Hi new here and soon to be new Quaker mom

[Gliderider]

Excited and wanted to share. I am getting my first Quaker this Wednesday or Thursday. Not sure gender he/she is about a 1 year old. Is cage protective but once out of cage he is sweet. His owner now just opens the door and lets him come out on his own once out he is friendly. Do you all feel that is the way to handle him. Would love to hear if anyone has other ideas or tips to help work with him on his cage protectiveness ? Also what are some of the brands of pellet feeds that you all feel are the good ones to feed ?

I can't wait to get him home.

 

[kitt]

Oh my goodness...look at that sweet baby. I don't know why but for some reason he looks smaller to me then most of the quakers I have seen....but a doll none the less.
I don't own one of these cuties but I have a caique that could get cage aggressive....I just make sure I change his toys around every week or two in his cage and two to three times a year I move the whole cage to a new area of the house...that seemed to do the trick for us....it will be interesting to see what the others have to say. Congratulations.

 

[cnyguy]

Welcome, and congratulations on adopting your sweet little Quaker! I often say that life is never dull when there's a Quaker in the house.

Quakers are known for being cage aggressive, and, as kitt suggested, rearranging things inside the cage, and moving the cage to different locations from time to time, can be helpful. The "open door policy" your Quaker is used to could be continued if you choose to.


Ralph prefers the ZuPreem Fruit Blend pellets, in the smaller size marketed for Cockatiels. He also likes Pretty Bird brand small fruit-flavored pellets.

 

[BanalityBob]

Agreed with cnyguy, Quakers are all a little cage protective even when well trained. When I first got Penelope, I had to wait for her to exit her cage before feeding her, or she would make me bleed. Now, she was neglected and abused before I got her, but even now that she knows me, I daily am thankful her cage has feeder doors.

Usually when I'm home her cage is open, and she can climb in and out (her play gym is on top of her cage), and she's mostly sweet when out of her cage. Still, Quakers are sassy, bossy, willful little birds, and that is why I adore mine. I handle the cage protectiveness by rearranging the toys and perches every two to three weeks to keep her on her toes, but the open door policy is a good one.

And that is one adorable Quaker.

I feed Penelope Kaytee Exact Rainbow. She eats the yellow and green star shaped pellets. Also, from my experience with three different Quakers, they're somewhat picky eaters. Get him eating greens asap, or he might never learn. I've been wasting mountains of veggies and fruit on Penelope for the past three months, and she hasn't touched a thing.

Good luck.

 

[mnsalani]

Congratulations!!

My first parrot was a quaker named El Chapucabra--he was a little stink to everyone but me. I loved that bird dearly!! He would eat dinner in the kangaroo pocket of my hoodie every night until he squeaked a bit too loud one night and my mom figured out who I had at the table with us. Quaker's are incredible birds and so adorable! Chupa was rather cage aggressive and would lunge sometimes at my fingers for a moment before settling down and stepping up. Just don't back down; it's bad behavior but their beaks are so tiny that they'll eventually learn not to even bother like Chupa did.

I can't remember what pellets he ate (I was under 10 when I got him) but he loved a little bit of sugar free peanut butter now and then (make sure it only has peanuts in it). I can still see his tiny little tongue going at it!!

All the luck in the world to both of you! And post some new pictures of your baby when you can!

 

[Gliderider]

Thanks everyone for the tips and compliments on my new baby. Can't wait to get him home ! The lady I am getting him from says he doesn't like many fruits or veggies other then corn. Sure hope I can get him to eat some other things. His cage comes with him but I have another cage I used for my doves. It is a flight cage 30x18 and 50" tall on wheels. I am thinking of putting him in it. It has several little doors for food and water dishes and 3 bigger doors to get the bird in and out. I am thinking I will need to get little clips or those screw shut thingies to put on the doors so he can't open them as they just slide up and down easy. Someday I hope to get him a new cage with a playtop. I see them on craiglist for reasonable prices every once in awhile but the flight cage will have to do for awhile. Was wondering do you think I should leave him in the cage he comes with for awhile till he settles in or should I switch him right away ? Thought moving him to new cage might help with the cage Protectiveness some. Is there bite like a Cockateils ?

 

[Gliderider]

BanalityBob do you feed that in Cockatiel size ? I see my local pet store carries it.

 

[BanalityBob]

Yep, Cockatiel size. And check ebay for cages. I got Penelope's current cage there for $119, and it's really big and really nice, and it had free shipping.