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| slender (or long) billed conure; new conure owner!! | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 30 2009, 10:06 PM (74 Views) | |
| maggie | Oct 30 2009, 10:06 PM Post #1 |
Advanced Member
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I am a new conure owner. I was fortunate enough to walk out of the pet store today with a Slender Billed Conure that had belonged to an elderly couple until they had to give him up because they were no longer able to care for him. The store owner let me have him for the cost of his vet bill--a mere $100. His cage came with him.....I am having a heck of a time finding any information on these beautiful conures anywhere--they seem to be rather uncommon in captivity. He is thankfully healthy, but the recent changes in his life have led him to a bit of feather plucking--he has a couple of bald spots on his breast. The vet I use for my little Hahn's Macaw is the same one that has seen him all of his 10 year life and I have already let her know that he is mine. Can anyone give me any information on this particular breed of conure? I would really like to find a breeder that is familiar with the Slender Bill and could advise me on care. I would really like to know how much I would have expected to pay for this particular breed of bird. As is usually the case, I was not looking for another bird. But when Carol told me his story I didn't even think...I took him on the spot. I would like to give him the best life I can and would appreciate any help anyone could give me. Thanks! Maggie Proud mom of three children, 4 Betta fish, one cat named Smoke, one Hahn's Macaw named Eva, and a beautiful new Slender Billed Conure named Max! |
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| brownthroat | Oct 30 2009, 10:17 PM Post #2 |
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hello and welcome to the site here is the info on your new bird i found here on the site. Slinder bill informatiom |
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| brownthroat | Oct 30 2009, 10:26 PM Post #3 |
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here is some more information i found on the web as well. The Slender-billed Parakeet, Conure À Long Bec, Perruche À Bec Gracille, or Cotorra Choroy (Enicognathus leptorhynchus) is one of only two species in the Enicognatus genus. Although both birds in the genus are available in aviculture, neither is especially common in captivity. The Slender-billed Conure is endemic to Chile where it favors temperate forests. In their natural habitat, the breeding season is around November to December. The average clutch consists of two to five eggs that are incubated for 26 days. Physical Description: Slender-billed Conures average 15-16 inches in length. The general plumage is generally olive green. Their forehead, crown and neck feathers are edged with brownish black. The feathered lores (the regions between the eyes and bill on the side of a bird's head) and cere are crimson red. The center of abdomen is a maroon reddish color and the tail is brownish red with a tinge of green. They have a dark grey bill. The upper beak is prolonged and slightly curved. The irises are orange and the eyes are circled by a small grey periophthalmic ring. The legs are grey. Diet / Feeding: Natural Diet: Their natural diet consists of seeds, nuts, small fruit (i.e. berries), leaf buds, acorns and bulbous roots. Even though this conure will feed on various seeds, including grass and bamboo seeds, their favored food appears to be seeds of the Araucaria Araucana (also known as the Monkey Puzzle Tree). Swarms of these conures can be found in Araucaria forests when the seeds are ripe. In farmland areas, these conures cause considerable damage to crops whilst feeding on the ripened grain. Captive Diet: A variety of seeds, fruits and vegetables should be provided, in addition to a good quality dry food mix. The general feeding ratio is f 25% seed, 10% pelleted (good quality pellets without harmful chemicals), 65% fresh vegetables and fruits and wheat bread. During the breeding season, additional buckwheat, safflowers and sunflower seeds should be provided. As these conures like to forage on the ground, breeders often sprinkle seeds on the cage bottom or the aviary floor. Personality: The Slender-billed Conures are categorized as a medium noisy to noisy parrot. They are inquisitive, playful and animated, and are also good talkers. They are social birds that like to be part of the family or flock. They love to play! Slender-billed Conure PairThey are very active parrots that like to play, explore and chew. Lots of toys are recommended to keep their beaks from "getting busy" on your furniture. * Toys can be home-made or purchased online or are available at your local bird store. * Toys can also be things that I bet you never thought were toys at all! Please refer to the foraging page for easy, inexpensive or FREE tips to entertain your pet. How much attention do they need? Like all parrots, they are social birds. They do require daily interaction with their social group, entertainment, things to do -- or else they will become bored and develop behavioral problems. In the wild, they would never leave the company of their flockmates. In a captive pet situation, a hand-fed conure requires the same social interaction from you and your family. If you have little time to give, a parrot would not be a good choice for you. You would need someone at home several hours a day at a minimum, preferably someone should be home most of the day. I would recommend that there be people at home, with the bird, for at least several hours every day or the majority of day. It's best to keep your pet conure where the center of activity is, usually the family room, and leave the cage door open or allow your pet to be on a playpen whenever someone is at home. During this time some direct interaction