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Question:

February 15, 2023

Blue throated and pineapple conure


I have a 5 year’s old blue throated male and a 9 months old pineapple and i am really having hard times trying to make them bond and breed my question is can i breed them or its not okay or unhealthy


Answer:

Hi Rawad,

Please do not try to breed these birds – they should be separated immediately. To begin with, the female is far too young to be with a male. She needs to be at least 5 years old for breeding. Having her with a male at this age can cause her to try to lay eggs too soon, which can result in her dying from egg binding. He is also likely to get frustrated because she is not going to be sexually mature for some time, and he is very likely to kill her because she is not receptive to breeding. So either way, her health and life are in danger by being caged with an adult male when she is still just a baby. Again, she should not be around a male or sharing a cage with a male until she is about 5 years old.

The next issue is these are two different species of birds. So breeding them will result in hybrid chicks, which is very much frowned upon in aviculture. Not only that, but she is a Pineapple mutation of a Green cheeked conure. There is no such thing as a Pineapple conure – that is just what her color is called. She is a Green-cheeked conure, which are very abundant in the wild and captivity. You said your male is a Blue-throated conure. If he is a pure species, then he is a much rarer bird and should only be paired with another blue-throated conure. His species is rare in captivity and threatened in the wild, which means his species is in danger of extinction in the wild and all efforts should be made to preserve the species. This means please do not breed him with another species. If you can find a hen of his species that is 5 years or older, they are very likely to bond and breed, and their chicks will actually have value. Hybrid chicks have no real value other than as pets.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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