Introducing Quaker + new Cherry Head ?

[Chelie]

So I have a wonderful 10 month old quaker parrot. He's a sweetie and gets along well with just about the entire family (my 8 year old scares him a little bit). He's been to the parrot shop and seems to love the other birds. He doesn't get upset or aggressive. He was DNA sexed male if that makes any difference.

We've just put a deposit on a Cherry head Conure. Hatched on the 2nd He/she is being handfed and hasn't been tested yet.

I'm looking for advise on bringing the new baby home. This is the first time our home will have two birds so I know pretty much nothing. We were considering a single large divided cage, but have heard mixed things about doing that (namely that they will bite each others toes?).

Any tips on housing the two of them, where, how close to each other, introductions, things to watch out for, jealousy issues?

Differences in a Cherry head from a Quaker? Different dietary needs or likes? Personality differences? We've only had Quakers in this family.

What do I need to know to make my feathered babies happy and the transition go smoothly ?

 

[MonicaMc]

When bringing in a new bird to an existing flock, it is recommended to quarantine the new bird for 30-90 days with a health check within that time frame to ensure that the new bird is healthy. This means separate cage, food, toys, perches, dishes, etc! Separate room with, hopefully, separate air. (granted, most homes are not equipped to do a proper quarantine, so you can only do the best that you can!)

After quarantine, you can introduce the birds away from the cages and see how they interact. Proximity is up to you and whether or not you have the space to put their cages near each other. If they get along great and you eventually want a larger cage with a divider, then you can look into upgrading their cages.


Diet should be about the same. Pellets, fresh foods, sprouted seeds, occasional cooked eggs, seeds as treats, etc. Cherry heads don't quake, but they can be clownish and goofy birds! Also have the potential for being loud.


What breeder are you going with?

 

[Chelie]

I'm getting it through a breeder in Willoughby Ohio. I honestly don't have experience with them, but the guy who bred our Quaker said they are a good place, been around 26 years, and have healthy & well socialized birds. I trust him completely, so I am going largely on his word and reviews I've seen online. I haven't met the woman (or the bird) yet - but myself and my husband have talked to them quite a bit. Get to go for a visit hopefully next week when they are out of the nest.

Any louder than a Quaker? I'm not overly concerned with noise (we have 5, going to be 6 pets in the house - it's never quiet!! lol) Just curious if it's similar / less / more than Quakers. (mine is quite noisy, though my last one was not)

 

[MonicaMc]

Ah. Well, if you specifically want a cherry head, I would suggest getting a photo of the parents! I've seen a lot of breeders lately hybridizing cherry heads with other species and it annoys the crap out of me! I'm not even sure that some of them realize that they are creating hybrids! There's a breeder in Wisconsin that says they have "red front conure" babies, but admit that one is a Waglers and the other is a Mitred. Another breeder in Florida is producing mitred x cherry head hybrids and selling the offspring as one or the other... it appears as if he doesn't realize they are separate species.

My cherry head was given to me as a "red mask" (aka cherry head) or a "mit-red". My mitred (my-turd ) was given to me as a "cherry head". I see a lot of birds being sold as something they aren't or people who have hybrids and think they are a pure species. Having had both, I can say that cherry heads and mitreds are different species! Mitreds are larger and louder!


Cherry heads can be louder than quakers, but the one I had was pretty quiet! (quieter than my brother in laws quaker, in fact) He also wasn't a normal cherry head, either... but from my experience, I would say they are definitely a fabulous species! (I'd recommend over a mitred any day! lol)