To Quaker or not to Quaker, that is the question.

[Mizzely]

Poor guy

 

[melissasparrots]

Also, when the heck will the hormone season end??? He started in January and it’s March. Are we at the peak of it? Is this like a “half the year” type thing?
I don’t recall hormonal changes in any of my other birds, so I’m a bit lost in it

For my pet male, it never ended. He's probably around 13-14 years old now. Starting when he was 6 months old, he went through a phase every few months of just being hateful. It usually lasted abut 2 weeks and he'd be back to normal. Then at around 2 years old, he went hormonal and stayed that way. Some days are better than others, but for the most part, he's a hormone wrapped in green feathers. I used to think it was because I had a breeding pair(his parents) in the other room and he could hear them. But, his mom died last year due to age related heart problems and he's still a nut. Maybe slightly less crazy aggressive but still pretty obnoxious. He can see into the kitchen from his cage in the living room. If I move a box in the kitchen, he throws a screaming fit. If I take a bag of dog food down from storage, he throws a screaming fit. If I walk past his cage he attacks through the bars. If I stand next to his cage, he'll sit on his perch literally quivering in frustration that he can't drive me away. When I do start walking away, he throws a screaming fit. Kind of like "Yeah, I didn't want you here anyway, get out, get out, GET OUT and NEVER COME BACK." Roughly translated. I just cover my hand with my sleeve when I have to step him up. Once I get him away from the cage, he might be decent. Or he might not be. Some days, its like he knows he's not suppose to bite me, but he just can't control it.

 

[Quaker Carl]

Oh man, does this mean that next year may be even worse? He’s hardly a year old and really hormonal. If he were to get any worse than he has been, I’m not sure how I would be able to handle that.

How is your Quaker behaving with his hormones? Mine has gone from a quiet sweet angel to screaming and growling alot. Hope this doesnt last too long lol. Definatly Jeckyl and Hide. Any tips? Just keeping him busy seems the only slight remedy x

 

[Quaker Carl]

Yes very true. And it is likely, it seems, that in trying to breed for specific temperament, you’re likely to alter the birds all together - much like the Silver Fox Experiment.

Some of the more “common” birds like budgies would be an interesting experiment.

It blew my mind that when I was talking to breeders, there was no meeting the baby birds and picking the one you clicked with or perceived certain desired attributes. It’s all pick a gender, meet your bird when you get it.

I almost wonder if my crazy Quaker friend may be a product of some poor breeding ethics - whatever those may be in the bird world. He just seems off. He has spent the last two hours attacking his shadow and getting so worked up about it that he was shaking all over and refusing to move because when he moved, the shadow moved. His shadow chasing is increasing each day, and I can’t find a way to set his cage up where he sees no shadows unless I spend the day moving his cage around the house based on the sunlight and room lights

Try a blanket over the top? X

 

[ItsMyLife]

Try a blanket over the top? X

He just spends his time attacking the cover because it’s “too close”.

That’s his nightly routine, actually. He gets mad that he gets covered and doesn’t actually go to sleep until he has worn himself out

 

[ItsMyLife]

How is your Quaker behaving with his hormones? Mine has gone from a quiet sweet angel to screaming and growling alot. Hope this doesnt last too long lol. Definatly Jeckyl and Hide. Any tips? Just keeping him busy seems the only slight remedy x

Oh man he’s rough. There’s a post from me about it somewhere. He guards anything and everything that he is on. You open his cage, watch out because he will come out and latch on to you. He jumped out onto my face one day when I didn’t back away fast enough and I had to unlatch him from my nose. If he’s out, he guards a 4-6 foot radius on whatever he’s on and if you get too close, he has no problem hopping off and coming for you.

His bites are no joke - you will bleed every time.

He attacks his food for being too close, he attacks his shadow, he mutilates himself.

I started him on AviCalm and we are seeing major improvement, but he still reverts back throughout the day.

This is my most current scar before I got a bit wiser and started handling him only with a towel draped over my hand to protect my skin.

 

[Sylvester]

I actually found this super surprising. I do dogs, and it’s a well known thing that aggression, confidence, etc are all genetic and any good breeder goes for a stable temperament.

I called a bird breeder not long ago and wanted to ask her questions about the personalities of the parents and any former offspring of a couple of species she had. All I got was “they’re birds. You get what you get, call me when you know which one you want and we will set up payment and pick up”.

