Quakers living with GCCs?

[clark_conure]

OMG!!!!! clark got a veggie pellot. Amos (I guess) said lemme try that an took it. Clark got another pellet and the both munching.....then clark was like, um lets try this other pellet....


oh well.

+

 

[clark_conure]

so apparently some pellets are yummy too.

 

[clark_conure]

both birds tuck away for bed I'm sure the both expended a bunch of energy wondering about the other so took them to bed a bit early.
good second day

 

[Laurasea]

Any fresh veggies? Quakers love their veggies!

Wonderful updates! Great chemistry with Clark! Hope the DNA comes back soon, but looks like a good match either way

 

[clark_conure]

on the way home tomorrow gonna hit supermarket and get some, I also juat got a cuttlebone for him. any favorite veggies you like. for me peppers potatoes an lettuce. what do quakers like.

 

[Laurasea]

Peppers, green beans, fresh or frozen peas ( just thaw n serve) fresh corn, cucumber, zucchini, broccoli or Brussels sprouts straw, cranberries i cut in half they love them, but my silly ones seem to only eat if cut in half weirdo, rainbow Swiss chard, romaine ,blackberries, conures seem to love strawberries, apple us always great to tempt new to fresh stuff, cauliflower. Broccoli, celery, sugar snap peas. Cucumber, cooked lentils or oatmeal, inoffer a slice if tomato here and there.

Currently favorite is sugar snap peas, cucumber, and zucchini, cauliflower, and yellow bell pepper, and the Swiss chard

The yellow pepper has been a big hit recently, here is blue biy eating it too!

 

[Laurasea]

Leafy greens that are packed with nutrients
https://www.thesprucepets.com/super-vegetables-for-your-parrots-390197

 

[clark_conure]

Quaker decided it was bath time, I recognized the dance and got a bowl.

[ame="https://youtu.be/VbB9nLYu2bU"]Quaker first bath...here at least - YouTube[/ame]


+

 

[noodles123]

so cute! what are you watching btw? LOL!

 

[clark_conure]

I'm re-watching old episodes of house MD.....

 

[clark_conure]

This might be my last post on this thread I was going to post to the quaker forum but this still concerns living with a GCC.

Clark is definitely still the alpha despite the size mismatch. They get along, but there was a dispute on who was getting the veggie pellet and clark just didn't give a fuuuuu. Generally no issues and this was late when clark gets a little chirpy-derpy when she's ready for bed.


Another thing is the the Quaker is an expert aviator....very strong wings can hover, change his mind and travel to another area and already seems to have recall built in... always makes a loop and comes back, very smart bird. But very clumsy on her feet. Maybe she was on a one tier cage. But he doesn't have, or seem to have the grip strength to stay on my shoulder confidently or...I don't know what you call it "exotic dancer up or down a cage bar" whereas clark just bounces around her cage like a monkey. I could probably run full tilt with clark and she'd just lean forward and enjoy the wind. I even took clark's landing strip ladder to her cage (she doesn't need it) and put it in the quaker cage and it was then able to change perch level, I have more on the way. He's definitely a better flier but needs to work on his squats and gripping. He was trying to come out of the cage to get on me and ended up hanging upside down in his doorway because he was unsure how to get down, but can support himself upside down so not too worried. I think he just always prefered flight to acrobatics. I have a plethora of ladders and new perches arriving tomorrow.

One of the most helpful things I found was a youtube video by a girl with quaker and gcc. She was using her hands in the video, but in another earlier video she talked about how at first....quakers hate hands, armed with that, pulling my cuff over my hand stepping up and control of his movements is becoming a breeze. The bird has never bit my hand, face, etc. but I could tell it was a little hand shy.... but tolerates them for scritches etc. so long as I move in slow.

Clark normally gets a little bit of juice at night either apple or orange juice, just a little half cap-full as a treat. The quaker thought those were poison when he tried. So I got some V8 original veggie juice....well both parrots thought that was poison, oh well, but I did get some veggies to try as well, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, in a mix and a bag of those mini sweet peppers, (I know clark will munch on them too so I expect them to be a hit).

The quaker is adapting to the veggie pellets I throw in 3 or 4 and he chooses between the roudybush its and those. On my shoulder he likes nibbling the bigger pellets.

In the mornings he tolerates the shower ok and sits with clark on the shower rail with a towel draped over it as clark always has, that poor, poor towel is being destroyed.

All in all, I have the quakers truest, comes out of cage to me, turns around in flight to return to me. And it's definitely like 95% of the time just chill. I can even get up and get a refill or snack 10 feet away without him moving or freaking out....can't do that with clark, she has to micromanage my every movement.

So can Quakers live with a GCC? I think I answered my own question, .....yes! BUT THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT IN PERSONALITY!

 

[clark_conure]

Oh one more thing, I'm constantly being allopreened by him and clark.....very nice!

