Conures Complete Owner's Manual (Paperback)

~ Matthew M. Vriends Ph.D. (Author) "The main aim of aviculturists is-or should be-the optimum welfare and breeding of the birds in their care, especially of species that are vulnerable..." (more)
Key Phrases: mitered conure, avian pellets, conure species, United States, South American, Mato Grosso (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This handsomely illustrated book gives you a wealth of information on bird purchase, caging, health care, and much more. Books in the Complete Pet Owner's Manuals series present basic information about pets for new or soon-to- be owners, as well as detailed information for other animal hobbyists. Advice and instruction covers purchase, equipment, general care and maintenance, and much more. Texts emphasize the basics and are easy for all readers to understand, but most titles in this series also presents facts that even experienced owners and hobbyists will find new and useful. All books in this series are filled with high quality full-color photos and instructive line drawings. Length averages between 64 and 104 pages.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764110381
• ISBN-13: 978-0764110382
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #818,221 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This item is part of The Complete Pet Owner's Manual Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not that great, November 5, 2000

By A Customer

This book is not very good. It basically repetes the same information many times. For example, it gives the species descriptions twice, but only has about five sentances on a proper cage for a conure. Even w/ the descriptions, it didn't talk about the specific conures traits and personality, only how big it is and where it can be found in the wild. Not even if it is readily available as a pet or if that species is on the verge of extinction, therefor you can not make any judgement at all, wheather that bird will make a good pet. I have read many parrot books and the is nothing specificly on conures in this one. In my opinion, the author just wrote about parrots in general, replacing the word "parrot" with the word "conure". The only interesting thing in this book was the pictures which gave it the extra star, otherwise it would have only gotten one.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Outdated info., Not informative for captive/handfed birds!, March 18, 2001

By	Vicki Nelson (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This book was obviously written at a time when most Conures were imported from the wild and not captive bred or handfed. A large portion of this book deals with how to acclimate and taim a wild or unfriendly bird. Furthermore this book is not a good companion for the Conure owner looking to find information on a particular species. Many of the species covered in this book are not even avalible as pets or to be imported into the U.S. When I finally came to the section on the bird I was interested in purchasing all I found were the physical characteristics with nothing about its general temperment as a pet. This was hardly helpful as I knew exactly what the bird looked like but little else. Another topic of no use to me was the detailed information on the breeding of Conures. I am looking for a better source of information and would not reccommend this book to the average pet owner.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dutch aviculturist and bird vet......, December 15, 2004

By	Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Perhaps because of his background as a breeder of various species of domestic (pet birds) and experience as a bird vet, I find Matthew Viends' books tend to slant toward the physical care and breeding birds. He maintains outdoor aviaries, which can be much more of a challenge than a simple cage in a third floor apartment. So, if you only read Vriends you might become overly concerned about health issues and nest boxes.

On the other hand Vriends' books are very informative,including this volume on Conures. He informs the reader about health matters, so that if you do experience a bird who is 'under the weather' you won't panic.

If you are seriously contemplating buying your first Conure, you might want to read Anne Watkins book on Conures and use Vriends book to complement topics dealing with Conure health and feeding issues.

To pellet or not to pellet...Vriends covers this topic and I find it timely as my new Conure (who was formerly owned by a kind lady) is fond of Zupreme Conure pellets (except purple..he apparently does not like grape). You can drive yourself crazy trying to feed your feathered pal all the correct veggies, egg yolk seed mix, minerals, cuttlebone, etc. (and I do this) or you can think about pellets. (My birds get a great assortment of greens and most of them also have pellets with or in lieu of their seed mix.) It is comforting to know that a vet and breeder of Vriends' stature is supportive of pellet use.