should be provided, such as talking to your pet, petting it, or placing it on your shoulder while you surf the internet, watch tv or go about your other activities. My parrot even joins me in the gym! Do they make good family pets? In general, conures make good family pets as long as they have been well socialized. They don't mind a lot of activity - in fact, the more "fun stuff" is going on, the more entertained and happier they tend to be. They usually get along well with all family members, although they are likely to eventually choose a favorite; but as long as they are exposed to, and socialized by, other family members, they should maintain their friendliness with the others. Conures love to be touched and handled - another reason why they often do well with kids. However, they go through nippy phases that can be hard on children as well as on adults. Teaching the child appropriate handling of the conure will help prevent some painful experiences - however, it will never entirely eliminate them. The tamest pet bird gets startled and bites - without this being a true reflection on its personality. It's a natural reaction. Experienced pet owners learn to read the body language of their pets and can avoid most of these "accidental encounters." Training is important to prevent an accidental bite from turning into a behavioral problem. It is difficult to instruct smaller children on proper parrot handling, and their interactions with the conure should always be supervised. But children who have learned to handle the conure gently and confidently usually don't have a big problem with aggression. How well the child-parrot interaction goes really depends on the maturity level of the child, as well as the proper socialization-level of the parrot. Admittedly though, some genetics come into play as well. Some individual parrots are more aggressive than others. Often this is a family trait and one parrot pair produces sweet babies, while others produce nippy offspring. Sweet babies can turn nippy, if not socialized well, and nippy (usually nervous / fearful birds) can be taught to be good family pets. Birds do pick up on stress and anger that we humans may feel and this can impact their personality and likelihood to be aggressive towards us. It is always best to approach a bird calmly and focus on, and enjoy, the interaction with the parrot rather than reflecting on problems in your life. Doing so will actually be conducive to your own health, as it will help you relax. There never will be a guarantee that a meaningful relationship between the children in the family and the pet parrot develops and if things don't go well, the conure may end up being a pet for the adults only. For this reason, it is not recommended to buy a parrot as a pet for the kids - this needs to be a family pet, with the adults taking on most of the responsibility. |
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| maggie | Oct 30 2009, 10:26 PM Post #4 |
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Advanced Member
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Thank you very much!!! 
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| kermits | Oct 30 2009, 11:20 PM Post #5 |
moderator
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 Congratulation on your new conure, they look like really nice conures we would like to see some pic's please I read you have a Hahns macaw, i have always fancied one on these parrots |
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| Dusky Lover | Oct 31 2009, 03:35 AM Post #6 |
Moderator
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Welcome and Congrats on your new conure Maggie ! I think it is a great thing that you have taken in a conure who was in need of a good home .  Brownthroat has given you some good info , and if you need more dont hesitate to ask all of our knowledgeable members & staff . Good luck and enjoy your new conure !  |
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| conure58 | Oct 31 2009, 04:41 AM Post #7 |
Administrator
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Welcome Maggie. I'm pretty sure you're the only one here with a Slender Billed Conure. I don't know much about them (other than what I've Googled and the info brownthroat posted). I did find a breeder in California (Outback Aviaries) that has them priced at $500, so considering that you got Max from a pet store for $100 (with cage), you got a very good deal. Looking at pics of them, that beak looks 'piercing'!! 
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| kermits | Oct 31 2009, 05:22 AM Post #8 |
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I thought that to
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| maggie | Oct 31 2009, 07:17 AM Post #9 |
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Advanced Member
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When I saw him the first thing I thought was that his beak was desperately in need of a good trim! It is indeed very intimidating, but I am accustomed to being attacked by my little Hahn's Macaw and figured the bite couldn't be worse than hers. Thankfully he has been handled and seems to like attention. He has bitten me quite a bit, but his bites really don't hurt that much. I understand he will have an adjustment time getting used to his new home and family, but once I have let him bite away and he lets me pet him and pick him up--he calms down and is quite sweet. If nothing else, I figure if he starts piercing me, I will get him licensed as a body piercer and he can get a job!!! lol!! |
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| maggie | Oct 31 2009, 09:09 AM Post #10 |
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Advanced Member
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I posted some pics under the general conure tab for those of you that want to see my birdies!! |
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