Scientific Facts
| Common Name | Pearly Conure |
| Scientific Name | Pyrrhura lepida |
| Life Span | 20 years |
| Size | About 9.3 inches to 10 inches |
| Habitat | Tropical and Subtropical Moist Lowland Forests in the Cuma Bay, Para in Brazil, Maranhao west to the Rio Capim and Belem |
| Country of Origin | Brazil |
Pearly Conure Information
The scientific name of the Pearly Conure is Pyrrhura lepida. This is a specie that has three races: P.I. anerythra, P.I. coerulescens and P.I. Lepida. The main difference lies in their colors that lead to their alternative common names.
Physical Description
With its amazing features, the Pearly Conure stands out from the rest. Its whitish and creamy ear-coverts add up to its uniqueness. The scaly breast and buff throat look above the ordinary. The blue-green cheeks, the whitish-eye rings, and the dark head are all other features it has. Its blue primaries and green belly are wonderful characteristics to love about it.
It is indeed peculiar for its cute look. It has its stout body that you can never resist to take a look at it always.
The stunning energy and appearance is also one thing to love about it. Even those little goofs enable it to hop from one place to another. It is lively, requiring a spacious cage for a plenty of exercise.
Personality
The vivid color of the Pearly Conure lets you realize it as a playful bird. What makes it even lovelier is that it can do tricks. It can speak a few words which will ordinarily move you to the core as a pet owner.
But generally, it is comparatively quieter than any other conures. It is noisier as believed than the budgie or the cockatiel. This is because this is a pearly conure.
The rarity of this breed does not stop bird lovers from wanting it so badly. It does not diminish its popularity.
The mixture of goofy nature, friendliness, and love for various tricks make it all the more impressive as a pet. It is a treasured pet to be found across the globe.
With the many adorable birds that continue to soar high in social media, Pearly Conure is indeed one of them. This is an affectionate pet bird that loves it cuddling and snuggling up close. That happens especially when the play is already over.
Life Span
In captivity, the Pearly Conure can reach up to 20 to about 30 years. That one factor that could kill the captive bird is the lack of knowledge of the owner on its diet. The diet is one essential thing to watch out for when it comes to the pet bird. Do not give it sunflower seeds that could have excess fat. It will only cause it to experience fatty liver disease. There may as well come up tumors if you feed it excessively or exclusively.
Reproduction
The reality is that the pearly conure is rare in the aviculture. It is also difficult to breed and to obtain. It could lay about 3 to 6 eggs to be incubated for twenty-three to twenty-six days. It is also advised for the Pearly Conure to be surgically sexed. It is due to the reason that it can become more susceptible to polycystic ovary disease resulting in sterility.
Behavior
The Pearly Conure is called the clown of all the parrot species in the world. It constantly is after seeking attention. Its behaviors include swaying back and hanging upside-down.
Since the Pearly Conure is a native to the jungles of Brazil, it often can be seen living in pairs or groups. It enjoys it more perching and flying high in the forest canopy. It thrives on berries, fruits, nuts, seeds, and the occasional larva or insect.
Such a noisy pet bird, it can go as to something as wild. It is also quite independent and intelligent. It would often need more chewing items and toys to keep it entertained.
It is a social animal that does well when in pairs. Better keep a pair of Pearly Conure inside a cage. And for sure, they will both become a widely and playfully entertaining.
Eating Habits
The Pearly Conure thrive for as long as there be a varied diet. The diet consists of seeds, fruits, insects, and crops. A beginner’s diet for the pet should be a combination of commercial seeds. This is to say for the parakeets or the conures. Know that this is the best for your pet. It has all the essential nutrients that can be found in the seeds like the millet, oats, maize, and rye.
Add some more foods rich in protein and calcium. Introduce the Pearly Conure to new foods for up to 20% of daily intake. The rest of the diet will contain 80% seed pellets.
Nuts, dry pasta, vegetables, fruits, and human foods are just fine. Avoid junk foods, fatty foods, alcohol, chocolate, salt, sugar, avocado, and milk. Fresh vegetables and fruits can also begin to spoil in just about two hours. It will as well depend on the weather.
Water
Just as the Pearly Conure needs sunlight and fresh air, it also needs fresh water all the time. There must be a proper balance of the proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, and minerals, and water. It is as well-advised not to place the perches over water or food dishes. The bird droppings will only create a mess where the pet drinks and eats.
Cage
As to the cage that it needs, it should measure about 2 feet high. It should be a foot and a half across on each side. It is not appropriate to make use of a smaller cage. The bird tends to get a lot active. It will need a spacious room to chew on its toys and to play.
It will be a lot better to add on a cage top gym as a wonderful item for it. A perch must be affixed right through the top for it to play well on the outside of the cage. This is a little angel that loves to have some fun and excitement. It will like to spend more time with you.
