Best Pineapple Conure Bird Tips You Will Read This Year

 The pineapple conure bird would have been a serious title contender in avian beauty contests if there were any. The biological process of mutation has worked its magic to bring us this exquisite breed of the green cheek conure derived from a blend of cinnamon and yellow-sided conure birds. And if you love color as much as we do, you can’t help but get fascinated by the birds’ brilliantly colored plumage with dazzling color patterns and exceptional details. More than that, despite its quiet and laid-back nature, it’s an intelligent and playful bird with a pretty big personality that will want to demand all the attention to itself.

The delightful bird is full of character and color. But unfortunately, there is limited information out there about pineapple conures. And to save you the tedious hunt for knowledge about the bird and help you provide proper care for the bird, we’ve made you better prepared with this post on all the ins and outs of the bird.

What is a pineapple conure bird?

The pineapple conure bird (Pyrrhura molinae) is a small colorful species of the green cheeked parakeet bird that is kept as a pet. Breeders came up with the bird by interbreeding the Cinnamon and Yellow-sided Conure through mutation. It bears a close resemblance to maroon-bellied parakeets, blaze-winged parakeets, and black-capped parakeets. Conures have a cone-like tail that explains the name.

That said, let’s look at some of the defining elements of this charming little creature.

• Size and shape

This species is among the tiniest of all conures. An adult can reach a head-to-tail length of about 10 inches, a wingspan length of 5 -5.5 inches, and weigh around 60 – 90 grams. The tail is long at about 4 – 6 inches and has a gradual tapering at the tip.

This species sports an upright posture, short neck and legs, and clawed feet. Like other parrots, the grey bill is short, robust, and hooked. The beak is specialized in breaking and extracting the edible parts of seeds and fruit.

• Color and Appearance

The pineapple conure is a small bird with a combination of colors from both of its parent species. Most color shades found in both the cinnamon and yellow-sided conures have been passed on to the pineapple mutation. The head is tan-colored while the sides are yellow.  The back feathers are lime green similar to a cinnamon conure. Moreover, you will find bright red and yellow colors on the chest of the bird, hints of reddish-orange color around the lower beak, and highlights of red around the cere.

The tail feathers are long and pointed and usually range from red to marron just like the yellow –sided conures. The tail shows a halo effect. Also, the eyes are ruby red like a cinnamon conure while the abdominal area is red. You will also want to note that the birds are monomorphic meaning it is difficult to tell the sexes apart by simply looking at them. You will need an avian veterinarian to carry out a DNA test to determine the gender.

• Origin and behavior

Pineapple conures are native to the forests and woodlands of South America from Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. In their natural environments, conures stick together in flocks of about a dozen birds depending on the available food supply.

Although they are pretty quiet and calm, they are rather social, playful, and outgoing, and love to spend time with their favorite persons. To the pineapple conures, nothing beats the fun and pleasure of rolling on their back playing while being scratched and cuddled by the owner. The bird loves to catch the eyes of viewers with hilarious antics and comical stunts.

They love to be where people are and will climb under your shirt, hang upside down, and scream at the owner trying to initiate play. Still, the bird is shy or intimidated by unfamiliar people or new environments. The young ones may turn nippy and begin to bite the owner but with training that discourages them against nipping, they’ll do just fine. Some cases of feather plucking have also been noted among both adults and juveniles.

• Diet and Nutrition

Conures have a fondness for seeds like sunflower, corn, and hemp seeds, veggies, and fruits. Insects and larvae are also staples for conures in the wild. You can also feed them with sliced potatoes, carrots, and pasta. To safeguard the bird of health issues, we recommend 50% of the diet should be fruits and veggies. Furthermore, ensure you supplement their diet with calcium bird pellets to strengthen their bones, beaks, and nails. Regulate the birds’ intake of fatty foods such as sunflower since the bird may become obese.

Provide clean drinking water that is free from chlorine and hard metals.

• Speech and Vocalizations

We mentioned that they are not very loud birds. Compared to their cousins in the parrot family, they are fairly quiet. They vocalize from time to time with chirps, whistles, clicks, and a few learned words. Even so, calling the bird excellent in human speech would be a stretch of the imagination. Pineapple conures have a limited vocabulary and can hardly utter a word. So, if the ability to talk is what you are out for, then you should reconsider investing in a pineapple conure. Not to forget, when excited, the bird lets out a screeching sound.

• Pineapple Conure Lifespan

Worry not about mourning your pretty little feathered pal. The bird can stick around for an impressive 30 years.

How long do pineapple conures live?

You will be comforted to note that with proper care and attention, a pineapple conure can stick around for up to 30 years.

How Healthy Are pineapple conure?

You should be aware by now that a healthy bird should be active, alert, and playful. The eyes should be bright while the cere and nostril should be clear. Along with that, the feathers should be bright and neat not fluffed.

