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

[ItsMyLife]

You wouldn't have another bird like that one. Fred, my umbrella cockatoo is as gentle as they come, very patient, and trust me, I have made a lot of mistakes with him. And you should not have to have the ibird's permission to move about in your own home.

But I know what you mean about re homing. He could very well be placed permanently in a cage or he may end up with somebody that has a short fuse. That is why I am leery of re homing Fred. All it would take one day is for him to be a little bit more obnoxious than he should be.

I wish I could have my old conure back. He was so friendly - loved everyone and everything. He was so easy. I think I was a little blind when I took in this guy thinking he’d end up the same way. He’s a “look but don’t touch” bird. I want a bird for our family to enjoy for years to come. I don’t care about noise and all that, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to sit around and hang out with our feathered friend? Pretty sure my toddler is going to grow up with a fear of birds at this point

 

[Sylvester]

I wish I could have my old conure back. He was so friendly - loved everyone and everything. He was so easy. I think I was a little blind when I took in this guy thinking he’d end up the same way. He’s a “look but don’t touch” bird. I want a bird for our family to enjoy for years to come. I don’t care about noise and all that, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to sit around and hang out with our feathered friend? Pretty sure my toddler is going to grow up with a fear of birds at this point

Maybe a rescue group could take him in? I agree, you want a bird that isn't going for the jugular all the time.

 

[ItsMyLife]

Maybe a rescue group could take him in? I agree, you want a bird that isn't going for the jugular all the time.

That may be something we look into. I want to give him more time. Maybe see where he is in another 6 months. I like the little guy when he’s being “good”. He’s got a lot of character.
He was great in the “honey moon” phase. I could pet him, he would step up, he would take food from me, we were working on target training. And those things gradually worsened. Now even when he’s on my finger willingly, he looks down at my fingers, cocks his head, and then goes for it - dangling himself in the air latched onto a finger. Small but mighty lol
Target training seems hopeless now as you can’t get close enough - you’d need a 6 foot stick and really good treat throwing aim

 

[Sylvester]

That may be something we look into. I want to give him more time. Maybe see where he is in another 6 months. I like the little guy when he’s being “good”. He’s got a lot of character.
He was great in the “honey moon” phase. I could pet him, he would step up, he would take food from me, we were working on target training. And those things gradually worsened. Now even when he’s on my finger willingly, he looks down at my fingers, cocks his head, and then goes for it - dangling himself in the air latched onto a finger. Small but mighty lol
Target training seems hopeless now as you can’t get close enough - you’d need a 6 foot stick and really good treat throwing aim

Do not let him walk all over you. If he can't behave, ignore his little Quaker butt.

 

[ItsMyLife]

This was tonight. I walked past him and he got me pretty good on my arm

 

[Sylvester]

This was tonight. I walked past him and he got me pretty good on my arm

Now see, that has got to stop. What if that had been your eye.

 

[ItsMyLife]

Now see, that has got to stop. What if that had been your eye.

Yes it does have to stop! And I’m doing everything I know how, but it is literally a little bit worse each day. Given the chance, he’d love to go for an eye. He actively tries for your face, which I why I keep a towel on my shoulder to block attacks.

I’m so stuck in not knowing how to handle him right now.
I’d leave him in his cage or a different room if he wouldn’t start mutilating himself, and he will after one day. He required daily interaction. He craves it, but he’s so dang bi polar about it that it’s like playing Russian Roulette - and I’m not new at birds. I can read his body language. Sometimes I see it coming, but sometimes he decides before I can react (like this evening. He was just preening himself and I walked past his parlay stand. He jumped off and latched on).

I honestly don’t know what to do. Most places I’ve asked for help just tell me “well he’s a bird, you have to respect his boundaries”. But like... my whole house is his “boundary”. And at some point he needs fed and watered and let out of his cage.

Side note... interested in a Quaker, I have got the bird for you! Tons of “personality”!

 

[ItsMyLife]

I ordered some Avicalm. I doubt it will help, but our vet suggested it was worth a try. And even if it helps only a little bit, I think I would be grateful

 

[Sylvester]

They are taxonomically in their own genus. Conure is a term used broadly for small to medium long tailed parrots Same with parakeet, which is why they are also called Monk/Quaker Parakeets

They are also not the only parrot species in its own genus. Hawk Heads and Bourkes both I believe are their own branch

Can you suggests some things to 'Itsmylife", since you have much experience with these birds? She adopted her's from the Quaker mental ward.

 

[Mizzely]

Can you suggests some things to 'Itsmylife", since you have much experience with these birds? She adopted her's from the Quaker mental ward.

