Male & Female Sun Conures

Question
Hi Doctor, I'll try & be brief. I own a Male 7 mos. old SunConure that I hand fed until he was 6 mos. old. I own 2 female parrotlets 6 & 4mos. old. 2 weeks ago I acquired a 12 wk.DNA'd female Sun that I am giving 1 feeding a day too. I realize I could loose both birds friendship if they breed & I will try my best for that NOT to happen. They are good buds but spend time with me separately daily. My question is, when should I be keeping a hawk-eye on them, and what signs should I look out for before its to late. I really , really, want to keep my Conures as Pets! If there is anything I can do to help provoke the birds to stay just friends I would really appreciate any suggestions.


Answer
hi. thanks for your questions....on a cautious note, I am not a doctor, just a volunteer with experience in raising birds, especially sun conures. though i wish i were a doctor because i'd be making a lot more money!

anyway,  at this point, your female sun conure is not quite sexually mature (i am not sure how old your male is, but suns do not reach sexual maturity until about 2 year of age). hence, they will be acting as "good buddies" until the hormones kick in. this is not to say that the male won't at least start "trying" but the capacity for mating and sexual bonding most likely will not occur until her second year of age.  

i understand that you want to keep them both as pets and wonderful pets they are. if they do become a "bonded" breeding pair, this does not mean that you have "lost" them and they will not allow you to handle them/befriend them individually.  there are bigger issues at hand however. first of all, trying to stop the natural course of nature is futile.  sun conures are prolific captive breeders and a male/female pair will start breeding quickly.  so the real question should not be whether or not you will "lose" your friends but whether or not you are prepared to handraise/handfeed/and find homes for sun conure babies.  although parents can raise birds, occasionally humans have to step in in the case of neglect/abuse.  considering sun conures can live 25+ years, you will need to ask yourself if you are ready to raise babies for this long.  there is also the health of your birds, especially your female, to take into consideration. all of that laying and raising of chicks is very stressful and can result in illness, disease, and untimely death of a mama bird. additionally, keeping her in the cage with the male almost ensures that she may begin laying fertilized eggs too early in her sexual maturity (most breeders suggest waiting past the time of sexual maturity before allowing a hen to lay). this can result in egg binding on the part of your female.  

so to answer your question, no, birds cannot just be "friends"...unlike male and female humans, birds are driven by instinct. and in captivity, with only one another, i can almost guarantee you that they will do "their thing".  please consider the ramifications of this...not only will you have a bonded pair but you will have to deal with the consequences of their breeding.  if this sounds undesirable to you, i HIGHLY suggest separating them. you can keep them in separate cages in the same room, close to one another. that way they can still keep one another company when you are not there and you can bond with each of them individually. good luck and i hope this helps!  alicia