• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

New Quaker owner!

PotatoSodi

Meeting neighbors
Joined
4/19/20
Messages
34
Real Name
Oliver
Hey everyone, I have recently (within the past 24 hours) become an owner of a Quaker parrot called Liam, he is around 4 months old and is supposedly 'semi tame' according to who sold him to me. He is super cute and I am in love with these birds - they seem to have so much personality. I already have a female cockatiel, and she is the sweetest, but is incredibly quiet and I was looking for a bird that was perhaps a little more active, I think I have for sure chosen the right species to fulfil this wish, perhaps I am crazy. I am keeping the two split up in two different rooms and will continue to do so for the next month or so, I will never hold them together but it would be nice for them to both be somewhat friendly to each other one day.

Anyways if anyone has any specific tips on how to make these guys feel happy and at home I would be happy to hear, I have already been able to feed Liam some millet and banana within the past hour, he seems pretty okay with my hand being in the cage right now - which surprised me as I was not expecting him to be that comfortable so soon, I am just happy that he is drinking and eating so fast!

I understand that these guys really enjoy foraging and searching for food in the wild, what is the best way to mimic this within a cage environment?

He also seems to really like being pictured. So that's a bonus.
 

Attachments

Ali

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/16/20
Messages
8,043
Location
Dorset, England, UK
Real Name
Alistair
I cannot help you out with your questions, however I would just like to say you have a lovely looking bird.

Ali
 

Cynthia & Percy

cockatoo mania
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avian Angel
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
1,000,000
Location
USA bound
Real Name
cynthia
Congratulations
 

Zara

♥❀Livin´ in Lovebird Land❀☼
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
1/8/18
Messages
31,364
Location
Reino de España
Welcome to the Avenue! :starshower1:
 

Shezbug

ASK ME FOR PICTURES OF MY MACAW!
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/28/18
Messages
25,823
Location
Vic, Australia
Real Name
Shez
Welcome to the Avenue :hiya:
 

jh81

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
8/13/15
Messages
2,299
Location
Arnhem, Netherlands
Real Name
Jan
Even if you can never have them out together, they will still enjoy eachother’s company!

Liam looks gorgeous, i am sure he will be very happy :) there are toys you can use that you can put food in, that way they have to “think” about eating, much as in the wild where food is often not readymade in a bowl :)

also, seek out branches your companion can shred to pieces :) In time, you can place the cages in eachother’s sight, and then you can slowly open both cages and see what happeNs. Be sure to not leave them alone though. Sometimes birds of different species and sizes can be the best of friends, and sometimes they are the worst of enemys. Its trial and error and lots of patience on your end. But if you are committed to it, i am sure you can make it work :)
 

JBosley

Walking the driveway
Avenue Veteran
Joined
7/16/17
Messages
258
Location
Ontario, Canada
Real Name
Jessica
Liam is adorable! Welcome, I hope you enjoy this forum. I recently acquired a Quaker as well! He/she has stolen my heart already. I am sure you will have lots of fun together!
 

PotatoSodi

Meeting neighbors
Joined
4/19/20
Messages
34
Real Name
Oliver
Liam is adorable! Welcome, I hope you enjoy this forum. I recently acquired a Quaker as well! He/she has stolen my heart already. I am sure you will have lots of fun together!
How are you finding the taming/bonding process?

Liam flew out of his cage today whilst I was feeding him some millet - everything was calm and relaxed and I brought my hand over to where he was sitting, he didn't seem too fussed about my finger and remained still but then went to 'explore' my finger with his beak and damn I never realised how sharp a bird's beak could be and it went straight in and drew some blood (I am 99% sure this was not an act of aggression and was simply Liam doing what he would do if my finger were a branch or another object he could bite into) I just pulled back silently, left him there for a few moments and then got a training perch and got him to step up on that and put him back into his cage.

This has kinda got me a little wary about making my fingers so readily available right now :D does anyone know how to enforce that my finger isn't something to be bitten into, even if its a largely unintentional/non-aggressive nip?

Another thing I have noticed is that he does not get hungry outside the cage and doesn't want treats, I guess this is just because he is not used to the environment right now. (out of interest, what is the best treat to give to a quaker? unlike my tiel who goes crazy for millet my quaker seems pretty indifferent to it and instead of eating the millet from my hand just likes to destroy it)

Anyways - regardless of all that I am still really pleased with the amount of progress I have made with him in less than a day, at the moment I think I am going to give him some space and just sit with his cage whilst working from home for the next couple of weeks, I don't want to push things to fast.

Also thanks to everyone for the welcome messages!
 

JBosley

Walking the driveway
Avenue Veteran
Joined
7/16/17
Messages
258
Location
Ontario, Canada
Real Name
Jessica
How are you finding the taming/bonding process?

Liam flew out of his cage today whilst I was feeding him some millet - everything was calm and relaxed and I brought my hand over to where he was sitting, he didn't seem too fussed about my finger and remained still but then went to 'explore' my finger with his beak and damn I never realised how sharp a bird's beak could be and it went straight in and drew some blood (I am 99% sure this was not an act of aggression and was simply Liam doing what he would do if my finger were a branch or another object he could bite into) I just pulled back silently, left him there for a few moments and then got a training perch and got him to step up on that and put him back into his cage.

This has kinda got me a little wary about making my fingers so readily available right now :D does anyone know how to enforce that my finger isn't something to be bitten into, even if its a largely unintentional/non-aggressive nip?

Another thing I have noticed is that he does not get hungry outside the cage and doesn't want treats, I guess this is just because he is not used to the environment right now. (out of interest, what is the best treat to give to a quaker? unlike my tiel who goes crazy for millet my quaker seems pretty indifferent to it and instead of eating the millet from my hand just likes to destroy it)

Anyways - regardless of all that I am still really pleased with the amount of progress I have made with him in less than a day, at the moment I think I am going to give him some space and just sit with his cage whilst working from home for the next couple of weeks, I don't want to push things to fast.

Also thanks to everyone for the welcome messages!
Training process for us has been SO easy! Aside from stepping up.... She does this on her terms right now. I've powered up a clicker with her, she's learned target training already and to give kisses on command! We're working on step up next. She'll only step up when she's coming out of her cage, or if she flies onto the floor. Otherwise she just sits there with me shoving my finger into her stomach...she doesn't even budge! Or she bites me, but never hard.
 

Kiwi & Co.

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Joined
6/4/19
Messages
3,637
Location
New England
I wish I could get get a Quaker.... but laws are laws. (Connecticut is totally the most paront friendly state :shifty: :rolleyes: )
 

PotatoSodi

Meeting neighbors
Joined
4/19/20
Messages
34
Real Name
Oliver
Training process for us has been SO easy! Aside from stepping up.... She does this on her terms right now. I've powered up a clicker with her, she's learned target training already and to give kisses on command! We're working on step up next. She'll only step up when she's coming out of her cage, or if she flies onto the floor. Otherwise she just sits there with me shoving my finger into her stomach...she doesn't even budge! Or she bites me, but never hard.
Adorable! How long have you had her for? And I think that clicker and target training is the way to go.
 

Sylvi_

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/27/15
Messages
4,244
Location
South Florida
Real Name
Sylvi
Congratulations and welcome to the Avenue! He’s a beautiful boy. :xflove:
 
Top