I have been in the thread she started for that situation Unfortunately my quakers, monsters that they are,are quite a bit easier to manage than this bird who has clearly been through a lot to react the way he has. Time and patience are the only things I can think of

 

[Sylvester]

I have been in the thread she started for that situation Unfortunately my quakers, monsters that they are,are quite a bit easier to manage than this bird who has clearly been through a lot to react the way he has. Time and patience are the only things I can think of

She showed me an injury he had inflicted on the last page of this post. I think some birds are just stinkers just as people are. Thank you.

 

[ItsMyLife]

She showed me an injury he had inflicted on the last page of this post. I think some birds are just stinkers just as people are. Thank you.

But look at him today! We started Avicalm for his mutilation habit, and I 100% believe it changed his mindset. He’s following me to sit with me, not to attack.
Seriously a relief. I haven’t been able to enjoy my own living room for weeks now

 

[Quaker Carl]

Im glad things are a little better now itsMylife. I have only had mine 7 month but he seems sweet enough. He was saved though from abuse so maybe thats why but he was a baby too so i got to raise him. He has only ever bit me hard once when i was checking a broken feather and he is cuddly and sweet most days and is always happy to be on me and even anyone else he has met so far. He is harmless and a bit of a scardy cat untill he is used to something new. He has shown no interest in violence so far and is pretty chilled. He is really funny too especially in or on his cage. He thinks he is a guard dog when he hears noises in different rooms though and will shout or growl then i take him to that room and he isnt so tough lol. I hope he stays this way after puberty. He has been a little different the last few days. Louder ect. Think its a spring thing but he is a great pet. I think getting them young makes all the difference but i commend you all for not giving up on problem Quakers lol. This thread has scared me haha x

 

[SandraK]

I was thinking of getting one of these little green terrors and actually put myself on the list to call when the new babies come in.

I think they are adorable with their chunky bodies and round cubby heads. But the ones I have read about seem to come right out of a nightmare. In fact, there is a post on this very site where one of the members talks about the injuries she receives from her new Quaker bud.

Are they all head cases?

Frankly, as much as I love animals, I am not into having a companion that when I walk by it I have to put my arm up to my face for protection.

That is not a Quaker - it looks like an Indian Ring Neck. This is a Quaker -

Or did I miss something in this thread?

 

[melissasparrots]

I've had quakers for about 15 years and bred them. They are the cutest, most adorable little babies. Baby quakers give the most gentle kisses. Then they grow up and its hit and miss. Mostly miss. My major gripe with quakers is they they scream a lot and they like to shoot their poop through the cage bars so it slides down the wall. Most of my quakers have done this. They are super smart, but hormones are no joke at maturity. They can go on and on for years with territorial screaming every time you come into the room, attempting to bite through the cage bars, running at you to bite if they are out playing on top of their cage, screaming every time you move something in their territory(the whole room where they live not just their cage), or bring something into their room. Basically, if something moves, they are screaming about it. I can see why people like them, but I can also see why equal numbers of people dislike them. Personally, they are the one species I always kind of regretted getting into. If I want to take a nap in the afternoon, I can get two cockatoos, a hyacinth macaw and 5 yellow napes to be quiet, but the quaker will start up and go on and on for 20 minutes or so, quiet down just long enough for me to sleep and think he's done and then he'll be screaming again. I have two bachelor male quakers right now and they are the ones that get everyone wound up first thing in the morning to start screaming, the ones that start random screaming fests throughout the day and the last ones to shut up at sunset. My older male is the one that screams the entire time I'm in the breeder room cleaning cages. Doesn't have to be his cage, I moved something in what he thinks is his territory and so he's screaming the whole time. Lets not forget having to put up a shower curtain on the wall behind their cage due to the poop shooting.
Personally, I'd gladly rehome another cockatoo than a quaker. Quakers have many fine attributes, they just are not my favorite. I would put their intelligence up there possibly around that of a cockatoo with similar neurotic tendencies plus aggression and screaming X 2. And poop shooting which I've thus far not known a cockatoo to do often enough to bother me. Thankfully, my experience anyway has been that their bite is painful but not much to get overly excited about. It might bleed and bruise a bit, but considering the level of aggression, the actual damage done is typically fairly minimal. You still bleed and everything, its just not that bad compared to some similar sized birds.

