5 Reasons Conures Make Great Family Pets
Photo by Chewy
Families looking to welcome a pet bird into their home might be drawn to conures—a member of the parrot family—for their relatively small size and wide variety of color variations. The good news is that with more than 100 different species and subspecies of conures, there’s a conure to suit beginners and experienced bird keepers.
Conures can be ideal for families because they’re reasonably priced, easy to find (you can adopt!), and their cages don’t take up too much space. Conures are highly sociable—and caring for parrots can be fun and interactive for children of all ages.
Let’s explore some of the reasons conures make such great family pets.
Key Takeaways
- Conures are often adaptable, as well as easy to handle and train.
- As highly sociable birds, conures can be adopted alone or in groups.
- A wide variety of species and colorations of companion conures are commonly available.
1. Conures Are Adaptable and Resilient
Conures are “fairly flexible and [an] easy going bird,” explains Cheryl Burns, aviculturist and former president of the Interational Conure Association. Conures’ adaptability enables them to adjust easily to their new environment and family’s schedule. Burns said that conures are good at:
- Schedules for eating
- Taking to family members intuitively because they are naturally “playful and curious”
- Being boarded and moving with a family.
Jamie Whittaker of ABC Birds in Humble, Texas explains conures can be trained to, “come in and out of the cage, stay on their playstand, perform tricks, bow, go to other people,” along with moving onto a person’s hand and can be trained to be groomed. Whittaker said, “[conures] make good family pets because they are not intimidating looking so kids are willing to handle them.”
2. Conures Come in Many Types
Whittaker recommends green-cheeked conures because as one of many Pyrrhura species, they are quieter than the Aratinga conure species. Green-cheeked conures come in color mutations including common maroon tail and green body, cinnamon, turquoise, and yellow-sided.
Crimson-bellied conures and black-capped conures are similar in size to their green-cheeked cousins (about 10 inches in length). Whittaker recommends these because they’re also Pyrrhura conures, and as such, they’re often less noisy than other types of conures.
Other recommended conure species, according to Whittaker, are the half-moon conure, peach-fronted conure, and the dusky or dusky-headed conures—which are all sub-species of the Arantinga-type conures. These are good for families because they tend to be only slightly louder than a green-cheeked conure.
3. Conures Can Be Easy To Find
Depending on the type of conure and where one is bought, prices vary. Green-cheeked conures have an average price range of $149 to $350, according to Whittaker, with breeders likely cheaper and pet stores being more expensive. You can also considering adopting a conure too!
4. Conures Are Sociable
Whether a family wants a single conure or multiple conures depends on a few factors. Whittaker explains the number of conures that might be appropriate for a family depends on a family’s lifestyle, the number of people that love birds in the home, and the sociability of specific xconures in question.
As Whittaker explains, “[conures] socialize well with other birds; they socialize with other people,” demonstrating how conures can live alone or with one or multiple other conures, even to 10 to 12 companion conures or more because they enjoy the company of other birds.
5. Conures Don’t Take Up Much Space
Burns adds that conures, “don’t take up a lot of space.” Compared to a macaw cage, especially! Ranging from eight to 14 or 16 inches in length, including their tail, conures can move around a 24- to 36-inch bird cage without brushing up against the sides. This doesn’t mean you can put the conure in a corner and forget about him! Conures love to hang outside of their cage, on their playstand, or with you!
Featured Image: via Peter Leahy/Shutterstock.com
FAQs About Conures as Family Pets
Are conures good family pets?
Yes. Conures are playful, curious, and sociable birds that can adjust to a family’s environment and schedule. They’re also approachable, easy to train, and can learn tricks.
What types of conures make good family pets?
Green-cheeked, crimson-bellied, and black-capped conures are popular options for families. Other possibilities include half-moon, peach-fronted, and dusky-headed conures.
Green-cheeked conures are often recommended for families because they tend to be quieter than some other types.
Are conures easy to care for?
Conures are adaptable birds that can adjust to mealtime schedules, new environments, and family routines. They can also be trained to enter and exit their cage, use a playstand, perform tricks, and tolerate grooming.
Can conures live with other birds?
Yes. As flock animals, conures are very sociable and enjoy the company of people and other birds. You can keep one or multiple conures—as many as 10 to 12 companion conures provided you have adequate space for an appropriately sized cage for them.
How much space does a conure need?
Conures are relatively small birds, ranging from about 8 to 16 inches long, including their tails. A 24- to 36-inch cage can provide room to move around, but conures also enjoy spending time outside their cages on a playstand or with their human family.
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