What is your Quaker like?

[Aequa]

We keep considering getting a Quaker (since parrotlets and linnes are two billion dollars in Aus!!!!) so I really want to know what your Quaker is like. How often do you have them out? Are you able to keep them out while you are doing other stuff without it being killed (ie. computer or texting haha)? Are they loud to you? Do you have them in a house or apartment? Have you ever kept one in an apartment? Do they like to bite? Are they cuddly and friendly? WOuld you reccommend one as a pet?

 

[tozie12]

my quaker is a 'touch-me-not' but when she decides she wants my attention, she's really a sweet girl. she will cuddle on HER terms (huh! i think that describes my whole flock! lol! they what i want when THEY want to do it! lol!) so anyway, she's really smart, easily as smart as any of my big beaks. she speaks well and clearly. she can be loud but not as loud as my big beaks or my caique. quakers are well known for being territorially aggressive. she will get a bit bent outta shape if anyone messes with her cage or walks too close to it. generally she stays in her area and doesnt get into too much mischief but she does require a watchful eye as any bird does. biting? she has a beak so yeah, she can bite and does on occasion. she's capable of breaking the skin. but she's more of a nipper. i do recommend a quaker as a companion. they're so very smart and sassy. but do your research, they can get aggressive. oh and loud? ya can hear her well from outside my house.

 

[Aequa]

Hehe Beth, yes I know they bite d: I said 'do they like to bite' d: my greenie is way more nippy than my princess who only bites on your shoulder. Interesting to hear about a Quaker who is more hands off! This is part of why I'm asking nothing like first-hand experience and hearing about individual Quakers ^_^ that way I get to see the range in their personalities as well as all the 'nitty-gritty' info from research thanks!!!

 

[DQTimnehs]

Quakers are one of my top 5 favourite birds but I've never had one. Have you read this thread: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about Quaker Parrots | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum ?

 

[Ribbit21]

I have 2 and they have very different temperaments. Jasper is fearless, constantly getting into trouble, and he will bite anyone. He is very rarely snuggly. Once in a while he will come up to me and want some love, but it's rare so I usually treasure every second. Gilbert is super cuddly and rarely bites. I'm not quite sure he knows he's a Quaker. They are both cage aggressive. Although with some work I can now get Gilbert to step up right from his cage without getting nippy. Jasper will fiercely defend his cage. They are both loud. Their screams can be ear piercing. Personally, I don't think Quakers make good apartment birds. I can hear my 2 across the street with windows closed.

I am a big fan of Quakers. I love their independence and intelligence. They do have A LOT of attitude though!!

 

[Renae]

Keiko is out for awhile (a few hours) in the morning, and again for awhile in the afternoon. He is really good while he is out, if he isnꞋt sitting with someone, he can keep himself busy, and doesnꞋt go looking for trouble, especially if we have music on for him (he loves all the music channels on Foxtel ) which he will sit there and happily listen to while dancing.

I wouldnꞋt say he is horribly loud, but then again, I am/we are used to it, some people can handle it, others canꞋt, so it really depends on what noise level you can handle, and how much of it you can handle. Tookie (Lorikeet) makes KeikoꞋs noise level seem like the same noise level as Cockatiels! We live in a house now, but we lived in a unit previously, and we had got Keiko while living there – we were lucky that he was quiet for the time we lived there and we had neighbors above, below, and one next to us.

Keiko can get nippy, it is not constantly though… to sum him up, I would say he is a snuggly, clowny (they are hilarious), friendly, sweet, outgoing, and intelligent boy.

Quakers are obviously not for everyone, but I would recommend them if you are willing to put in the patience, attention, and understanding, they have an exciting personality, and are truly gems!

 

[cnyguy]

Ralph is one of the quieter Quakers. He squawks, but not loudly-- and never screams or screeches. He knows lots of words, but isn't very talkative. He enjoys making quiet clicking and beeping sounds the most. Ralph is very friendly but not cuddly. He's out of his cage at least twice a day, anywhere from twenty minutes to over two hours at a time (he often chooses himself when to return to his cage). When he's out, he wants to be with me, which makes it impossible for me to do household chores or much of anything else. Ralph is very curious and has to be involved in anything I'm doing, so when he's out, he gets my undivided attention. Phones and computers are things to attack and demolish, and cannot be used in the presence of many parrots. We do live in an apartment, and I doubt if anyone in the other apartments here even notices Ralph's vocalizations. People and dogs in the building make far more noise than Ralph does. I think of parrots more as companions than simply pets-- and Quaker parrots can make awesome companions. As you can see from the replies in this thread, each Quaker has a unique personality. If you can, try to get to know a few Quakers; that can help you decide if one could be the right parrot for you.

 

[dallasd]

Hercules is so gentle and sweet. She loves to sit on my knee or shoulder and hang out but isn't cuddly at all. She Likes keeping herself busy with toys and climbing around on everything. She's absurdly loud and its a miracle we haven't got a complaint about her yet. She isn't territorial about her cage but is very protective of the tv remote for some terrible reason. I've never ever had a hard or painful bite as she always hisses and nips first so she easy to read. I'd recommend if you can handle the noise. Quakers are very funny

 

[Aequa]

Thanks everyone! It's awesome hearing about your stories!!! It's making me rather excited to meet some Quaker bubs in a few weeks. We are well aware of noise and cage aggression, as well as the possibility of being a one-person bird. As with our greenie, we will work our butts off to prevent as many issues as we can. Quality life to my birds is important to us So yeah, thanks everyone, I'm beginning to think a Quaker might actually fit our household quite well. Besides noise anyway, but I say the same thing about my greenie's nippiness and the princess's no feather touching d:

 

[fidsmom]

I have 6 Quakers. Most of mine are real cuddlebugs, they are comical and goofy. They have their moments, when they will do their flock calling. I don't find them loud at all. I guess I am so used to their calls, that it doesn't bother me a bit. They each have their own personalities, they all are so special to me.