 

[Mizzely]

My major gripe with quakers is they they scream a lot and they like to shoot their poop through the cage bars so it slides down the wall. Most of my quakers have done this. They are super smart, but hormones are no joke at maturity. They can go on and on for years with territorial screaming every time you come into the room, attempting to bite through the cage bars, running at you to bite if they are out playing on top of their cage, screaming every time you move something in their territory(the whole room where they live not just their cage), or bring something into their room. Basically, if something moves, they are screaming about it. I can see why people like them, but I can also see why equal numbers of people dislike them. Personally, they are the one species I always kind of regretted getting into. If I want to take a nap in the afternoon, I can get two cockatoos, a hyacinth macaw and 5 yellow napes to be quiet, but the quaker will start up and go on and on for 20 minutes or so, quiet down just long enough for me to sleep and think he's done and then he'll be screaming again. I have two bachelor male quakers right now and they are the ones that get everyone wound up first thing in the morning to start screaming, the ones that start random screaming fests throughout the day and the last ones to shut up at sunset. My older male is the one that screams the entire time I'm in the breeder room cleaning cages. Doesn't have to be his cage, I moved something in what he thinks is his territory and so he's screaming the whole time.

I could have written this about mine!! Yes, soooo much screaming!

 

[Sylvester]

But look at him today! We started Avicalm for his mutilation habit, and I 100% believe it changed his mindset. He’s following me to sit with me, not to attack.
Seriously a relief. I haven’t been able to enjoy my own living room for weeks now

Wow what a difference.

 

[Sylvester]

That is not a Quaker - it looks like an Indian Ring Neck. This is a Quaker -

Or did I miss something in this thread?

Thank you. The image pulled up when I Googled mean Quaker parrots. Your's is a little unusual too, because he appears to be pleasant.

 

[Sylvester]

I've had quakers for about 15 years and bred them. They are the cutest, most adorable little babies. Baby quakers give the most gentle kisses. Then they grow up and its hit and miss. Mostly miss. My major gripe with quakers is they they scream a lot and they like to shoot their poop through the cage bars so it slides down the wall. Most of my quakers have done this. They are super smart, but hormones are no joke at maturity. They can go on and on for years with territorial screaming every time you come into the room, attempting to bite through the cage bars, running at you to bite if they are out playing on top of their cage, screaming every time you move something in their territory(the whole room where they live not just their cage), or bring something into their room. Basically, if something moves, they are screaming about it. I can see why people like them, but I can also see why equal numbers of people dislike them. Personally, they are the one species I always kind of regretted getting into. If I want to take a nap in the afternoon, I can get two cockatoos, a hyacinth macaw and 5 yellow napes to be quiet, but the quaker will start up and go on and on for 20 minutes or so, quiet down just long enough for me to sleep and think he's done and then he'll be screaming again. I have two bachelor male quakers right now and they are the ones that get everyone wound up first thing in the morning to start screaming, the ones that start random screaming fests throughout the day and the last ones to shut up at sunset. My older male is the one that screams the entire time I'm in the breeder room cleaning cages. Doesn't have to be his cage, I moved something in what he thinks is his territory and so he's screaming the whole time. Lets not forget having to put up a shower curtain on the wall behind their cage due to the poop shooting.
Personally, I'd gladly rehome another cockatoo than a quaker. Quakers have many fine attributes, they just are not my favorite. I would put their intelligence up there possibly around that of a cockatoo with similar neurotic tendencies plus aggression and screaming X 2. And poop shooting which I've thus far not known a cockatoo to do often enough to bother me. Thankfully, my experience anyway has been that their bite is painful but not much to get overly excited about. It might bleed and bruise a bit, but considering the level of aggression, the actual damage done is typically fairly minimal. You still bleed and everything, its just not that bad compared to some similar sized birds.

Lovely. You would think that vets by now could do something about the hormones.

 

[SandraK]

Thank you. The image pulled up when I Googled mean Quaker parrots. Your's is a little unusual too, because he appears to be pleasant.

Not a photo of one of my Quakers, let me find one to post for you. You have to watch Google because what you ask to see is not always what you really get. When you click on a photo check the info to the right to make sure that it really IS what you were asking for.

I have 4 Quakers but my heart Quaker, Kiwi, died of pneumonia when she was about 2 in spite of being taken straight to the vet as soon as I realized something was wrong. Kiwi is my avatar and while she was my heart/soul bird she would (literally) chase anyone else who walked past her cage from kitchen to laundry room literally (again) jumping cage to cage (at that time there were 3 lined up). Once off her cage she was sweet as pie to everyone.

Of my 4 now, 3 are cage aggressive, the girls who share a cage don't really fly, JJ & Baby Blue do but JJ has a mind of his own. Baby on the other hand will let me hold, handle and cuddle. He's definitely a momma's boy. As @melissasparrots said, it's a hit or miss.