Quaker parrot owners?

[Valkerie]

Hello everyone,

I'm Liz and I just joined this group to see if I can talk about quaker parrots. I've had my quaker parrot for over 3 years and I'm missing my cockatiel more each day.

My quaker parrot squawks/screams when I am doing something like cooking, cleaning, working out, or moving a lot more than usual. She seems very upset when I do these things and I tried having her on my shoulder for most things but refuses to be part of it and screams on top of her cage until I'm done with whatever I'm doing.

She also has a bad habit with chewing on clothing that destroys the fabric and I have to put a towel on my shoulder and any guest to get her to chew on that instead.

And there's also times she squawks loudly just because. I read to ignore them until they stop but sometimes this can go for longer than half an hour or more and it can be very annoying to hear so I put her up after a while and most of the time that quiets her up.

I'm at the point that I am conflicted about her and I think about how my life was simpler with my cockatiel. I had him for 18 years before him passing away. He was nothing like this and he was a much quieter bird to deal with.

Is this normal? Am I bad person to think I might want a cockatiel again instead of a quaker or am I doing something wrong with my quaker that's causing her to act this way? If there's anyone here that has quaker parrots, please comment so I can have other owner's perspective.

Thank you in advance.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I know we have Quaker fans here, so I'm giving your post a 'bump' to see if it gets some replies.
I'd give you advice myself, but I have the most ill-tempered, badly-behaved parrot I know, and I fully admit it's because I spoil him rottenrottenrotten!
Welcome. You've found the best parrot forums on line!

 

[hiriki]

Seems like it's a noisy quaker day on the forums!! lol.

I don't have a quaker, but I am familiar with their... reputation... as vocal birds, and what I do have is a jenday who is very similar. She has lungs that can just scream and scream and scream... and she has certain things that she hates. Really, anything stick shaped. Idk if she has stick related trauma from before I rescued her but she hates sticks and as it turns out almost every cleaning implement is a goddamn stick, so if she had her way my home would be a trash heap haha. So I'll give you some advice from that experience, and maybe it will help.

The first thing is that you probably will need to embrace a certain amount of radical acceptance in order to remain sane, tbh. Yes, ignoring her when she's loud and rewarding her when she's quiet may decrease the amount of flock calling throughout the day, but it likely won't eliminate it. Almost all birds flock call at least 2-3 times a day (in my household, there's the morning flock calls, right around noon flock calls, and then before bed flock calls). Thing is, as a species quakers tend to be on the louder side, and some screaming is simply natural.

That said, if you take her out to fly and play frequently and you're sure to tucker her out physically, as well as stimulating her with clicker training sessions and plenty of forage toys and puzzle toys etc, and destructible toys of course, then she'll be on the whole quieter. A tired bird won't have the stamina to yell for hours on end.

And, ignoring screaming is only half the battle. You'll also want to reward quiet. If you pass by her cage and she's not being loud? Give her a little bit of walnut as you pass. If she's been crying for thirty minutes and finally goes quiet?? Show up with her favorite treat. Maybe set yourself an alarm a few times a day to remind yourself to periodically stop in and give her some attention and love if she's being quiet, so that she starts to understand that good things come when she's not screaming.

Also, regarding those things that bother her--in my household, I have a curtain separating my bird area from the rest of the living room which I primarily use to keep their cages dark at night, but which doubles as a way to block sight when I have to vacuum or dust or use a dreading stick-like object for nefarious deeds about the house. I wouldn't recommend covering her during the day, but if there's a way to block her line of sight while you work, it may keep her calmer.

All that said, I think the explanation for the screaming here is mixed. To a certain extent, it's normal and natural. You're not causing it, per se, but there are things you can possibly do to decrease it. I do also want to mention tho that species is only half of the story here, yes quakers are kind of notorious for their lungs but I've seen posts on this very forum of people describing their quakers as quiet. I think it's a bit dangerous to think of this as a matter of "should I rehome my quaker and get a cockatiel?" because in all my years of owning birds, and the 5 cockatiels I've kept, even considering the jenday whose screaming can be ear shattering.... a determined cockatiel's flock call is one of the most obnoxious sounds I've dealt with. I had one tiel who inexplicably went off with the flock calling every time anyone ran the shower. My point is that every bird is an individual, and even if you adopt a fully grown adult with a developed personality, how they act at the shelter is nothing like how they'll act once they're in a comfortable home and regaining their confidence. It's a bit of a dice roll when it comes to parrots and noise, and so unless you reach a point of "I can't stand this anymore" with your quaker, I think the devil you know is always the better option, personally.

