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I have a pair of sun conures. They are completely inseparable and originally they were caged separate. But all they did was scream and scream and so I caved in and put them in the same cage. My male is 6-7 years, but the female is only a year and a half. She has begun nesting behaviors, and tore up their happy hut sleeper while making a strange noise.

I do NOT want to intentionally breed them, but I have a feeling nature will take over and it will happen. I am concerned about egg binding in the young female and other egg laying complications. Does anyone have any advice? Is there a way to keep them together but discourage breeding/egg laying? Should I put a nest box in the cage for her to tear up? I am in the US and I don't know when they typically breed and lay eggs.. Does anyone know?? I'm just trying to figure out what to expect.... Any advice would be appreciated!!

Hello,

I must commend you for housing two Sun Conures as I know it can become quite noisy .

Getting them to not breed is quite simple. Firstly, the hut should be removed or any nooks inside the cage that might be perceived as a nesting site. This includes platforms, large crock dishes that are deep, bathing enclosures, or boxes for the birds to chew.

When a female sun conure becomes egg bound she will often spend her time on the cage floor. Her tail will be slightly fanned, her wings down, and she will be much slower or lack any spunk so to speak. If you see this type of behavior in her, it is important you immediately place a heating lamp on her and take her to a humid place to help the egg pass. You should then call a veterinarian who specializes in birds and take the bird to that facility.

Now how can you avoid the Sun Conure becoming egg bound? This can be done by ensuring she is fed a proper diet from the very beginning. Most Sun Conures that become egg bound are usually nutritionally deficient, their body is weaker, or the egg has formed wrong.

The last and final tactic you could use to ensure the birds do not breed is to move their cage constantly throughout your home. If their environment moves a lot the birds will be less likely to breed.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes,

IMRAN-C