Ask Lafeber

Sun conure

I have a problem with my sun conure. Background, my male conure become so aggressive to his partner. Its been a year they become bonded and even during their free flight days. I decided to breed them and so far everything is ok. They take bath together, kissing, etc. yesterday, i saw the male so angry and chase the female. what things i need to do? Is it a sign of breeding? Is it the male wants to mate and the female is not ready? What can i do to lessen the aggression?

Hi Phil,

I would separate the birds before the male kills the female. Aggression is not normal and is a sign they are not bonded as a breeding pair. Are both birds at least 3 years old? If the hen is younger, then she isn’t ready to breed yet, The male can get frustrated to the point that he kills her. While some will breed at a younger age, Sun conures do better if you wait until both birds are 3-5 years old for breeding. Some pairs get along fine until you try to breed them, because they aren’t suited as a breeding pair. They pick their own mates in the wild, and they often do not like the mate we choose for them. And some birds simply are not compatible. Split them up and give them some time apart, then try to introduce them again. If the male continues to be aggressive, then this is not going to be a breeding pair, and you should try getting different mates for each bird.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda