Cockatiel / Quaker

[Horada]

I have 2 hand raised male cockatiels (8 months old, 2 weeks apart in age) who have a love/hate relationship - it's like they hate each other but don't want to be apart!

I found out the breeder I got my tiels from is hand raising blue quakers, which mix with her tiels. In short, I'd like to get a male quaker from the breeder but I don't know if it's a good idea - Since I've never had a quaker before.

Ideally, it'd suit if they aren't really loud 24/7, loves attention and head scratches, low/moderate chewer, doesn't bite (or the bite is soft) and is ok to be in a large cage (with toys) if I'm at work 3-5 days a week.

I wouldn't keep it in the same cage as my tiels because I wouldn't want it hurting them. I don't like clipping their wings, so they fly around the house a lot.

But would it be ok to interact with my tiels out of the cage?

Would getting a quaker be alright or would a different parrot suit?

(Unrelated note, I love blue and gold macaws but it would just chew up everything/destroy more than a smaller bird so I wouldn't get one)

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My tiel personalities:
Sunny - Placid, but dominate. If Sky annoys him, he retaliates and doesn't back down. Grumpy when he wakes up in the morning/trying to sleep at night. Lets Sky preen him (Sunny) but Sky won't let Sunny preen him (Sky). Sometimes bullies Sky off food when there is 2 dishes/servings.

Sky - The trouble maker and more of a chewer. Extremely jealous if you're patting Sunny, will try to bite Sunny's foot and pull out his feathers sometimes. (We got Sky 2/3 weeks before we got Sunny) He also gets really bad separation anxiety - getting Sunny has helped a little bit.

Both love head scratches.

 

[gavagai]

You never have a guarantee that a new bird and your old birds will get along, and though the fact that your tiels were socialized with quakers and the quaker was socialize with tiels may help, it's still a gamble that they won't get along and you'll have to divide your time with them. And if you don't clip their wings, even out-of-cage time may need to be divided if they don't get along. I will say that my father's cockatiel hated every biped, feathered and featherless alike, who wasn't my father, but I've seen other cockatiels who seem to do well around other birds.

I have a quaker, and in terms of volume I'd say she's at an intermediate level between a sun conure and a green-cheek, but she vocalizes relatively infrequently compared to most birds I've had (except my green-cheek, who vocalizes both less often and less loudly). And a lot of her calling is singing rather than shrieking; she mostly only shrieks when the GCC does. If I have her on my shoulder without my green cheek within two feet of her, she'll flock call to him occasionally and is much shriller (despite the lower volume) than when my sun conure would flock call on my shoulder. In terms of neediness, I adopted a quaker and green-cheek who were already bonded to each other (my impression is that they were hand-raised birds who their first owner stuck together to save money on cages and fortunately they got along), which means that she will tolerate attention but doesn't demand it (the green-cheek, by contrast, needs my attention), however my understanding is that they're not super-needy birds in general, certainly not to the degree a macaw would be. Quakers are much quieter than macaws too. If you could handle a macaw except for the chewing, you can handle a quaker.

 

[SilverSage]

[quote/]

Ideally, it'd suit if they aren't really loud 24/7, loves attention and head scratches, low/moderate chewer, doesn't bite (or the bite is soft) and is ok to be in a large cage (with toys) if I'm at work 3-5 days a week.

.[/quote]



The bird you are describing is a cockatiel, not a Quaker.

I had two Quakers as a kid. They were the loudest birds I have ever met. They screamed every time they saw anyone who wasn't me enter the room. Their bites were extremely hard and drew blood. They destroyed everything they could get their beaks on. They bit the toes off of my budgies. I was never really gone so I'm not sure how they would have reacted to that.

Basically they were non-cockatiels. Cockatiels are extremely unique and in my opinion they are the ideal pet bird. No other parrot comes close in terms of ease of ownership. I loved my Quakers, but unless you are dying to have a Quaker specifically, can't live without it, need it in your life or you will die, then I don't suggest one. Now fact I don't ever suggest anyone get a parrot that they could possibly live without.




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[gavagai]

I just want to note that my quaker is not like that at all. She doesn't bite; even her warning nips don't really close. She likes head scratches. She's not a chewer, however I've heard that this is very unusual for quakers. And like I said, the noise level is moderate. I have a friend-of-a-friend who has a quaker with a similar temperament, except for the chewing bit.

 

[itzjbean]

I have never owned quakers but have cockatiels. I work full-time and they are great with my schedule! Very easy to own and are content being together.

I have 2 hand raised male cockatiels (8 months old, 2 weeks apart in age) who have a love/hate relationship - it's like they hate each other but don't want to be apart!

Sunny - Sometimes bullies Sky off food when there is 2 dishes/servings.

Sky - Extremely jealous if you're patting Sunny, will try to bite Sunny's foot and pull out his feathers sometimes.

Just curious, after reading these comments. Have you ever considered separating your two tiels? Maybe they would do better in separate cages sitting right next to each other. No more biting/bullying/pulling feathers

 

[EllenD]

I have a blue, male Quaker parrot, he is just over a year old, and he is BY FAR the loudest bird I have ever owned! He puts Sun Conures to shame!!! Honestly I think, from everything I've read and everyone I've spoken to, that Quakers are a species of parrot where the males really are louder than the females in general, of course there are still exceptions...

I love him dearly, he's a clown and he knows it, he affectionate, loving, and loves scritches...But man can they bite! If you get a serious bite from a Quaker it will hurt, bleed, it's bad!

He generally screams, yells, and has conversations with himself twice a day, first thing in the morning and early evening. He contact calls for me constantly, and once he starts he's persistent, even though I never come back until he stops...He is so loud sometimes that my ears ring...But I love him.

The bottom line here is that there is no guarantee that ANY SPECIES of bird, or any bird in general will get along with your cockatiel. It's a gamble. And the noise level is the same thing, a gamble. Quakers absolutely have the potential to be deafening, ear drum rupturing screamers that are every bit as loud as any other parrot. But it's different with each individual bird.

I agree that the description you give of the qualities you want in a bird sound exactly like a cockatiel.

"Dance like nobody's watching..."