Sun conure is a very active and playful parrot. Full of energy, he always needs something to keep himself entertained. He would succumb to a closed and boring environment.
Having an engaging and ample place is his necessity. So, the owner must secure a cage for his pet sun conure where he can relax and stay happily. Because a sad and depressed sun conure, especially when living in a congested and lifeless cage, can show behavioral issues like plucking feathers, screaming, aggression, etc.
So how should exactly the cage of a sun conure be like? Should it be tiny or big? What accessories it must have? Let’s know it all.
Selecting cage for a Sun Conure
Sun conures are born acrobats and they love to jump, fly and be all over the place. And all of this isn’t possible in a small cage, they need a big cage, vertically and horizontally, for this. So, ideally, a sun conure minimum cage size should be at least 24 inches in width, 24 inches in length and a good 30 inches in height. The spacing between its bars shouldn’t be more than one inch as it is safe enough for the bird.
The cage should also have horizontal bars on one or two of its sides as sun conures love climbing and this would let them hop around the cage. They would be more than happy if they can spread their wings to take short flights and hop around the cage all day long.
Sun Conure Breeding Cage size
Breeding period is an important period in parrot’s life and the female needs to be comfortable in her space. Though a sun conure can always breed in a small cage also but here, the focus is on her comfort.
Sun conure breeding cage size must be big enough to accommodate both male and female conures that are going through hormonal changes. They’ll be aggressive and irritable and would need some space. If the non-breeding sun conures have been kept in a small cage until now, it’s time to get a big cage or them of around 30 inches long, 30 inches wide, and 48 inches high. If a big cage is not possible, be ready to take all that noise and aggression.
Check our Amazon store for Nice Cage for your Bird:
Cage Setup for Sun Conure
As important as cage size is, equally important is sun conure cage set up the way he likes it. Having a big cage with the bird sitting idle inside with nothing to do at all is simply useless. Every aspect of setting up the cage holds importance.
Place cage above the ground level
It may sound baseless but the placing of the cage makes the difference. One should always keep the cage of the bird above the ground level for a few reasons:
- Keeping the cage on the ground could topple it with someone accidentally tripping over it, thereby, harming the bird; and
- This would ensure that the cage is not near to any air conditioning or heating vents, thereby, keeping the bird safe.
Also, make sure the cage is not placed on a busy pathway like a hallway as it may get knocked over. Place the cage safely on a bird-cage stand or table at eye-level. Do not keep it above or below the eye-level as it encourages behavioral problems in the bird.
Setup cage in a quiet room
Tired of all the exercises and games played back in the day, a sun conure always needs deep and uninterrupted sleep to be ready for the next day with equal vigor. A disturbed sleep would mean a noisy and cranky bird the next day and it’ll impact his health in the long run. So, the best bet is to keep his cage in a quiet room where he can sleep peacefully.
If his cage is kept at a place where it is a bit noisy in the day, make sure to get a relatively small sleeping cage for him for his sound sleep. But make sure he shouldn’t feel cut-off from the family in the day.
Cushion the cage floor
A hard metalled floor is bound to be uncomfortable for the soft feet of the sun conure. Cushion the floor of the cage with one or two inches of wood shavings, corncob, aspen or bedding made with recycled paper. Cage liner is also a great option.
Provide enough perches
Sun conure’s cage without perches is like a kitchen without having a stovetop in it. It is lifeless. Providing enough perches for an active bird, like conure is extremely important for his physical as well as mental health.
- Install several perches of varied thickness and material. But the minimum thickness should be half an inch for a better grip.
- Install at least two perches, one placed at a high level for roosting and the other one at a low level along with the food and water dishes.
- Use perches of different shapes like swinging perches or spiral perches to offer variety to the bird.
Fill the Sun Conure cage with toys
A big cage with perches but no activity to do all day wouldn’t serve the purpose of having an engaging place for the bird. Fill the cage with varied toys like puzzling toys, ladders, sparkling toys with bells and mirrors and most importantly, the foraging toys with different treats hidden inside them to make the conure explore it.
Example of DIY Playground made for budgies….
Provide a space for privacy
Everyone likes privacy and a conure is no different. A sun conure cage is simply an open space where everyone can peep in anytime anyway and sometimes it is unwanted by the bird. So providing a little space for privacy is what a conure will love. Sun conures love small huts hanging in their cage. And fleece is a good material for the hut to give the bird that warmth of having his home.
For a breeding sun conure pair, privacy is a necessity. And a hanging hut isn’t a great alternative for them. Having a breeder box made with non-toxic wood is the best way to keep their privacy intact during the breeding season. The box can either be kept inside the cage but that would mean less supervision for cleaning purposes. Ne can always keep it outside the cage and allow its entrance from within the cage by cutting off a small gate-like structure from the big cage. Line the box floor with wood shavings to keep it insulated.
Place food and water dishes
Food and water are the necessities of life and thus, a must-have in sun conure’s cage too. Place two separate dishes each for food and water for feeding the conure. Never place them exactly under any perches as the bird’s droppings may contaminate the edible stuff. Wash these dishes daily so as not to let the bacteria breed in them. Also, keep the water bowl always filled o keep the bird hydrated but never forget to fill the fresh water each time.
Sun Conure Cage Maintenance
Setting up an engaging cage for the conure isn’t the last step to keep the bird happy and healthy. It is constant work. Just like humans clean their homes to maintain good hygiene levels, conure’s cage also needs maintenance.
Perform cleanliness
After setting up a neat and clean cage, maintaining that cleanliness is a necessity to protect the conure from a probable sickness due to dirty surroundings. Any place with pp and excreta will make a great breeding ground for all the bacteria and their numerous infections. So a general clean-up like that of bird droppings daily is a must. And a thorough deep cleaning like wiping all the bars and hut’s inside is preferred once a week for the best health of the bird.
Maintain appropriate temperature
Birds are sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. They are primed to live in a certain temperature range. An extreme hot or cold temperature can be fatal to them. So maintaining an appropriate temperature at home or room where the conure’s cage is placed is a must. It shouldn’t be less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit and shouldn’t go beyond 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the weather is cold, cage insulation by keeping a heating pad beneath its surface is a great idea Use a bird lamp to keep him warm. Cover the cage with a comforter at night. For the hot and humid days, keep the cage at a cool place.
Covering Sun Conure Cage at night
A bird as active and playful as a sun conure will almost always have a long and tiring day. So he needs to have a good sleep at night. To recharge himself for the next day, he needs at least 10-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. To ensure this, cover the bird’s cage with a big cloth. Use a cotton cloth so as not to suffocate the bird. But it should be thick enough to make the cage as dark as night.
Having a separate place of their own is a basic need of every being and sun conures are no exception. There are many cages available out there in the market and the sun conure cage price is also varied to accommodate every owner’s needs. And there is an option to make one home too. But the necessity is the same: an engaging cage for the sun conure he loves to live in.
Read more about proper diet for Sun Conure Parrot:
https://parrotquaker.com/best-food-for-sun-conure/
