!

Answer 4

Perhaps he needs some toys to bite, instead of biting off his feathers. There is quite a variety of bird toys on the market.

You can also make your own toys, and i've found a couple of websites here.... one suggests using tree branches, but there are a number of trees (especially cherry and wild cherry) which are not good for a bird to chew on, and which can make them ill. Apple tree branches are great -- i used to wash them well with hot, soapy water and rinse well then oven dried at 250 degrees, before putting into the bird's cage....

Answer 5

It is not unhealthy for him to be on his cage all day, assuming of course, that he has access to food and water. As for the feather biting-I really have no idea. Maybe he needs toys to chew on, birds love to chew on things beside food. Make getting to his food a challenge for him, birds usually forage for their food, make him work for it. Buy him lots of toys and rotate them about once a week to keep him interested. Tricks can be taught, but you must do them in steps...and repetition is the key.