Quaker mannerisms

[Tango1]

I just purchased a 4yr. old male blue Quaker. The previous owners were no longer able to keep him and they needed a good home for him. He already has somewhat of a vocabulary and has a wonderful, friendly personality. Prefers women to men. He's still adjusting, but doing it quite quickly. He never had a problem adjusting to being with me, and right from the first day, he does the same thing as my Lovebird, Tango does. When they can't see me they have a fit and start chirping until I come back into the room.
The main reason for sending this message is to find out the mannerism's of a Quaker. What some of there actions mean, like stretching his neck up and opening his beak, puffing up, etc. He is definitely a male and his name is Ricky.
I've had him since Wed. night and haven't seen him play with any of his toys, even though his previous owners sent a couple home with me. Is this normal? He doesn't seem distressed at all which I'm very pleased with.
Any advice or suggestions are welcome.
Thank you.

Marty

 

[Cinnyluver]

Congrats on the new bird! Pics please?

 

[annie1]

i have my quaker for 8 years now and he does not play to much with the toys he picks some and he just beats them up hahahaha when he gets really pissy .and yes he fluffs up too sometimes and he screams i dont know why but he gets his moments he just screams forever lol i try to ignor it and he will stop after awhile .he can also very sweet most of the time but he has his moments where he gets all pissy and fluff up starts walking backwards and hisses or u come to close and he charges you and try to bite thats when i know to leave him alone and come back a lill later and hes my lover again ....they might not all do it it depends on the bird i guess ...just give him time he needs to get used to the house and all ....

 

[cnyguy]

I
What some of there actions mean, like stretching his neck up and opening his beak, puffing up, etc.

Marty

Congratulations on adopting Ricky! It sounds like he's settling in nicely already.

Is Ricky molting now? When my QP Ralph has pin feathers on the side of his head that itch or tickle him, he'll stretch his neck and open his beak as though yawning. He'll also do that sometimes when he's preening and his head or neck feathers get moved out of their usual place.

Fluffing up can be a sign of many different things-- it could mean that Ricky is sleepy or feels chilly, among other things.


Maybe Ricky is bored with his old toys and wants new ones. Or maybe he's waiting for you to play along with him.

I'm sure you're already finding out how much more fun and exciting life can be when there's a Quaker parrot around.

 

[tarad]

Congrats on adopting Ricky! I adopted a two year old female Quaker about a year and three months ago. Her named was Bonnie, but I changed it to Greenlee. She turned three this past August, 2011. The person I got her from had no time for her and said she couldn't speak. She never seemed stressed when I first brought her home, just kind of curious but standoffish. She didn't really start to play with any toys until I had her about nine months and I had to play with all of the toys with her. She started letting me scritch her after about three months. I had her cage right by the kitchen table so she could always see what was going on and I talked to her all of the time. After nine months she started giving me kisses. She started talking ALOT after about six months and now she can say so much stuff. It is really cute. Some days she just won't shut up. lol. She JUST started talking when company is over so they can finally hear her. Now that it's been a year and three months, she is still developing her personality. She has flown eight times in the past month for the first time since I've had her and I'm so proud of her. The previous owner chopped her wings very severely. I seriously didn't think she would fly again, but she finally has. She has decided that she prefers me over my husband and 14 year old son and they cannot handle her at all. She loves to be scritched forever on some days and other days it's hands off. Yesterday all she wanted to do was give kisses and get scritched. Today, NO WAY! She wants me to stay away. I never know what each day will bring with her, but she is so much fun no matter what. Good luck with Ricky and post some pictures!

She did make a fuss when I first got her and I would leave the room. This happened for about a month. Now she only screams once in a while when I leave the room and it only lasts for a few seconds. I will call back to her from other rooms in the house and she is fine. She definitely likes the radio on if I'm not around. Also, she spends very little time in her cage during the day only at night when she is sleeping. She likes to be out on her cage. I don't work so it's not a problem with her being out.

 

[Skyler]

Hi I'm still rather a newbie with my quaker Cheeky Cricket. ---He had a rocky start--- when he was vetted the doc pointed out his coloration and stress bars--back at the breeders he had to have been almost fatally ill---and the BAd place that showed a nice little truck delivering the baby--- MAILED HIM!!! That's right the Us Postal service and THEY LOST HIM.
After that shaky start CC has settled in fairly well. He is very cage aggressive and he and my Dad are not buddies. With me CC is mostly loving but he is prone to over preening me then biting a bit when I correct him. We go back and forth with the "gentle" and the "no bites". Some times it works and then ---but after the time he does bite I either get "I love you" or "what;s wrong?".
Yes Cricket has a vocabulary of about 50-70 frequently used words and phrases and some like "Merry Xmas" that haven't been heard after a week (thank goodness!!) When I walk into the "bird room" I get "Good Morning", tons of "Whatchadoing?" , What about you", Gimme a kissey, . His favorite tho, is" Rika(my sun)'s a good girl, Cricket's a good boy". A few times I actually wondered if he was speaking in context---other times not.


He loves to bang and beat up his toys and once shredded a big T4W toy in a few hours. The bottom of the cage looked like the remains from a macaw.
He also enjoys tearing his bottom paper up and throwing foot toys.

He is an even better eater than my sun except he is still terrified of brocolli. Dad gives him a piece of 8 grain bagel and he holds on to that with all the might of his Huge talons (and they are big----I think he is part macaw).
CC does seem to "yawn" alot. I was afraid tht he was getting a crop infection but he'll do it one day and then not again for awhile. I also noted that sometimes he does open his beak/yawn before saying a big sentence.
Well congrats on the little one---He is adorable!!!

