Finally did it.....

[USAJustin]

Yeah I know I'm definately suffering from Multiple Bird Syndrome.

Yesterday afteroon I read my emails and a lady on my bird group on Yahoo stated she was selling all her breeding stock. So I'm like Damm I want her Sun Conure Pair. Call her up and ended up buying them.

Didn't want to spend the $600 to buy them but though what the heck...

[Matt]

$600! I suppose thats American dollars so a bit more than our $600. I pay roughly $500 each here for sexed birds. Unfortunately we lost our two males last week which was devastating, and I am currently looking into replacing them right now. Glad you hjave added more to your collection Justin, it makes us all feel better about ourselves .

[USAJustin]

Well this is definately it for pairs for now. I'm running outta room plus where doing renovations and stuff shortly. All I need now is a female Meyers Parrot to go with our lone male.

yeah it is $600 US. I sell the sexed babies for around $375 US.

Sorry to hear about your Suns. We lost a male Caique the other week which pissed us off alot.

[Matt]

Yes pissed off is the second feeling I felt after depression. I hand raised them from babies. Its annoying but BOBBA happens I guess......Do you have a good market for suns over there? Here they sell pretty well and we dont seem to have as many problems with dumped birds at shelters as noone dumps them ever. I have seen so many shelter sites from US on the net and so many birds dumped there. It really is a shame.

[USAJustin]

every so often you'll get a Sun or Jenday show up at a rescue, but the most common birds found in Rescue here are Umbrella & Mollucan Cockatoo's. Mostly the male ones.

[Silvercloud]

Are they difficult to keep Justin?

[USAJustin]

Are you referring to Mollucans & Umbrellas Silvercloud?

If you are, then yeah. Well actually it's not that they're difficult, they're challenging & alot of it lies with the breeder. The main selling point for Cockatoo's here is that they're cuddlebugs. and people who want a cuddly bird buy one not thinking how demanding the bird will be of their time later down the line.

Alot of the problems with agression to come from the cuddling issues. As males mature their hormones go crazy and when we're petting them we unwillingly are setting off these mating urges in them We think they're being cute doing their mating ritual with us but to them they're dead set on mating and don't see it as being cute

Here's a really good article on Sex and birds.

parrotisland.mainsecureserver.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=58

I've never raised them although someday I would like a pair of Mollucans.

I've heard that the trick to raising them is to teach them to be independant. Teach them that they need to occupy or that it's ok to occupy themselves while you're not there. If you're home take him out on his playstand and let him play and clown around up there. Then if you want a hug from just do it for a few minutes here and there.

www.mytoos.com is a good site about Mollucans and why people need to think twice about purchasing one.

It may come across as negative but those who live with a Too will understand what they can be like.

We lucked out with Ryley - our Mollucan only because he's such a placid bird who knows no strangers. Ryley does pluck and has mutilated in the past but he's past the mutilation and we're working on the plucking. He does have 2 wing feathers and 3 tail feathers lol.

He does get noisy and one thing he does is make this loud noise like his dying. It's a really raspy kind of noise that will drive you nuts. But still despite all this I'm grateful to have Ryley and look forward to many more years with him.

[Silvercloud]

Thanks Justin I was just curious as I don't know much about either of them.

[Natenla]

Good luck with your suns! I would love to get a pair myself but will wait till I have a bit more $$$ behind me,lol.