New Quaker owner

[Beckyr86]

After losing our beautiful Blue last week I decided it would be easier for my son if we got a new bird so for his birthday yesterday we went to our local exotic pet shop, The staff had a young hand Quaker out of the cage and he escaped them and refused to let them catch him then he landed on my foot and happily let me pick him up and give him a cuddle so we brought him bome, he has made us laugh so much already, I don't think I have ever met a bird with so much personality and attitude, he's already claimed his cage and half destroyed his toys, would love any tips about these little guys.

 

[zoo mom]

Congratulations. I have no experience with Quakers but @SandraK has several and I am sure she will answer any questions you may have or at least point you in the right direction.

 

[Mizzely]

Congrats! Have you read this thread already? Lots of great information!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about Quaker Parrots | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

Congratulations! What a cutie pie. I love quakers. You're right that they have so much personality . I wish you all many happy years together!

 

[expressmailtome]

Congratulations!

 

[sunnysmom]

Congratulations! He is a cutie.

 

[alshgs]

Congrats!

 

[fidsmom]

Congrats on your new addition. I Love Quakers. I have 6 Quakers.LOL. They are so entertaining, and each of them have different personalities, They are like little clowns. 5 out of my 6 talk, and 1 of them is "Miss Crabby Pants". Look forward to hearing more of your new baby.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Congrats on your new Quaker.

 

[Hankmacaw]

I'm glad you got another bird. I know nothing at all about Quakers, but I'm sure he will be a fine companion for you and your boy.

 

[Beckyr86]

Thank you everyone, we're still very upset about blue but this little boy is making us smile, I think we possibly have the smartest bird ever ( I may be biased) he has already learned to step up and he mimics the tone/intonation of my voice when I speak to him, he is such a character with his little Jekyll and Hyde personality, he likes watching my son play a lot and screeches when he can't see him, I'm finding he's a fuusy bird though, he eats seed and millet, I plan on changing him to pellets once he's had time to settle but he's refusing all fruit and veggies, what are their usual favourites?

 

[Mizzely]

They are stubborn little things, it will take a while to get him used to eating veggies if he has never been introduced - they won't know they are food instinctively, as young birds learn from their flock what is edible. My quakers usually want whatever I am eating so I make a point to eat healthy things in front of them and let them "steal" food (their favorite activity).

 

[Beckyr86]

They are stubborn little things, it will take a while to get him used to eating veggies if he has never been introduced - they won't know they are food instinctively, as young birds learn from their flock what is edible. My quakers usually want whatever I am eating so I make a point to eat healthy things in front of them and let them "steal" food (their favorite activity).

Yes I've noticed he's very curious about what I'm eating, I'll try offering him fruit from my plate and see if he's tempted, thanks

 

[SandraK]

I have 4 Quakers - 2 boys and 2 girls - and they are just like people. No two are identical and each one has their own way of doing things and looking at things. I had Quakers as a young teen in S. America and my first one in the U.S. was an early Christmas gift (totally unexpected) from hubby Fred in 2006. Much to my sorrow and heartbreak, Quaker Kiwi, died in September 2008 of pneumonia in spite of treatment as soon as I knew she was ill. Birds hide their illness only too well so by the time we humans catch on it's usually too late.

Loofa and (Miss) Daisy (aka Jaws) are girls who share a cage - both adopted. Loofa is a total doll and Daisy makes a piranha look tame. Then again the guys in my house claim Loofa is Jaws and Daisy is the doll. But Boys JJ (originally Jade) and Baby Blue are mummy's boys through and through though they each have their own way of doing things.

I don't know about stubborn but they are determined to do things their way or not at all. Offer him things you or your son eat, and I'd recommend using the word "treat" when it's something he likes so that anytime you offer something you can call it "treat" and he's likely to try it. I'm also recommending that, since your little Quaker is young, make sure he visits with your son, husband and any other resident family members so that he is used to other people and doesn't become a "one person" bird. He might still end up having a favourite person but if he's socialized and used to several people he will hopefully remain friendly to everyone.

They can sometimes become very possessive and territorial of their cage so if you can get your Quaker used to different people changing water and food it will be better for him (and you ) in the long run. BTW, does he have a name yet?

They can get very good at imitating people and Quaker JJ can imitate my laugh to a "T". Talk to your little one as much as you can and if your son talks, ask him to talk to your Quaker. They do listen and will listen to the tone of voice even if they don't understand the words. Tell your Quaker what you're doing in his cage and why. Talk to him as if he were another small child and explain things to him in a soft voice - his vocabulary will be better for it and he'll understand your tone even if he doesn't understand the words.

And yes, I guess you could say that I'm just a little biased but then that's also been said about me in regards to green cheek conures.

 

[Beckyr86]

our little boy is called Delta, he seems to generally be a sweet boy although once he's had enough he does bite, he seems to prefer my son over me so far which is probably a good thing, he's a lot gentler with him.

today we have learned that 1: he loves music (even my tone deaf singing) and he will dance away while clicking and chattering to himself and 2: fruit is something to be attacked but never eaten (we'll keep trying)

he is currently sat on the top of his cage refusing to "go home" he stepped up like a star from the floor but wouldn't go inside, they clipped one of his wings so he could "glide" but so far he just crashes to the floor which makes me sad, I can see he's desperate to explore and he doesn't seem to understand that he can't fly, how long does it take for the feathers to grow back?

 

[Mizzely]

they clipped one of his wings so he could "glide" but so far he just crashes to the floor which makes me sad, I can see he's desperate to explore and he doesn't seem to understand that he can't fly, how long does it take for the feathers to grow back?

I would strongly recommend clipping the other side to balance him out. Clipping one wing does NOT allow gliding...take off a wing of a plane and see how far it goes! It can take 6 to 18 months to regain flight depending on age and when he was clipped in relation to his clip cycle.

 

[Beckyr86]

He's 6 months , I'll talk to our vet about clipping the other wing for now.

 

[Mizzely]

Jingo was clipped at 3 months and was unable to fly until he was 18 months old

 

[Beckyr86]

Oh no poor thing, I didn't think it would take that long I feel so bad for him crashing around

 

[SandraK]

Oh no poor thing, I didn't think it would take that long I feel so bad for him crashing around

Just a suggestion to prevent any injuries to Delta, if you have an old blanket or light bedspread/quilt place it near/around the area he "lands" when he's trying to fly. It will help prevent bruising to his chest and keel area. This is from my own experience: one of my tiels has always had problems growing flight feathers on one wing and I'd taken him in to the vet because I thought he was bleeding from his bottom and thought he was dying. We had wood floors in that house and Theo had injured his bottom landing too hard and too often. Old towels/light quilts on the floor helped.

Just because they can't fly it doesn't mean they won't keep trying. And if wings are going to be trimmed both should be at the same time. For future reference too, once Delta has learned how to fly and has his wings again, IF you should find the need to trim his wings there is a trim called a "show cut" in which the 2-3 longer outer flight feathers are left intact and only 4-5 inner feathers are trimmed. Depending on the bird and their flight strength, this cut won't necessarily stop the bird from flying but will curtail the distance of flight.

And a fid outside with clipped wings of any kind is still at risk of being lost because they can take advantage of even the smallest breeze to disappear very quickly (this one is also from my own experience).