However, if this is not the case with your bird. It may be unwell. Common diseases that may infect the bird include proventricular dilatation, Psittacus bacterial infection, and psittacine beak and feather disease. Do not think twice about reaching out to a qualified avian vetenarerian as soon as you notice any signs of illness.

Facts About pineapple conure

Breeding

In as much as the females can breed at 7 months, it is advisable to discourage them from breeding until they’re at least a year old. What’s more, the breeding pair should not be in the same clutch. New birds will not breed until they adapt to the surrounding.

Conures in the wild breed in the summer. The conure produces an average clutch of about 4 to 6 eggs. The female will then incubate for a period of anywhere between 22 to 25 days. The bird won’t hutch if, for any reason, it fails to sit on its eggs within the first ten days. Both the male and female participate in incubating the eggs. Once conures breed, they continue to breed every year

If you intend to breed, find a sizeable nesting box and put in non-toxic saw dust, corn comb, or finely shredded paper.

Care

• Spend time with the bird to prevent it from being stressed and depressed, or showing signs of stress such as biting, screaming, or feather plucking. We recommend at least an hour every day. The birds are prone to mischief so be sure to keep an eye on them.
• Train your bird to follow instructions and commands. Thanks to the bird’s love for interacting with humans, training it is no rocket science. Use positive enforcement. When training the young ones, remember to clip the wings to reduce the risk of accidents.
• Being flock animals, conures prefer eating when the human parent is eating.
• Conures love to bathe. Therefore, provide a water dish to allow them to drench their adversaries and enjoy hopping in and out of the water. The bird will also appreciate a spray shower during hot afternoons.
• Offer perches and toys like wood blocks, vine balls, hard fruits, bells, swings and ropes, ladders, and sparkly objects like mirrors. The toys are crucial in keeping the bird engaged and entertained, while also strengthening the bird’s body parts such as the nails. Perches on the other hand will strengthen the bird’s grip and flexes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a pineapple conure cost?

A single adult pineapple conure can go for upwards of $150 depending on whether you are buying from a pet bird dealer or breeder.

Do pineapple conures make good pets?

The pineapple conure is a firm favorite for many pet bird lovers all thanks to them being social, interactive, bold, and personable making them excellent for company. The pineapple conure can also master a reasonable amount of vocabulary and utter words quite clearly. Another draw of the bird is being less noisy and destructive than other birds, and easier to feed and care for.

Even more, the small body stature means the bird can fit into most compact cockatiel cages. Remember a lot of space isn’t possible for most people. So, unlike large cage birds that require enormous cages, this one makes it convenient for people living in apartments with space constraints. And the cherry on the cake, the beautiful vibrant colors of the feathers; certainly beauty at its best. 

Can all conures talk?

Conures can utter a few words by mimicking humans. However, compared to other talking parrots, their vocabulary is not as extensive.

How big do green cheek conures get

Conures range in size depending on the species. While the smallest species are less than 10 inches long, some species can grow as long as 16 inches from head to tail. Most of them weigh between 60 and 150 grams.

Do conures eat pineapples?

Yes, conures love to eat pineapples as well as other fresh fruits. Limit the bird to small portions weekly to prevent intake of too much natural sugar which may harm the bird’s health. As with other fresh fruits, pineapples offer many nutritional benefits to parrots and should be part of their diet.  

Are green cheek conures good pets?

Green cheek conures make excellent pets. Besides having a comical and affectionate personality, they are relatively quiet. Additionally, conures are alluringly colorful and will add a charm to the good looks of any setup.

How often do conures poop?

The frequency depends on the size of the bird. Smaller birds poop more than larger ones due to a higher metabolic rate. Small conures will eliminate once every thirty minutes whereas their larger counterparts may take 40-50 minutes before pooping.

Should conures be kept in pairs?

Conures can get by pretty well when kept as a single bird. However, it is easy for the bird to get lonely especially if you are not at home most of the time. Therefore, you will want to find your bird a companion so they can play together, entertain and give each other company whenever you are not around. Do not keep a male and female conure in one cage unless if you intend to breed.

How to play with your conure?

Interactive play is a productive way of bonding with any pet bird. You will first need to get on the right foot with your bird before you can play with it.

In a normal mood, the conures are happy and cuddly. They love to play fighting or wrestling with their human friend. Alongside, conures love falling over and rolling on their backs and being cuddled and scratched by their human friends.

You can also play hide and seek on the bed or couch. Cover up with a blanket and let the bird find you by pulling the cover.  Besides, you can chase after them on the floor or bed while wiggling your fingers. When you catch them, tickle and cuddle them. Alternatively, hold the bird in your hands and dance gently. If you do this routinely, before long the bird will be swaying along with the music.

Another easy way of playing with the birds is to hide treats and toys and letting them find the toy. Naturally, conures love foraging. So hiding food and other items they like inside their confinement is a great way to keep it occupied. Other than that, offer them toys to chew, tear apart, jangle, and shake.

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Image sources: http://www.avianresources.com/portfolio/green-cheeked-conure-mutations/

Video source: Toofan Express