Socorro Green Conures

Aratinga Conure Info ... Aratingas as Pets ... Aratinga Conure Species

Conure Info ... Conure Species ... Conure Photo Gallery ... Diseases of the Conure ... Conure Nutrition / Foods

Books, DVDs and Other Media about Conures (Sold / shipped out of: | | | )

Are you looking for a Conure? Click here for a listing of breeders

The Socorro Green Conure (Aratinga holochlora brevipes) is endemic to the island of Socorro off the West Coast of Mexico.

Description

The Socorro Green Conure averages 34 cm or 13.5 ins in length, including its long tail. Its wings are 162-174 mm or 6.3 - 6.85 inches long.

This conure looks like the nominate "Green Conure" (Aratinga holochlora), except it is a little larger and has a darker, less yellowish plumage to the breast and abdomen. Also, the tenth primary wing feather is shorter than the seventh, whereas in other subspecies the reverse is the case.

Personality

Green Conures have big personalities for such small birds. Owners report that they are smart and interactive, but are also more prone to behavioral problems than are cockatiels or budgies - but this would be the case with any conure. They all require a committed owner who will work with their pets to guide their behavior, while cockatiels and budgies are "beginner birds.

Like all conures, Green Conures love to play!

They are very active parrots that like to play, explore and chew. Lots of toys are recommended to keep their beaks from "getting busy" on your furniture.

• Toys can be home-made or purchased online or are available at your local bird store.
• Toys can also be things that I bet you never thought were toys at all! Please refer to the foraging page for easy, inexpensive or FREE tips to entertain your pet.

They are Smart!

Most will hold their own with any of the mid-sized or medium-large parrots in terms of smartness.  They can be taught simple tricks pretty easily and more complicated tricks with some training.

How much attention do they need?

Like all parrots, they are social birds. They do require daily interaction with their social group, entertainment, things to do -- or else they will become bored and develop behavioral problems. In the wild, they would never leave the company of their flockmates.  In a captive pet situation, a hand-fed conure requires the same social interaction from you and your family.

If you have little time to give, a parrot would not be a good choice for you.   You would need someone at home several hours a day at a minimum, preferably someone should be home most of the day. I would recommend that there be people at home, with the bird, for at least several hours every day or the majority of day. 

It's best to keep your pet conure where the center of activity is, usually the family room, and leave the cage door open or allow your pet to be on a playpen whenever someone is at home.  During this time some direct interaction should be provided, such as talking to your pet, petting it, or placing it on your shoulder while you surf the internet, watch tv or go about your other activities. My parrot even joins me in the gym! 

Do they make good family pets?

In general, conures make good family pets as long as they have been well socialized. They don't mind a lot of activity - in fact, the more "fun stuff" is going on, the more entertained and happier they tend to be. They usually get along well with all family members, although they are likely to eventually choose a favorite; but as long as they are exposed to, and socialized by, other family members, they should maintain their friendliness with the others. Conures love to be touched and handled - another reason why they often do well with kids.

However, they go through nippy phases that can be hard on children as well as on adults.  Teaching the child appropriate handling of the conure will help prevent some painful experiences - however, it will never entirely eliminate them. The tamest pet bird gets startled and bites - without this being a true reflection on its personality. It's a natural reaction. Experienced pet owners learn to read the body language of their pets and can avoid most of these "accidental encounters." Training is important to prevent an accidental bite from turning into a behavioral problem.

It is difficult to instruct smaller children on proper parrot handling, and their interactions with the conure should always be supervised. But children who have learned to handle the conure gently and confidently usually don't have a big problem with aggression. How well the child-parrot interaction goes really depends on the maturity level of the child, as well as the proper socialization-level of the parrot. Admittedly though, some genetics come into play as well. Some individual parrots are more aggressive than others. Often this is a family trait and one parrot pair produces sweet babies, while others produce nippy offspring. Sweet babies can turn nippy, if not socialized well, and nippy (usually nervous / fearful birds) can be taught to be good family pets. Birds do pick up on stress and anger that we humans may feel and this can impact their personality and likelihood to be aggressive towards us. It is always best to approach a bird calmly and focus on, and enjoy, the interaction with the parrot rather than reflecting on problems in your life. Doing so will actually be conducive to your own health, as it will help you relax.

There never will be a guarantee that a meaningful relationship between the children in the family and the pet parrot develops and if things don't go well, the conure may end up being a pet for the adults only.  For this reason, it is not recommended to buy a parrot as a pet for the kids - this needs to be a family pet, with the adults taking on most of the responsibility.

Training and Behavioral Guidance:

Conures, albeit their smaller size, do present their challenges, and they are not the best "starter" birds, although some species are easier to keep than others. It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established.

Conures are known for their loud and harsh calls, which is a natural way of communication and social interaction and shouldn't be "trained away" -- however, they can develop into excessive screamers, which really requires early intervention.

Even a young bird that has not been neglected and abused requires proper guidance; this becomes even more challenging when it involves a rescued bird that may require rehabilitation. Behavioral challenges that conures present include:

• Excessive Chewing: Any parrot will chew. In nature, they use their beak to "customize" their favorite tree, to enlarge the size of their nest in a tree hollow. Doing this keeps their beaks in good condition. The problem is excessive and undesirable chewing. Undisciplined conures will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. The owner needs to provide plenty of "healthy" chewing opportunities (bird toys, natural wood branches, etc.) and training is necessary to teach your pet what is "off-limits."



• Biting: Conures can become nippy. Like most parrots they are likely to discover their beaks as a method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage." It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established.



