Breeding sun conures?

Question
Hi Carol,

My family and I have had a pair of DNA'd suns for about 2 years now. We bought them when they'd just had their first adult moult, so I guess they're both about 3 years old now or so...

We didn't buy them with the express intention of breeding but we wouldn't mind raising a few babies, and I've done all the research about hand-rearing vs parent-raring and so forth; hand-rearing sounds very endearing right now but I know I won't always be in a position to do it, but the long summer holidays are coming up, so maybe once.

Ok... so this is going to be pretty long, but I wanted to ask you: how far along, if they are, to breeding? They're not hand-reared birds, but within a year of us getting them, we had them eating treats out of our hands and 'kissing' (though they would always fly back if they felt frightened - their wings aren't clipped)...

We have them in a pretty big cage, maybe 3 by 2 feet base with about... 3-4 feet high? We've also strapped a rather large nestbox onto the side, which they sleep/nap in. We let them out of the cage quite frequently and have a playgym on which we have toys/food etc, but recently they've gotten really aggressive towards us, trying to bite us when we open the cage, and going all fluffy with their wings held out from their bodies and 'roaring' at us when we come near or change their food/water. They also run into their nestbox frequently - in and out... and they also don't come out of their cage when we open the door anymore, or they do, then run straight back inside.

I think I've seen them mating. I don't know. But their behaviour does seem protective of their nestbox. I checked inside, though, (we put sawdust in it) no eggs.

Is this aggressiveness a problem, too? I've read about birds going through a 'teenage' mode as well as being aggressive during mating times, but whenever they come out of their nestbox (getting less), they are always agitated, screaming and angry not only at us but at each other (they lunge at each other sometimes, but mostly at us)... but strangely, their usual agitations, like the wild eastern rosellas that roost around our house, don't bestir them anymore.

Oh! Sorry, one last question... we used to wheel their cage out our back door onto our courtyard so they could get direct overhead sun (though their usual cage position looks out into out backyard anyway) and hear the birdies... I suppose if we are looking to keep them secure, we shouldn't do that?

And do you recommend feeding a special breeding mix? We already have cuttlebone, seed (it is incredibly hard to find pellet mixture over here in New Zealand), fruits and veges in their cage.

Um, they do regurgitate to each other sometimes.
But they seem so unhappy at the moment, I don't know what it is! I've removed anything new from the room since I read that sometimes birds don't like new furniture etc... yeah.

So thanks for reading all that! Hopefully it wasn't too extraneous or long :)

Answer
Before breeding any birds, you always want to have them checked out by a vet for any diseases or genetic defects that could be passed to the babies. Birds on seed diets usually have nutrient deficiencies (especially calcium and vitamin A) so pellets really are the best way to go. If you can import from the states, roudybush breeding pellets are the best. If the female isn't getting the right nutrition, she wont lay eggs because she doesn't want to bring up unhealthy babies. You can also use a vitamin supplement if you can't find any good pellet diets. Ask your vet which one would be best for your birds since most are really not all that good for birds or are missing some nutrients essential for breeding.
You really can't force breeding, but if they're starting to mate, you're not far away from babies. It also depends upon the time of year it is. If it's not breeding season, they probably wont have babies. You don't want to wear out your female, so try not to have more than 2 sets of babies per year.
They should be right at sexual maturity about now, or just past it, so breeding will come naturally. They may become aggressive, but that is very normal. Pairs do fight with each other, and once the babies are hatched, you will rarely see them in the box together because the female will kick the male out until she wants to go eat...and when she's done eating, she kicks him out again and gets back on the eggs. (she gets moody, just like pregnant women)
If they're breeding, I would not let them be outside but it's still good to let them have the sunlight, so you can purchase a full spectrum lightbulb. This also helps encourage breeding behaviors.
Hopefully I answered your questions! Your vet will be the best source of information pertaining to your exact situation