Male & Female Conures

[larrysenna]

Hello, I just got 2 Sun Conures. they are about 5 years old and are rehomed. I believe I have a male and a female. The male is not real as scared of me as the female. The female will run away very fast. The male will come to my face and body but does not like hands yet. I am very patient with them. I have the male eating out of my hand but will not step up to my hand... My question is by the female being scared of me and they seemed to be bonded together, will I every break through to them because they are bonded together? I see them locking mouths together and go up and down like the male is feeding the female.... Also, since they are close, should I put a nest in their cage and see what happens? Any advice would be greatly appreciated...Have a great day!

[Pajarita]

Actually, the fact that the male is not afraid of you will help with the female so I would just keep on doing what you are doing (been patient and waiting them out without really asking for anything, just offering).

No, do not put a nest box in their cage. For one thing, we are at the very end of the molting season and going into winter and no bird breeds in winter. If they do, it means that their endocrine system is out of whack and you are feeding too much protein and/or manipulating their light schedule and you risk both the babies and the mother's lives. For another, breeding birds is not a matter of getting a pair and giving them a nest, you need to fly the hen for months prior breeding season, you need to make sure they are both in tip top physical condition (and that takes months of observation to judge accurately), you need to learn avian physiology, pathogens, conditions, etc, (that means acquiring avian medicine texts and they are expensive!), you need to learn from a good breeder how to do it right (hands-on experience, not learning from reading some idiot's instructions on the net), how to handfeed, how to band, etc (again, hands-on experience) and you need stuff like a brooder, a digital scale, syringes or pipettes, bands, etc. You also need to find good homes for all the babies and, believe it or not, that's the hardest thing to do of all the ones I mentioned!