 

[Laurasea]

your quaker is still a young baby, did she tell you how many weeks? They are clumsy as babies, sure to learn fast tho. I agree my quakers prefer to hold food in foot more than Tadah. I and they like the oven baked bites, I can attach a picture if bag and ingredients if you want, perfect foot holding size. This age is definitely the age to do recall training . I loved the bath baby video. So happy things are going well. I'm sure its hard to leave for work!

 

[clark_conure]

One thing I noticed......and I'm using it to my advantage bird is ALWAYS watching me interact with clark, like full on eyeball. So I'm mindful to always use my hands with clark, ice cream coning her, kissing her while coned, scritching her...so he sees that hands are not the devil. I'm thinking it will help and clark doesn't care, or rather loves it.

 

[clark_conure]

So when they had a little tiff, I would pull clark away because she's easier to get and could potentially do more damage. Then I noticed, the Quaker was actually starting it.....

I kept warning the Quaker, to stop, that clark will kick his ass, but he kept on messing with clark.

There is a principle called the pecking order, that keeps the peace in flocks....chickens,parrots etc.

So I just monitored, didn't break it up. The quaker realized not to mess with clark after that tiff. AND they have been chill ever since. I TOLD the quaker she knows taekwonconure. After this the Quaker just decided um I'm gonna stop messing around and go eat.

I'd worry if like clark followed him down, to keep going, but clark's happy and the quaker I think learned a lesson. I think it had to happen once to establish pecking order. I think the quaker will stop messing with clark now. And the home will have peaceful vibes.


I'm sure a lot of you think this was a bad idea. But it worked and no one was hurt. I read it in a sociology book once. How a pecking order can keep the peace. In a year though, the tables may be revisited.

 

[clark_conure]

Not for nothing when they aren't on me the get along fine. It's all jealousy.

 

[Laurasea]

Yes I disagree with pecking order, as a more outdated idea. Squabbles are going to happen sure. But I've only had Penny and Tadah be Squabbles,

Their is so much to learn about parrots. And so few studies. But I did try to read all I could on quakers. In the few flock observations studies I read, their was not a dominate bird or pair. The study concluded their wasn't a hierarchy, . The quakers enjoyed poking, tail pulls ect. Parrots are so fascinating, and hiw they socialize is fascinating.

Is their a " top " burd maybe..... Pikachu us very very sweet and he doesn't fight. But if he moves towards something the others shift away.

Its interesting to hear if your experience. And I love to hear of other working flocks behaviors. Mostly I hear of otger with several birds having to manage them with seperate times out. Maybe ill start a thread on that.

Jeleousy, heck yeah I do have and see that with who I'm paying attention causing tge issue

I just don't want you to have birds tgst dislike each other. Ta dah and Penny have not declared a dominate or Victor. They just dislike each other. They had a squabble today I thought they had gotten past that. Green cheeks are certainly fierce. Hopefully how you managed the situation works for you guys.

Did your new one try the fresh veggies?

 

[Laurasea]

Just catching-up, clearly you have been busy and life has opened its heart for you and yours.

Clearly, you past the taste test early-on.
Clearly, you have a rider, which enjoys riding, plus shoulder time... Lucky You!

And, a walk into the cage, eating already, has chosen not to eat or kill you! Sounds like a match made in Heaven there.

Hovering is fairly common in the Amazon World. Our Julio commonly hovers, turns and lands on several of his perches. FYI: The down blast of air assures you know that he is landing very near...

Congratulations good friend, you have clearly been chosen!!!

I wonder if its the same as quakers?
I just read this
" Quakers have a unique feather adaptation that is thought to help them fly a bit like a hummingbird with slower, backwards and “hovering” flight patterns."

 

[SailBoat]

Just catching-up, clearly you have been busy and life has opened its heart for you and yours.

Clearly, you past the taste test early-on.
Clearly, you have a rider, which enjoys riding, plus shoulder time... Lucky You!

And, a walk into the cage, eating already, has chosen not to eat or kill you! Sounds like a match made in Heaven there.

Hovering is fairly common in the Amazon World. Our Julio commonly hovers, turns and lands on several of his perches. FYI: The down blast of air assures you know that he is landing very near...

Congratulations good friend, you have clearly been chosen!!!

I wonder if its the same as quakers?
I just read this
" Quakers have a unique feather adaptation that is thought to help them fly a bit like a hummingbird with slower, backwards and “hovering” flight patterns."

The space between the inside most wing feather and the body is the area that when adjusted allows the bird to shape the created air bubble (high pressure zone) under them. Different species have the ability to greatly adjust that space or not. The greater the ability, the greater the ability to hover, etc...

 

[clark_conure]

I just know the squabbles stopped....it seemed to work for us, at least in the short term. As the quaker stopped doing the poking and trying to chew on clark. I think it worked because he's still a baby and you have to set limits. If they were the same age, it may have been a much worse idea.

As far as recall training I don't think I need it, every time this bird took off it was like wait no I need to go back to my human. And as sailboat said, it can hover, it hovers then lands on shoulder or head. And yeah I think I did see him fly backwards at least once.

He is constantly allopreening and eating and snuggling, and eating, and chirping and eating.

Also he seems to be a lot better with the hands with all the scritches.
Good signs.