Introducing Rocco

[wter5989]

I have had my quaker for about two years now,story goes...he was with a family guess they died,they had a female an male,I have the male his name is rocco,the kids split the two birds up and put them in different homes,rocco was gave to my uncle who is blind and his wife was afraid of him she used a huge black glove to stuck her hand in an feed him,not to mention was the wrong food,and they had an 18 pound cat that stared at the bird everyday,he was never let out ,andndlwyas was not paid attention to,they ask me if I would like have him,I said sure,I am a 60 year old woman live by myself in an apartment,no other pets,now mind you when they brought him to me he was filthy and barely any hair on his head,most likely from stress and not being taken care of,they told me he was 5 years ,that was about like I said 2 years, he now has his hair back and to me is very healthy considering they were not feeding him the correct food. he bites ,he will not let me hold him,I talk to him all the time everyday, his door is open 24/7 he barely comes out of his cage,sometimes will climb on top,will not move,if I put his cage on the floor then he comes out an flys around, if he lands somewhere he allows me to pick him up an put him back,I am at a loss here,do I give up? Is he still trainable? I am on a limited income,I have no idea how much these avian docs are,should his wings be clipped,he does trust me I know this,or I should say he knows who I am, he does laugh it's hysterical to hear him laugh,I do think he says "pretty bird" but not like the sound of a bird,he squawks at a certain time every night so I know it's bed time,I cover him up,he will let's me feed him crackers, bread,or corn chips and his seed,but will not eat anything else,any suggestions?

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[flyingron]

Re: What made you want a Quaker?

Yeah, Bacca's former owner's didn't feed her anything but seed, never took her out of the cage, never took her to a vet and when we asked how often she was bathed they said "you've got to be kidding."

It took a bit but she'll eat the Roddybush bird chow now and doesn't mind getting in the shower from time to time (but I have to sing to her). She absolutely hates being in the cage during the day and would rather be on one of the perches near us or on us.

She gets a bed time story and goes to bed without much fuss (and apparently falls asleep quicly because thirty minutes later we can do just about anything in the room where her cage is without hearing anything from her). If we forget to put her to bed she'll stand at the top of the stairs leading down to the cage like "are you coming or what?"

 

[wter5989]

Re: What made you want a Quaker?

I do give him baths also he doesn't like it either, and on a hot day I take him outside,and also give him a bath that way too,he loves it outside

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[Allee]

A warm welcome to you and Rocco! Thank you for giving a quaker a new home.

Quaker parrots are very intelligent, your Rocco can still learn new things. It sounds like you have made good progress. Quakers aren't known for being cuddly, after being locked in a cage and neglected in his former home, it's no surprise he's slow to trust. Being approached with a glove probably left a lasting impression too.

It isn't unusual for quakers to be extremely protective of their cages, most will bite first and ask questions later, one of mine asks if I'm okay after he nips me. You will probably make better progress if you keep your training sessions away from his cage.

If you are thinking of getting your quaker's wings clipped for training purposes, please keep in mind that quakers are more prone to plucking than various other species. Each bird is an individual, it's hard to determine how an older bird will react.

It can be very difficult to change an avid seed eater to a healthier diet but it's well worth the effort. Soaking pellets in water with a little 100% fruit juice for flavor will often encourage a reluctant eater to at least give pellets a try. Kale, shredded carrots, apples, peppers, squash, cooked broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, and brown rice are good foods to introduce. It can be frustrating but if you keep offering, more than likely, Rocco will try a few new foods and decide he likes some of them.

Here's a link with some helpful tips.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

So glad you joined us. Looking forward to hearing more from you and Rocco.

 

[wter5989]

Oh thank you so much for all this advice

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[Flboy]

Welcome, no advice, just very glad to meet you!

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and Rocco! With patience and tenacity you should be able to change his diet!!