New here... some questions

[mira3321]

Hiya, I'm Mira and I'm new here! I am a minor and I have 2 male budgies and a female quaker parrot. I got the budgies first, they were my first birds ever and I've had and they've been with me for a few months so I'm very new to birds (though I did do almost year of studying to make sure I was ready). Now I got this quaker about 4 days ago from an owner who's had her for 7 years but couldn't take care of her anymore.
She is very tame and enjoys being with me, my older brother and our mother, but doesn't particularly care about the other family members (though sometimes she flies on top of their heads and refuses to leave).
The owner told us that she has always been prone to biting birthmarks and basically anything that sticks out on your skin (scratches and stuff included).
Is there any way to stop this? It's really not nice when she bites enough to draw a bit of blood.

Other thing I was wondering about is the noises she makes. I assume the 'KRAA' sound is normal quaker sounds, but she often jumps on top of my closet door or and starts this REALLY loud high-pitched screaming. She also does a lot of other high-pitched sounds that sound an awful lot like those of my budgies but much MUCH louder.
Could she be copying the budgies since she picks up really fast on sounds (she's still trying to learn how to do the kissy sound but when I first did it she stared at me for a while until i did it again she immediately started to do these little squeaks) or are they normal quaker sounds?

She also sometimes does some weird sounds while eating and preening sometimes, also pretty high-pitched.

 

[theocnoob]

You shouldn't put your birds together like that. I see them on top of a door in your avatar. You don't know the quaker well enough to trust her with that yet. She could easily kill a budgie. Don't do it.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[mira3321]

I always keep an eye on them though everytime they come near each other (which is rather rare) just in case but most of the time the quaker is with me and the budgies mind their own business! I have read about quaker being aggressive to other birds, I appreciate your warning though and thank you.

 

[Lady Jane]

Welcome to AA. I am not schooled on Quakers much but I do know they can be quite noisy. I imagine this bird has learned many different sounds. Do they bother you at all? Both Quakers and Budgies are flock birds and like to be with their own species. Good that you closely watch over them. As for the biting, that is a learned behavior that most likely from her previous environment. Best if you can not to react to it in any way and do positive reinforcement when she is not biting.

 

[theocnoob]

I always keep an eye on them though everytime they come near each other (which is rather rare) just in case but most of the time the quaker is with me and the budgies mind their own business! I have read about quaker being aggressive to other birds, I appreciate your warning though and thank you.

You're not fast enough. Especially if you're standing as far away from them as you were when you took that picture.

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

welcome

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I don't know much about quakers, except that they are totally cute!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Welcome to AA. Maybe @saroj12 can give you some info about Quakers. She has two of them.

 

[sunnysmom]

 

[aooratrix]

Is she biting or picking at moles, birthmarks, etc.? My birds, macaws, zero in on anything like that, from a scab to a hangnail. They aren't biting when they do that; it's grooming.

 

[aooratrix]

Ok, I reread your post. If she's biting and drawing blood, there's a cause. Are you trying to remove her from somewhere she wants to stay? Only certain people? Is she excited when you approach her and bites? Does she only do it on a shoulder or on someone's head? As far as I'm concerned, a biting bird has definitely lost shoulder and head privileges. I'm not a huge fan of any bird on a shoulder.

 

[Catherine89]

Welcome

 

[Lwalker]

Is she biting or picking at moles, birthmarks, etc.? My birds, macaws, zero in on anything like that, from a scab to a hangnail. They aren't biting when they do that; it's grooming.

My GCCs are like that too...I joke that they are little feathered dermatologists. I just make sure I wear sleeves when they are on my arm or shoulder (they are not allowed on my head and only on my shoulder if we are doing tasks throughout the house. They are too preoccupied to nip then and if they misbehave they are taken back to their tree stand).

 

[mira3321]

Yes, when she bites she draws blood and it doesn't matter where the birthmarks and such are, if its nearby she always makes a beeline at them, suddenly bites and then flies away, almost always leaving behind a tiny bloody bite mark. We do allow her to sit on our shoulders but i dont really like her sitting on my head so i always move her to sit on my shoulder and she seems ok with it. She bites everyone but i spend the most time with her so i get bitten more than others.
She seems always happy to see me and ALMOST always comes up to my hand and climbs on my shoulder and talks with me (saying hello, waving and making kissy noises, or at least trying to) and she often grinds her beak on my shoulder and sleeps on it).
The previous owner did say she has a habit of biting birthmarks and moles and any other marks that stick out but it really hurts when she bites out pieces and draws blood.