Should I rescue this Quaker?

[tropicdragon]

So there is this Quaker I have had my eyes on for a while, (his name is Taiyou, he's in my signature). He lives at my relative's house in another state, but whenever I am down there I get to spend time with him cause I usually stay at said person's house. He is on a seed diet, clipped, and seems to pluck his feathers from stress. I assume that he plucks his feathers out of boredom/loneliness because most of everyone in that house is terrified to pick him up because he is very cage territorial. I remember when he was little he was a very sweet bird, but I assume puberty hit and he didn't really have a lot of human interaction and it might have led to his behavioral issues today. I have suggested to my family members that they try to gradually move him to a pellet diet, but they give up once he refuses to eat the pellets even once. I am terrified that he will die early if he continues to be on this seed only diet (he is already pretty fat), and I am also concerned because of the feather-plucking.

I have thought about taking him with me to my state (Quakers are legal here). Due to my new job, I have perks that allow me to easily add new pets onto a Healthcare plan so I can take him to a vet and get him the attention he needs. The only problem is that I live in an apartment build and Quakers are very loud. I am wondering if anyone here has any experience with Quakers in apartment builds and if there are any tips on how I could possibly soundproof his cage or something like that?

If the above seems unreasonable, due to the pandemic, I may end up in my relatives house for an extended period of time. During that time, I could try training him into a pellet diet and maybe that would be a good first step. Let me know if you guys have any suggestions.

 

[Sparkles99]

If your relatives are willing to part with him, it sounds like you'd be the more informed home.

 

[cnyguy]

My QP Ralph has been an apartment dweller for over 10 years with no problems, but he's a fairly quiet Quaker. I also have a CAG and the two parrots together make far less noise than the children and dogs in our apartment building. An important question for you is how willing your relatives would be to let you take Taiyou. If they're resistant to that idea it might be better for you to move in with them for a while, but if they're agreeable then bringing him to live with you could work well.

 

[tropicdragon]

Although one of my relatives seems a bit reluctant everyone else in the home seems fine with the idea. I feel like there is flexibility there. A couple of questions about Ralph, is there a time of the day where you notice he starts to scream? I know this is the case with Taiyou and it can be heard all around the house. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with soundproofing ? Or do you maybe have Ralph by a window or something like that?

 

[cnyguy]

Ralph really doesn't scream. The loudest he gets is when he does a Quaker alarm call, which doesn't happen too often. His regular squawks aren't too loud, though he can be heard in the common hall when the door is closed. His squawks can be persistent if I'm out of his sight for longer than he thinks I ought to be. Some parrots will have a "morning squawk" and an "evening squawk" where they can get pretty loud, but neither Ralph nor Scooter (CAG) do that. There's no soundproofing here and no one has ever complained about the parrots. Both parrots' cages are against inside walls, not next to windows, and are close to being at the center of the apartment.
Maybe you and your relatives could agree to a sort of fostering arrangement, where Taiyou would stay with you temporarily and eventually return to them. That could give you a chance to work with him and improve his diet.