Getting my Quaker back after 3 years

[Quakerparrent]

Hey guys!

So about 5 years ago I was sold a Quaker baby without any information or prior knowledge. I naively trusted the guy when he said they are not loud (lol!) And not hard to take care of. I knew nothing about birds and selfishly just wanted one because they are beautiful.

Of course I soon found out what I was told couldn't be further from the truth. He grew up and was loud for my one bedroom apartment , he needed lots of time and attention I wasn't prepared to give him so I tried to give him back to the store owner and even wanted to pay him to take him because I'm like look I can't do this I'm not good for him. The store owner wouldn't take him back so I was stuck with him and made it work for 2 years. I love love loved my parrot , u guys don't understand I tried it all to make him happy I bough him a 7ft by 4 ft cage! Lol yes! A Quaker parrot lol 10 inches long! It cost me almost 2k ... It's a long horrible experience I won't bore u with but I basically kept trying to make him happy but only thing that made him happy is being on my shoulder 247 which I simple could do for him. Plus I got pregnant, the screaming started to drive me crazy nd when the baby was born I had some post partum issues so a screaming parrot jealous for attention was heartbreaking. I found a wonderful wonderful lady in the burbs with a bird rescue and gave him up. That 3 uears ago lol I still communicate with that lady and donate to her rescue.

Now, I'm in a much different place, my kid is no longer a newborn, I own a 3 bedroom home with a whole bedroom/full bathroom completely not used so its very different set up from before and just in general have a much more "at home" lifestyle and I want my bird back lol u guys don't understand as ridiculous as it is I love my bird the way people should love a human family member. So I'm gonna get him back but I want to make sure I do it right this time.

Any advice? Do i need full spectrum lights in that room? Should I buy other birds since he been at a rescue and around a bunch of birds for so long? Is a basement room ok? (A beautiful remodeled basement! Not like dark and dirty or anything lik that) Anything can help really. I'll obviously ask the lady too but any extra ideas would help. He is so smart and emotional the last thing I want is to get him back and him end up self mutilating. My husband says maybe leaving him at rescue is best but id imagine there is no way that lady has the time to spend with him the way i would since she has so many birds to care for?
And I naively believe he remembers me. I guess we will find out

Thoughts?

 

[MonicaMc]

I have a 5' x 5' x 6' aviary which I had bought for birds smaller than a quaker, so I don't see the issue! Granted, it's not currently set up.


I would highly recommend reading as much as you can about clicker training, Force Free Animal Training (FFAT), positive reinforcement training, Applied Behavior Analytics, the ABC's of Behavior....

Also, read into foraging for your quaker.



As far as another bird? Hard to say.... does he get along with other birds? Or does he not like other birds?

 

[Flboy]

Hi, you really should have him in the main activity area of the home. These are flock creatures and want interaction!

 

[EllenD]

Congrats on getting your Quaker back! I understand about the Quaker "volume', lol, there's no way I could own Lita in an apartment, she is actually make my ears ring right now as I type this, while flying around the house...

I would approach this entire situation like you're starting over and just now getting the bird, because basically that's what you are doing...he may remember you, they're very intelligent, but either way his entire environment is going to be changing, his schedule, the people around him, etc. And you're right, if he's been in a rescue this entire time then I'm sure he hasn't gotten a ton of attention, it's tough to do so in that situation. So don't be surprised if he's a bit hand-shy, or shy in-general. Just give him time, he'll come around...

I agree about his cage placement (his main cage), it needs to be in whatever room of your house that the people of the house spend their time when they are home, usually a living room, family room, den, etc. Even if you're not directly interacting with him, he still needs to be in the same room as "his people', especially just starting back at your house. If you are just watching TV, playing video games, reading, cooking/eating, etc., having his cage in that same room as you and the others of the house will bring him comfort, and he's far-more likely to entertain himself with his toys inside his cage this way, rather than having him in a different room from you and the others, like a "bird room", where he can hear you but not see you...this is what usually results in constant screaming...

Also, as far as getting another bird as "company" for him, NOOOOOO! There is a very good rule for owning birds..."Never get a second bird for your current bird, ONLY get a second bird because YOU WANT ONE"...And the reason for this is that you have absolutely no guarantee at all that they will get along. They may absolutely hate each other and be aggressive/violent towards each other. Or they may simply tolerate each other, but not really like each other and not care about each other...OR...they may bond extremely closely with each other, and this can actually result in both of them not wanting to have anything to so with you or any other people, as they usually do prefer a bond to their own kind when given the choice, IF they get along and bond closely...a lot of people actually lose their bonds with their birds this way...So no, that is not a good answer at all...also you have the gender-issue, hormones, breeding, etc. If you are able to spend ample time with your Quaker, give him a lot of out-of-cage-time each day, he'll be fine without a birdy friend...Make sure he has lots of toys in his cage and outside too, plenty of foraging activities, etc. Quakers are loud, that's just how they are, regardless of the attention they get...I speak from experience! (Lita is on my head right now, yelling "YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!' over and over and over again, lol)

 

[Quakerparrent]

thanks for the responses!
i guess i should update.... i went to get my quaker and i ended up telling that family they can keep him he is so so bonded with the husband, and the husband loves him too i felt it would be super selfish to take him back at this point. plus he was scared of me and would bite ...which is fine i get it but i have a 3 year old son and i want him to grow up loving birds and animals as much as i do and to be kind to animals. im afraid him being a around a bird that bites and is agressive (well fearful simply but to a little kid it would be scary) i dont want him to develop a fear of birds in general or to dislike them.

its silly and i realize how irrational it is but i have been legitimately depressed since. i projected a lot of my problems onto this bird when i first got him, and would talk to him all the time and kinda raised him as my baby lol so this is pretty horrible i wish i never went to actually go get him since i had this fun fantasy of everything working out and it completely went the opposite direction. the family offered a new baby bird. they are so kind really and they are like bird pros so they have a bunch of babies they sell...but i feel like its immoral for me not to get my bird back and "just buy a new one"....

 

[ChristaNL]

You found that your bird is loved and well taken care of.
That must feel good too.

Of course you dont want to let go of a being you love with all your heart- but you did it anyway - for the welfare of said little being.

YOU RULE

Letting go is never easy.
But if you have room in you heart for a second bird (its an addition, not a replacement!! It never can be that of course ) go for it!

Maybe not today...but who knows...
there are so many birds out there who could use a good home.
(Or when your little one is a bit older?)

 

[MonicaMc]

I'm with Christa here. You did the best thing you could have for your quaker, and that is being unselfish. You went to go and see him and he appears quite happy where he's at. He may still be able to bond with you, but that would require uprooting him once again and giving him time to learn to trust you all over again. If he's well cared for, I don't see the issue leaving him where he's at if he's happy!

If you get another bird, it wont be replacing him. Sure, it wont be *HIM*, but it gives you the opportunity to perhaps find another bird more suitable for your situation, if you want to go that route. Most birds are going to bite regardless, so that's hard to avoid as is.

 

[Laurasea]

It's wonderful he is so happy, that is what you wanted for him. You got peace, and hope forgiveness for yourself you did the right thing twice!!! Any parrot you get is going to bite sometimes.....with a three year old in the house it might be better to hang onto the dream a few more years ...then start over with a weather Ed hand raised baby...and a bunch of research. You have a big heart!!! And you did the right thing twice even though it was hard, abd made your heart ache. What a wonderful example for your children!!