 

[fidsmom]

Welcome to Quakerhood,
I have 4 Quakers, & each have their own personalities, & different prefences when it comes to toys, I have 2 that are preeners, that love cotton rope/sisal, 1 that is into leather, and another 1, that prefers toys that make noises. They love to have the radio on, I have 2 that even sings, 3 out of my 4 talk as well. They all get along when they are out for playtimes. Jake is the only 1 that seems to take "hissy fits' at times( temper tantrems) Many Quakers don't accept new changes, takes them awhile to adjust to new surroundings, give him some time to adjust to his new home, & in time, he will come around, and be a happy funny quaker. Look forwaerd to seeing updates on how hes doing.

 

[Tango1]

Yes, Ricky is molting big time. Maybe I'll put some new toys in his cage and see what happens. When I'm home, he spends most of his time on his door perch with the door open. His previous owners told me he was very territorial with his cage and even though he says "step up" he won't do it. The last couple of day, I've gotten him to step up even when he's in his cage.
I don't think he's cold. At least when I'm home. I do have the temp. go down quite low when I'm not home and when I go to bed,but, from what I understand birds can adjust to just about any temperature. It's drafts you have to worry about, and my house is definitely not drafty.
He's got a wonderful personality and can say several words, but it's taking him time to do it for me.
I think his puffing up is nervousness. He did it yesterday morning when my daughter was here meeting him for the first time and again when my boyfriend was here last night for the first time. I've been told he likes women better than men, but he seemed pretty comfortable with my boyfriend other than the one incident of puffing up. I've posted pictures on my other thread called Tango1, but I'm going to try and start one for Ricky.
Thanks for your suggestions.

Marty

 

[Tango1]

Glad to hear your little one made it through his rocky start and is doing well now. I'm learning every day Ricky's different actions and what they might mean. He settled in here very quickly and we're getting along great. I just love him and he has such a sweet personality. My lovebird, Tango, seems to be adjusting to the new arrival as well. I'm sure they keep each other company while I'm at work.

Marty

 

[Tango1]

Ricky can talk quite a bit, but is shy about doing it too much right now, especially if there are people over that he is not used to. I'm having such fun with him and he seems quite content in his new home. Sounds like you're having a wonderful time with her. She's adorable.

 

[65sunnyday]

Make sure, if your bird is bonding w/YOU, that there's no smooching or cuddling w/anybody else in front of your bird--look at it from their perspective, it'll help avoid jealousy. I'm my SC Nicky's favorite person, & he loves my hubby, too, but if he puts his arm around me, Nick gets very upset.

 

[Cynth]

We have a lot of fun with our "Oscar" He is green and was given to us a year ago and is 11 now. He crows like a rooster(we think he thinks he is a rooster) and makes a lot of sounds. Doesn't talk though. He loves to play with plastic food cups and grabs them and throws them around and makes the loudest craziest noises. He looks mad and aggressive, but it is how he plays. My scarlet does the exact same thing. It is hilarious. When he is happy he crows. He is actually the sweetest of our birds. I am the only one he doesn't like.

 

[amsue0222]

Awe I love Quakers- My quaker will yawn or stretch his neck out and look like he is yawning when he is relaxed or happy- He is is love with my youngest daughter and when she talks or sings to him he does that. He also gets all puffy and cute when he is happy- when he is all sleeked back and stretching his neck out he is either scared or unsure about something. He is also a bit flighty around new things- he doesn't like my step ladder and gets pretty upset if I have to use it in the living room.

He will also kind of hiss at you if he doesn't like you- my husband will try and talk to him but Tyson will run up to the edge of the cage and hiss at him with his beak open- trying to scare him off--

 

[Tango1]

I just reread your answer to my last set of questions because I've been worried that Ricky was sick because he sounds like he's wheezing from time to time. Sounds like he may be hissing like your bird does. Also he has all of a sudden been going through these pissy stages and charging me to bite me, just, once again, like you Quaker does. That makes me feel better that that seems to be the mannerisms of some Quakers. And, your right, when he tries to bite me, if I just leave him alone and go back later he's back to his loving self. I've noticed that he gets that way a lot when I go to close his cage door. I think he knows that means I'm leaving. When I'm home his cage door is open most of the time and I have a perch on the inside of the door so he can just sit on that and still feel like he has his freedom.
Right now, I'm trying to get him use to a harness so I can take him outside this summer. Not going too well so far, but we're getting there. Most of it's my fault because I take too long to get it on because I'm not used to how it goes yet.

 

[SandraK]

Way too late in answering this but I've found my Quakers will puff and "yawn/burp" when I scritch them very gently around the sides of their faces/ear holes. Baby *blue Quaker boy) will also make a "heh-heh-heh" noise when we're doing a one-on-one session; I'll scritch under his chin, then using two fingers on either side of his jaw, stroke his head and then scritch the top of his head and around his neck and if I'm holding him close to my face I can hear the heh-heh-heh he makes; it seems to be a happy/contented noise since he doesn't get upse if I repeat it back to him.

As for the charging - that's hormonal and somewhat normal for Quakers. I've found that with mine it comes and goes, just check when youfirst open the cage to make sure no-one got out of the wrong side of the bed and you're not going to pay for it. The only time I've found my Quakers don't change is when they're in a nest-building mood and it's best to give them a little space around their "nest" even if no-one's mated, there are no eggs and you only have one Quaker. We all have stuff that we don't want anyone else messing with.