Sun Conure
Aratinga solstitialis
A walking sunset with the personality to match — bold, cuddly, and unmistakably loud.
Available at Parrot Bliss- 70% Pellets
- 22% Fresh vegetables
- 5% Fruit
- 3% Seeds & treats
Personality & Temperament
A Sun Conure is what happens when nature decides to make a parrot impossible to overlook. Brilliant orange, yellow, and green — and a personality just as loud. After raising hundreds of these babies, I can tell you exactly what to expect: a bird that wants to be on you, with you, and very obviously a part of whatever you’re doing.
Suns are the clowns of the conure world. They wrestle with toys upside-down, dance to music, and learn tricks faster than most birds twice their size. They form deep, sometimes intense, bonds — usually with one favorite person, though a confident Sun raised in a busy household becomes a flock-friendly bird who tolerates everyone.
Their one real downside is the call. Sun Conures are genuinely loud — apartment-shaking loud during morning and sunset flock calls. If you can’t accept that as part of the package, this is not the right species for you, no matter how stunning they are.
Cuddly
Loud
Playful
Trainable
One-person prone
Housing
Sun Conures need real space. Even though they’re medium-small, they spend their days climbing, swinging, and acrobatically working through toys, and a tiny cage will turn them neurotic fast.
My minimum is 30″ wide × 24″ deep × 36″ tall with bar spacing of 5/8 to 3/4 inch. A flight-style rectangular cage is much better than the tall narrow ones marketed for medium parrots — Suns want horizontal space to play.
Perch and toy essentials
- Multiple natural-wood branches at varied diameters (manzanita, java, dragonwood). The foot should wrap around two-thirds of the perch.
- One rougher cement or coral perch high in the cage for natural nail wear — never as a primary perch.
- Heavy-duty toys. Suns chew with conviction; flimsy plastic toys last about 30 seconds.
- A foraging “wheel” or wrapped-treat puzzle is non-negotiable for daily mental work.
Diet
The donut chart at the top of this page is what I feed my own Suns. The tactical version: pellets are the foundation, vegetables are the daily medicine, fruit is a treat, and seeds are training rewards — not lunch.
Daily structure
Sun-favorite foods
- Bell peppers, broccoli, kale, dandelion greens
- Sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash
- Mango, papaya, berries (small amounts)
- Cooked legumes and sprouted lentils
- Whole-grain pasta and brown rice
- A few unsalted almonds or walnuts as treats
Never feed
- Avocado (toxic)
- Chocolate, caffeine, alcohol
- Onion, garlic, raw mushroom
- Apple seeds and fruit pits
- Salty or fried snacks
- Anything with xylitol
Health & Wellness
Sun Conures are generally hardy birds, but I see a few species-specific issues often enough to flag them on every guide I send home with a baby.
- Feather-destructive behavior — usually triggered by boredom, isolation, or hormonal frustration. The fix is environmental: more exercise, more foraging, more meaningful out-of-cage time.
- Conure bleeding syndrome — a rare but serious condition where the bird bleeds excessively after minor injury. Have an avian vet on speed dial.
- Polyomavirus — vaccinate young birds when possible and quarantine new arrivals.
- Obesity and fatty liver — almost entirely preventable with pellet conversion and daily flight or out-of-cage exercise.
An annual avian wellness exam is the floor; a senior bird (over 12) deserves twice-yearly checks.
Enrichment, Behavior & Training
This species was made to work. A bored Sun Conure becomes a screamer or a feather-puller; an enriched Sun is one of the most rewarding parrots you’ll ever know.
- Foraging first. Every meal hidden behind a wrapper, knot, or paper cup teaches your bird that work equals food. This single change resolves about half the screaming complaints I hear.
- Trick training — Suns master targeting, recall, wave, spin, and “fetch” quickly. Three short sessions a day with a sunflower seed reward is plenty.
- Toy rotation — keep a bin of toys and swap them weekly. New is always more interesting than old.
- Daily out-of-cage time — 3 to 5 hours minimum. This is not a “nice to have.”
Bathing and grooming
Suns generally love water. Offer a shallow dish, a misting bottle, or a careful shower at least twice a week. Nail trims as needed; wing clipping is a personal call but I usually leave them flighted unless there’s a specific safety concern.
Sleep & Lighting
10 to 12 hours of dark, quiet sleep — every night, no exceptions. A Sun Conure who stays up with you watching TV until midnight will be a screaming, hormonal mess within weeks.
If your household stays up late, set up a sleep cage in a quiet spare room and move your bird at the same time every evening. Their bodies sync to the rhythm fast.
UVB exposure helps — a window the bird can sit near (never through closed glass for direct sun) or a UVB bulb set up with your avian vet’s guidance.
Breeding & Reproductive Health
Most Sun Conure owners are not breeders — but every owner needs to recognize hormonal behavior, because Suns can lock into territorial, possessive, or screaming patterns when their environment feels “nesty.”
- Sexual maturity arrives around 1–2 years.
- A typical clutch is 3–5 eggs; incubation about 23 days; fledging 7–8 weeks.
- Nesty triggers in pet homes: long days, dark cardboard hiding spots, excessive petting on the back or under the wings, and rich high-fat foods.
If your hen begins egg-laying, work with an avian vet immediately. Single-clutch laying is normal; chronic laying depletes calcium and shortens lifespan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Sun Conures really as loud as people say?
Yes. They have a piercing flock call most often heard at sunrise and sunset — short bursts of 5 to 10 minutes. Outside those windows they are chatty but not painful. If you live in an apartment with thin walls or work from home on calls, this can be a serious problem. Here is what that actually measures — around 120 decibels at close range, and what it means for shared-wall living.
Will my Sun bond to just one person?
They tend to, but it’s not inevitable. A baby raised with intentional handling by every member of the household stays flock-friendly. The trouble starts when one person does all the feeding, training, and cuddling — that person becomes “mine” and everyone else becomes a threat.
Can a Sun Conure live in an apartment?
Many do, but with limits. You’ll need understanding neighbors, possibly soundproofing a bird room, and a strict morning-and-evening flock-call expectation set with whoever lives nearby. They are not the right species for shared-wall living unless you’re prepared.
How long do Sun Conures live?
15 to 30 years with good husbandry. The 30-year mark is reachable but increasingly rare in seed-fed, under-exercised birds. Pellets, flight time, and avian-vet checkups are the difference.
Should I get one Sun or a pair?
One bird, raised intentionally, will be the most bonded companion you can imagine. Two birds will be a happy little flock but will often pair up and pay you less attention. Both work — choose based on how much daily time you can give a single bird.
Call an avian vet immediately if you see:
- Breathing difficulty, tail-bobbing, or open-mouth breathing
- Blood, or major changes to droppings
- Vomiting or active regurgitation
- Sudden weight loss, fluffed posture, or sitting on the cage floor
- Loss of balance, seizures, or other neurologic signs
- Refusing food or water for more than a few hours
- Visible injury, swelling, or bleeding
While you wait for help: keep your bird warm and quiet (about 80–85°F / 27–29°C), offer water and a favorite food only if swallowing is normal, and never give unprescribed medication.
Looking for a hand-raised Sun Conure?
I raise every baby in my home, fully weaned, with a loving foundation already in place.
See available Sun Conures