 

[clark_conure]

Have a quaker, mine doesn't scream so much as growl at me like a dog. But I think its a wonderfull species. I've attached two videos of what a quaker is basically like (at least for me) for those that don't know.

I wouldn't trade for anything.....

 

[Jcas]

I’m sorry to hear you’re dealing with this. I’ve been where you are with the screaming and the demands and constant need for attention! I went from budgies to a senior Quaker who needed a new home urgently and it didn’t take long for JJ the Quaker to totally disrupt my life . I do think they are awesome birds and JJ and I have worked things out pretty well. What worked for us is:
1) mental activity. Having stuff to do is important for such intelligent birds. Most Quakers are neat freaks so one thing I do with JJ every morning is pull a bunch of stuff out of the “ toy mug” that I keep in his cage and scatter it about the cage. He’ll spend a happy half hour or so tidying up and putting everything away in his mug. Popsicle sticks are a favorite toy for him. He’s woven some elaborate structures with popsicle sticks through the cage bars!

2) Teaching “ talk softly.” When he gets to screaming a lot, in a quiet voice, I ask JJ to “ talk softly.” He usually mimics my lower tone by lowering his volume, too, and then I praise him by telling him, “ yes! Good softly!” Over time as he has come to understand what it means, this has really helped to calm his screaming fits.

3) Routine, routine, routine! Any time I deviate from our normal routine, there’s a likelihood of JJ verbally expressing his displeasure! He knows I go grocery shopping on Thursday and to church on Saturday but if I put on “ nice” clothes and shoes outside of my normal schedule, he knows I’m going somewhere and gets loudly upset!

4) Just hanging out. JJ doesn’t need me to constantly interact with him but he likes when I just sit by his cage and read a book or watch a video on my phone. It’s a low pressure way to spend time with him and he seems to enjoy it.

Quakers can be very noisy ( just look up videos of wild Quaker parrots!) and JJ still chatters, screams, and squawks throughout the day. Some of it I’ve just gotten used to, but with some effort the screaming sessions have definitely been greatly reduced. I hope some of this helps you with your Quaker! They are very loyal birds and I’m sure your Quaker loves you even if she drives you a little crazy

 

[MOONBEADS]

Hello everyone,

I'm Liz and I just joined this group to see if I can talk about quaker parrots. I've had my quaker parrot for over 3 years and I'm missing my cockatiel more each day.

My quaker parrot squawks/screams when I am doing something like cooking, cleaning, working out, or moving a lot more than usual. She seems very upset when I do these things and I tried having her on my shoulder for most things but refuses to be part of it and screams on top of her cage until I'm done with whatever I'm doing.

She also has a bad habit with chewing on clothing that destroys the fabric and I have to put a towel on my shoulder and any guest to get her to chew on that instead.

And there's also times she squawks loudly just because. I read to ignore them until they stop but sometimes this can go for longer than half an hour or more and it can be very annoying to hear so I put her up after a while and most of the time that quiets her up.

I'm at the point that I am conflicted about her and I think about how my life was simpler with my cockatiel. I had him for 18 years before him passing away. He was nothing like this and he was a much quieter bird to deal with.

Is this normal? Am I bad person to think I might want a cockatiel again instead of a quaker or am I doing something wrong with my quaker that's causing her to act this way? If there's anyone here that has quaker parrots, please comment so I can have other owner's perspective.

Thank you in advance.

Hi,
I'm new here, but I have a Quaker, who right now is grieving, but when things are regular around here she is not a screamer, sometimes she does this intermittent scream and I just tell her to stop . I'm home all the time and she's on my shoulder almost all day and we talk alot through the day, but actually if I go to the bathroom without her she does scream. How long have you had her?
I don't think it's wrong or you're a bad person if you want to get a cockatiel, will you hand feed it? Good luck!

 

[wrench13]

A double handfull of popsicle sticks are just the ticket to keep Quakers busy - perfect. Mess up this creation every morning (when he's out of the cage), he will be busy!