• The "Noise" Factor: As is the case with all conure species, the Green Conure can get very noisy. Not everybody can tolerate their high-pitched screech that can be annoying. However, even though it can't (or should not) be entirely eliminated, there are ways to discourage screaming / screeching in your conure.

Training and behavioral guidance will help your pet be the kind of companion you want it to be ...

• AvianWeb Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training. If you found a way to resolve a "parrot behavioral issue" please share it with others.


• If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
  
  • the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
    • Stop Biting
    • Perform Tricks &
    • Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
  • and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.

If you are considering a conure as a pet, the following web resources might be of interest:

• Procuring your Parrot



• Breeders:
  
  
  • Click here for a listing of breeders by state / country. Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options.


• Housing & Caring for Your Conure: The green conures are very active parrots; they need decent-sized cages that are made of strong material and also should be let out of the cages every day. The green conures love to climb and play and need to be provided with a cage that allows them to move around freely and toys to entertain themselves with. Please refer to the following websites for information:
  
  
  • Optimal nutrition to keep your bird healthy
  
  
  
  • Housing your bird
  
  
  
  • The 3 Key Elements to Your Pet Bird's Happiness and Health
  
  
  
  • Caring for your companion bird
  
  
  
  • Parrot Products

Diet:

These conures feed on seeds, various fruits, and corn. They are, at times, considered a crop pest.

Captive birds should be fed a healthy and balanced diet consisting of a high quality dry food mix of sunflower, safflower, paddy rice, wheat, oats, groats, canary grass seed and various millets; dried shrimp; as well as various fruit and vegetables (particularly carrots and apples) as well as half-ripe maize; rose-hips; rowanberries and greenfood should be provided. During the breeding season, wholegrain bread and biscuit for feeding the young will be helpful to the parents. Provide a vitamin / mineral supplement as needed.

• Feeding your pet green conure

Breeding / Reproduction:

The breeding season between February and May. They typically nest in woodpecker holes, other tree cavities, arboreal termite mounds or crevices in ruined or old buildings. Each egg measures 29.9 x 24.7 mm (1.17 x 0.97 ins).

Captive breeding occasionally achieved. It's best to isolate pairs for breeding. The average clutch consists of 3 to 5 eggs which are incubated for about 23 days. The young fledge when they are about 50 days old. A diagonal nestbox 25 x 40 x 30 cm (10 x 16 x 12 ins) with an entrance hole 7 cm (3 ins) wide seems to work fine for this species. It's best to position the nest box in a dark corner. It may take years before breeding activities commence.

This is generally a noisy conure and a hard chewer and requires a regular supply of fresh wood to satisfy its strong urge to chew. It enjoys bathing and should be provided a shallow bathing dish. This species is generally shy and are slow to grow confiding with their keeper. They are robust and hardy once acclimatized and, outside the breeding season, tolerates other species of similar size.

It needs a spacious flight: 3 x 1 x 2 m (9 x 3 x 6 ft) with adjoining shelter. As this is a heavy chewer, metal construction is necessary. It needs to protected from any frost and a roosting box should be available all year around.

If space allows, offering a choice of sizes and types of logs or nest-boxes, and placed in various locations within the aviary, can allow the parent birds to make their own choice.  Once a pair has chosen a specific nest-box/log and been successful in it, offer that one to them each breeding season.  Try and keep that one for their exclusive use.  Once a pair has chosen its log or nest-box, the other ones can generally be removed.  If the "spare" boxes are to be removed and moved to another flight, ensure the log / nest-box is cleaned to ensure the receptacle has the minimal contamination of mites, parasites and pathogens.

Log / Nest-box:

• Marcy Covault from Feathered Companions Aviary suggests using a deeper box, either a bootbox or a vertical grandfather box (18" - 24" deep). Some conures do accept cockatiel-sized boxes, but using a deeper box will reduce the conures' tendency to remove the shavings and lay their eggs on the bare wooden base.



• Diameter of entrance hole: approx. 3 inches ( ~70 - 80 mm)



• Inspection hole: Can be square or round. Diameter: ~4 inches (100 mm)



• A Removable top / lid can be a useful access point for inspections and for cleaning.



• Location and height of log / nest-box: Install in a sheltered part of the aviary at about 5 feet (~1.5 - 1.8 meters) height, but not too close to the roof to cause heat problems in the hotter months.



• Angle of log or nest box: 45 degrees through to vertical.  Most boxes are vertical.



• Nesting log / nest-box material: Options are decomposed non-toxic saw dust, corn cob, wood shavings (i.e., Aspen shavings) or other suitable materials. Please note that wood shavings - such as pine, cedar and redwood - give off aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols) and acids that are toxic and can cause dermatitis, allergic symptoms and irritation of the digestive tract. They should not be used in cages, aviaries, or nestboxes. The larger the wood chips the better, so the parents don't feed it to the babies or the chicks accidentally ingest it. Other options for nesting material include shredded paper and clean straw / dried grass.



• Incubation: Both hen and cock share in incubating the eggs.

Nest inspections are generally not tolerated.  If nest inspection is necessary, wait until both parents have left the nest.  They can be aggressive and protective of the nest area when breeding.

For additional breeding-related information, please visit this website.

---

Taxonomy / Other Names:

Genus: Scientific: Aratinga ... English: Conures ... Dutch: Wigstaartparkieten ... German: Keilschwanzsittiche ... French: Aratinga

Species: Scientific: Aratinga holochlora brevipes aka Psittacara h.breviceps / Aratinga brevipes ... English: Socorro Green Conure ... Dutch: Socorro Groene Aratinga ... German: Socorro Grünsittich ... French: Perruche du Mexique Lawrence

---

Photo, Video and/or Article contributions are welcome! Please click here for info

The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!