The size of the cage should enable it to move around more. It must not bump into the perches, bars, or toys of the cage. It should fully flap and extend its wings to not hit anything. Better yet, add up a rectangular cage to make the bird feel more secure. This one is a lot better than the round or square.
Availability- Where to Get One?
There are some of the big pet stores to buy the pearly conure. There may as well be avian specialty stores that you could try to visit. If you still have more time, better to check them through the bird breeders. They can be adopted from the adoption and avian rescue organizations. A socialized and hand-raised pearly conure makes a good family pet.
How to Care for a Pearly Conure?
When it comes to taking good care of a pearly conure, it starts off with keeping it in a large cage. It should be just enough for it to stretch its wings, play, and climb. The cage should exactly measure at about 18by22by24 inches. When the cage is bigger, it is when it becomes a lot better.
Provide two perches of different materials and thicknesses. The variation will help keep the bird’s feet healthy and strong. Even the perches must be placed at various heights.
Never place the perches over water or food dishes. This is due to the reason that the droppings would only create a mess where the pet drinks and eats.
And since the Pearly Conure is sensitive to the strong smell, smoke, and draft, keep the cage away from the kitchen. Open the windows, but the cage should be out of the direct sunlight.
Add some cushioning on the floor of the cage. It should be an inch or two inches of aspen, corncob, recycled-paper, and wood-pellet bedding. Remove any of those droppings. Clean the bedding or the liner every week. Replace it at least once a month.
Groom it and play with it. The Pearly Conure is also sociable and smart. It can easily learn some of the valuable tricks of stepping up and stepping down.
Let it enjoy more time outside the cage. Provide a playpen or a t-stand as a hangout. Keep the bird busy inside the cage. Introduce 2 to 3 different toys like the squeakers or the foraging puzzles. Give it a bowl of warm water two or three times a week for a bath. Mist the Pearly Conure gently with warm water from a spray bottle.
Take good care of it as always. And when you notice it picking at its feathers, it may mean to say that it already is boring. It is about time to introduce new toys.
After you brought it at home, try not to handle it for three to four days. It will give way for it to adjust. Be prepared as well that it might get sick no matter how settled its cage is. Contact a veterinary when you notice weight loss or decrease in appetite, decrease in grooming or activity, feathers flipping up for a long time, and long periods of sitting right below the cage.
When it comes to handling the Pearly Conure, follow some precautionary measures. It might get you scratched or bitten. Supervise the children when they go around these bird pets.
Wash your hands with soap and warm water before and after you get in contact with the pet. Assist the children in washing their hands after getting in contact with a pet.
FAQ Section
How to take good care of the Pearly Conure?
It is recommended to introduce it to a water dish. It loves to bathe as always in the shower or the spray bath. As for the diet of the conure, it must include a nutritionally-balanced diet. It must also as well supplemented with healthy table foods and fruits and fresh vegetables.
Is the Pearly Conure good for the Beginners?
There are still more varieties of conures to choose from. Sadly, the Pearly Conure is not a perfect choice for a bird owner. The marroon-bellied conure or the green-cheeked conure are both quieter as compared to the sun conure.
Should the Pearly Conure be Kept in Pair?
The Pearly Conure should be housed in pairs. It will enable them to bond together and get closer to each other. Never get them separated as they might get sick, depressed, and distressed when separated. Keep them together as always.
How Long Does it Take for the Pearly Conure to Go Without Food?
Never attempt for the pet bird to go more than one day without food and water. It will, for sure, bring its life in danger.
Does the Pearly Conure want to cuddle more?
It is believed that the Pearly Conure is an affectionate companion. It enjoys petting, and it also approves of handling. It will also snuggle up closer to your cheek or neck. It would want to be with you as always. But only a few hours of interaction every day is needed to keep it happy.
How Often Does it Take to Bathe the Conure?
You will often need to bathe it depending on its unique preference. The rule of thumb is to bath it once every week. It might want to be cleaned up less or more frequently.
Does the Pearly Conure Like Water?
It is the sun conure that likes the water and not the pearly conure. But you still need to provide the latter bathing opportunities. Introduce a bathing dish for it to likely bathe in the drinking water.
How Do You Wash the Pearly Conure?
Provide the Pearly Conure a bowl of warm water for it to wash in. Leave the bowl inside the cage for the bird to use. Remove it immediately after it washes in. Now wash the bowl with dish soap and warm water. Run it through the dishwasher.
How Smart is the Pearly Conure?
The Pearly Conure is a smart bird. It can learn a lot of tricks like turning around, waving, and shaking hands. Its high intelligence only means to say that it can get access to some more toys to play. That is also true once it gets bored at it.
How to Know if The Pearly Conure is Happy?
The Pearly Conure will often have its crest slightly-raised or flat when it is happy and relaxed. When it raised its crest, it means to say that it is getting excited. It is a sign that it likes seeing you.