I then called a few others and got many of the same responses.

It seems that if breeders produced more sound temperaments, you may have less rehoming.

Now that's an interesting idea.

 

[Sylvester]

...and if Quakers were legal here, I'd be birdnapping all of them...

Have you been reading the responses?! LOL! I think cockatoos are more manageable.

 

[cassiesdad]

Have you been reading the responses?! LOL!

I've always had an attraction to challenging birds...I love the feisty attitude Quakers possess.

One of my all-time favorite birds here on the Avenue is Wasabi (@Wasabisaurus )...a 'zon with a temper as hot as heck...and an amazing self awareness...

 

[Sylvester]

I've always had an attraction to challenging birds...I love the feisty attitude Quakers possess.

One of my all-time favorite birds here on the Avenue is Wasabi (@Wasabisaurus )...a 'zon with a temper as hot as heck...and an amazing self awareness...

CD, every Quaker owner I've spoken to is now on a first name basis with the ER doctors. No, I 'm just kidding. I like their attitude too, not to mention their looks. It's the BEAK that I fear.

 

[Wasabisaurus]

I've always had an attraction to challenging birds...I love the feisty attitude Quakers possess.

One of my all-time favorite birds here on the Avenue is Wasabi (@Wasabisaurus )...a 'zon with a temper as hot as heck...and an amazing self awareness...

Oh boy. I really hope the hormones go quickly. This bird is something else.

 

[melissasparrots]

CD, every Quaker owner I've spoken to is now on a first name basis with the ER doctors. No, I 'm just kidding. I like their attitude too, not to mention their looks. It's the BEAK that I fear.

Actually, I'd take a quaker bite over a cockatiel bite. The worst quaker bite I've ever had was when my female nailed me when I was taking an egg away from her. Completely understandable actually and it really was only slightly worse than a paper cut. I've had a few where they grab you with their whole beak and you can see a nice outline going all the way around but still, not that much bleeding. The beak imprint is more impressive than the damage done. The quaker bite seriously is not bad so long as you don't equate pain with a bad bite. Sure it hurts, but ER visit in my experience is a complete exaggeration. Try getting bit by a hormonal male amazon or large cockatoo. After that, everything is relative.

 

[Mizzely]

This bite hurts! But that's because of his artificially made snaggletooth

 

[cassiesdad]

It's the BEAK that I fear.

I always say that I respect the beak...I don't fear the beak....

 

[Sylvester]

Sure it hurts, but ER visit in my experience is a complete exaggeration. Try getting bit by a hormonal male amazon or large cockatoo. After that, everything is relative.[/QUOTE]

Really? One of my cockatiels bite me one time and it did hurt. But the difference seems to be in the frequency of bites. Cockatiels don't live to bite.


I was joking about the ER reference.

And since I have an umbrella, I know what their bite is like.

 

[Sylvester]

I always say that I respect the beak...I don't fear the beak....

Yes, after I was bitten by Fred, my respect did grow.

 

[cassiesdad]

After that, everything is relative.

This is the truest statement that could be made. BUDGIE bites get me most...they tend to grab as much flesh as those little beaks can get and SHAKE...which makes it even more painful...

 

[Sylvester]

This is the truest statement that could be made. BUDGIE bites get me most...they tend to grab as much flesh as those little beaks can get and SHAKE...which makes it even more painful...

One of my budgies got out of his cage and flew downstairs to where I was sitting watching TV. Actually, he flopped down. He was circled by my cats who were a little too eager for my comfort. I quickly grabbed him and he of course grabbed me. I was silently screaming all the way back to his cage.

 

[cassiesdad]

One of my budgies got out of his cage and flew downstairs to where I was sitting watching TV. Actually, he flopped down. He was circled by my cats who were a little too eager for my comfort. I quickly grabbed him and he of course grabbed me. I was silently screaming all the way back to his cage.

...ouch.

Like I said, budgie bites always get to me...that "grab and shake"....

 

[Sylvester]

...ouch.

Like I said, budgie bites always get to me...that "grab and shake"....

Yes, they are little but mighty.

Have you ever been bitten by that cutie in you avatar? Fred bit me and it felt like a car ran over my thumb. Couldn't believe the pressure.