Treat/bribe to get Quaker to come OUT

[HeatherG]

Hi,
Willow Quaker was flying around his owner’s house for years and not handled. In my apartment, I can’t let him fly around. Nonetheless, he seems happy and has stopped barbering his feathers. I WAS asking Willow to step up from inside his cage onto a washcloth over my hand. NOW, For a week or so, I have been showing him small treats and using the treats to get him to come out of his cage on his own. He comes to the door and I step him up.

Willow is very cage protective and holds onto his seagrass playgym anxiously when I come over, open his door, and ask him to come out. He wants the treat and opens his beak, leans way over, etc but it takes a bit to coax him off his favorite perch.

i have a jar of dried fruit and nut mix for birds but I think it’s not that great. The frut and nuts look old and shriveled and not very yummy. I’ve been picking the dried mango and pineapple bits out and breaking them into smaller pieces. What else can I use for a treat to get Willow to come out?
I don’t think Willow has had popcorn and I could air pop a small bag. But that’s empty carbs. What might be good for him? Can I give him dried fruits made for people?

 

[Laurasea]

I think safflower seed works best , or pumpkin seed. I use everything. Crackers funny enough are liked, but I just give a crumb so a cracker would equal 100 treats.

I hand feed little things to mine all day long, usually a veg or pellets or some of my human safe food. I find lots of reasons to praise. Pamela Clark suggests this is many of her behavior articles. It has also come in handy when I have had sick birds, as they are used to taking food from so I could hide meds, or temp my sick ones to eat

Hopefully praise and maybe a kiss will soon be enough for him to come out.

Looking forward to more cute pictures!

 

[HeatherG]

I think safflower seed works best , or pumpkin seed. I use everything. Crackers funny enough are liked, but I just give a crumb so a cracker would equal 100 treats.

I hand feed little things to mine all day long, usually a veg or pellets or some of my human safe food. I find lots of reasons to praise. Pamela Clark suggests this is many of her behavior articles. It has also come in handy when I have had sick birds, as they are used to taking food from so I could hide meds, or temp my sick ones to eat

Hopefully praise and maybe a kiss will soon be enough for him to come out.

Looking forward to more cute pictures!

It seems like Willow will come out best for the dried fruit. He wouldn’t come out for tomato so I fed it to him bite by bite. Thought maybe he wanted me to pick him up so I put my hand in and got bit. Then I went and played with Jasper for a while.
I ‘led’ him with the fruit towards his climbing ladder and THEN he would come out. Otherwise he sits in his favorite spot and holds his seagrass mat in his foot. He LOVES to be out with me so I don’t quite understand. Maybe it’s the decision pressure!

Right now, Willow is sitting on his basket on my lap licking my hand. He has not discovered the bloody bite mark, but when he does, I’m sure it will be fascinating.

I will pick some safflower out of his remaining seed and maybe some little clusters of millet. I bet cheese would work, too. Looks like it must be a high value treat to get him to move. Kisses? He runs over to my side of the cage if I smooch at him and makes smooching noises, but NO he won’t come out. I feel a bit rejected. Goofy bird.
You can see he REALLY DOES like me…

 

[HeatherG]

It seems like Willow will come out best for the dried fruit. He wouldn’t come out for tomato so I fed it to him bite by bite. Thought maybe he wanted me to pick him up so I put my hand in and got bit. Then I went and played with Jasper for a while.
I ‘led’ him with the fruit towards his climbing ladder and THEN he would come out. Otherwise he sits in his favorite spot and holds his seagrass mat in his foot. He LOVES to be out with me so I don’t quite understand. Maybe it’s the decision pressure!

Right now, Willow is sitting on his basket on my lap licking my hand. He has not discovered the bloody bite mark, but when he does, I’m sure it will be fascinating.

I will pick some safflower out of his remaining seed and maybe some little clusters of millet. I bet cheese would work, too. Looks like it must be a high value treat to get him to move. Kisses? He runs over to my side of the cage if I smooch at him and makes smooching noises, but NO he won’t come out. I feel a bit rejected. Goofy bird.
You can see he REALLY DOES like me…

 

[HeatherG]

Willow is beginning to understand what he needs to do to get picked up from his cage door. Instead of sitting on his back perch looking wistful, he is imitating what I showed him to do the day before: he runs over to his ladder, climbs down the ladder and can then reach the front perch and door. He did this right away and stepped up easy as can be a few times yesterday.

I’m glad not to have to ‘argue’ with Willow to get him to come out!

 

[Laurasea]

Love the pictures. Love the progress

 

[HeatherG]

Love the pictures. Love the progress

Thank you! He came out quickly today. It helps if he’s competing with the Meyers parrot for treats or out. But I get Willow out and then I have to hold and pet him with both hands! If I am reading and turn a page, taking one hand away briefly, I get a tap with the beak. Willow is a bit high maintenance.

 

[HeatherG]

Deleting photo of poster

 

[Laurasea]

Awww....and your eyes look the same color as Willow feathers!

 

[HeatherG]

Awww....and your eyes look the same color as Willow feathers!

Pretty close. More than in the photo, actually.
Willow is out right now, chewing on and licking me. He just got a tiny bit trimmed off his beak. He came out as soon as he knew what I wanted.

 

[HeatherG]

Willow told me to “step up” tonight! He sounded like a growly little troll or elf.

 

[HeatherG]

Willow came out this morning after I shared his treat with Jasper. He came to get the other half as I guided him on his preferred path to the door.
I was wearing glasses which I don’t do often. I think there was some confusion, because Willow was sitting on his basket on my lap, preening. I kissed him on his head and he grabbed my upper lip with his beak. I was surprised and told him “ouch! You hurt mommy!” But I’m pretty sure he was confused by the glasses.
Anyhow my lip is mostly ok, with one little fat area that got pinched….

 

[Laurasea]

Awww. And agree. I have long hair, if its not in a ponytail my quaker Penny attacks my ears and neck with painful bites

 

[HeatherG]

Awww. And agree. I have long hair, if its not in a ponytail my quaker Penny attacks my ears and neck with painful bites

I think it’s like they think you are a dangerous imposter or an alien. Like a body snatcher, or the “uncanny valley”. It’s mommy but it’s NOT mommy! Oh noooo!

 

[Laurasea]

Are you feeling better?

 

[Laurasea]

I think it’s like they think you are a dangerous imposter or an alien. Like a body snatcher, or the “uncanny valley”. It’s mommy but it’s NOT mommy! Oh noooo!

Completely true.
But for Penny it annoys her to get her feet caught in my hair, she's like what's this mess?!

 

[HeatherG]

Are you feeling better?

My lip is mostly better. One little sore because he just caught the center of my top lip.
Otherwise I just can’t seem to get rid of this sinusitis. It’s hanging on and on and setting off migraines. I tested negative for covid and it’s more an issue of being run down. Blah! And with covid regs, if you have sniffles you are supposed to isolate, so I have been stuck in my apartment most of the time. Thank god for the internet! I have so much more access to information and reading.

Willow had lots and lots of out yesterday. He needs to get a good scritching almost daily or I have to coax him to accept petting, to relax and close his eyes and purr. Jasper gets shorter pets and kisses but he will get nippy if he’s out much more than 10-15 min., though maybe he just needs to potty? I should try that.

And oh my god, I have very very long hair and I make sure I never get a bird stuck in it. Lucy liked to hide under my hair but then could get tangled up. Jasper would be much less patient, so I almost always tie it up.

 

[Laurasea]

you might want to see a specialist on sinuses. I've had to have a few sinus surgery as they swelled shut trapping infection