 

[Aequa]

Six is so many Susan! I don't know how I'd manage to listen to six of any bird! That said, my mother in law feeds the lorikeets, about 30-50 of them, at a certain point they just don't seem to change volumes, it's just LOUD

 

[fidsmom]

I also have 1 Senegal & 1 lovie as well too. lol I have a total of 8 birds, 6 being Quakers.

 

[cassiesdad]

You definitely have a Quaker heaven at your home!

 

[purl1]

Are you able to keep them out while you are doing other stuff without it being killed (ie. computer or texting haha)? yes I sit in there with them , watch tv, knit, go on the computer they do not really come to close as they are still not tame.

Are they loud to you? in a nut shell yes. but all birds are in one way or another. but there are different degree's of loud to me when they are bored they are louder. Ive been giving them things to destroy , pieces of junk mail , treat cups covered with a coffee filter with treats inside, toilet paper tube with a millet inside. they get bored more easily than my cockatiels.

Do you have them in a house or apartment? we have a house. I can hear them outside when im in the yard.
Have you ever kept one in an apartment?

Do they like to bite? like I said mine are not tame. we have had to handle them a few times to take them to the vet ect. they have never tried to bite us. the baby has beaked me a few times, if its hard I put him down so he knows hard bites are not acceptable.
Are they cuddly and friendly?
WOuld you reccommend one as a pet? yes. I like birds and some how ive turned my husband on to birds not sure how that happened. I could do with out the hormonal period as im sure most people would ( I havent been through it with the quakers yet mostly my male cockatiel who is a bit of a monster during his) Ive had birds for the past 6 years and I havent scratched the surface of what there is to know.
are there any rescues that you can visit? sometimes they have baby birds that need homes.

 

[CharmeC]

How often do you have them out?

I let mine out almost everyday. On days I work, I let him out after I come home in the late afternoon. On my days off and the weekend, he gets to stay out all day long.

Are you able to keep them out while you are doing other stuff without it being killed (ie. computer or texting haha)?

Dovahkiin is very well-behaved (or too timid) and usually stays on top of either his cage or the neighboring lovebirds' cage so I don't have to worry about him destroying my stuff or endanger himself by chewing on wires if I don't keep an eye on him.

Are they loud to you? Do you have them in a house or apartment?

I live in an apartment. Dovahkiin is quiet most of the time, even when he does get excited and chatter aloud or squawk happily, the noise level is quite acceptable.

Have you ever kept one in an apartment?

See above.

Do they like to bite?

Dovahkiin has only bitten me on the first day he came because he was very scared. He has never bitten me again since.

Are they cuddly and friendly?

Mine is not hand raised and therefore not really cuddly, but he lets me stroke him when perching on my hand, and will stay on my shoulder for a while if I put him there.

Would you recommend one as a pet?

Definitely, they are very adorable creatures. Just be sure you can commit to taking care of them for 20+ years.

 

[DWRVT]

Delilah thrives on being with me no matter what I am doing but I would not consider her cuddly. She will accept scritches and kisses if she is in the mood but will very easily tell me no with a warning beak if she is not. She talks very clearly and has a large vocabulary as well as lots of mimicking of noises. She is cage territorial with everyone but me. She is a very one person bird and she is VERY loud when she feels she is being neglected. So far my goffin cockatoo has nothing on her as far as volume is concerned. I also find her to be quite dusty even though she loves bathing Her and I have developed an amazing understanding and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world!!

 

[Vegemite]

I have 2 and they are as different as chalk to cheese.
SIMILARITIES:
Male
Loud
Screamers
Great eaters of varied diet
DIFFERENCES:
Green v blue
Rehome v breeder baby
Fully flighted but baby is an excellent flier, the rehome came to me with very bad wing clip and only flies when he feels the need which is not very often
Baby trying to talk, rehome only screams
Hands off v needing a paint scaper to get the other one off me
Likes toys v doesnt really know what to do with a toy
Tsunami bather v delicate bather
Perch potato v energiser bunny
Grumpy old man v adhd kid

AND I love them both equally.

 

[Skyler]

My Cricket is quite cage aggressive and is often bitey with me(But after he will say "Don't bite Mommy").With that said he is as quiet as a mouse when compared to his nextdoor neighbor , Rika , the sun conure. You can hear her screaming half way down the street even with the windows closed. She is so bad that often Cricket gives an exasperated sigh and yells "Rika".
Although he is not a cuddlebug like Rika, Cricket loves playing peekaboo under the cage newspapers and has a vocabulary of about a 100+ words and will sing the "Quaker Song' as long as it's a duet.

 

[zuzanqa]

How often do you have them out?

He´s always out when I´m home. It can be 4-5 hours on days when I work, and all day long when I´m off work.

Are you able to keep them out while you are doing other stuff without it being killed (ie. computer or texting haha)?

Um. Yea but I get nothing done lol. I have to watch him like a hawk cause he gets into trouble. He loves to chew on things.

Are they loud to you? Do you have them in a house or apartment?

I live in an apartment and I wouldn´t say he´s VERY loud unless he screeches in my ear. I find my budgies to be louder because they chirp all the time. But Penguin has a serious set of lungs and when he wants to be loud, he can be.

Do they like to bite?

He´s very gentle. He knows the difference between a playful bite when we´re wrestling and a real bite. He´s never bitten me in aggressively.

Are they cuddly and friendly?

Penguin is very friendly to everyone, but not cuddly. He´s a love lub but not touchy feely.

Would you recommend one as a pet?

YES.

 

[BeakyBird]

I absolutely love this forum, it's extremely helpful for future considerations.