Need quick but thoughtful help. Please

[NurseJimbo]

Hello,
We are new to the board. We are in a delima and could certainly use your advaice.
We are "empty nesters" and purchased a young quaker (allegedly 6-10 month old) 9 days ago. We have experience with a zillion pets but not birds.
Our new Quaker is absolutely incorrigeable. He/She goes to other side of cage and just squaks. Bites and does not let go. Our enviroment is very calm with no children or grandchildren around. We only use positive training on previous pets (no other pets in this house presently) and speak is soft tones etc.
This bird does not like any toys, only eats when cage is covered and just will not bond or attempt to talk.
The question is....we have a very short window to return to bird for another from the same lot or upgrade to a sun conure or a A Grey (out of the budget). These are being hand fed and we have helped feed them yesterday. The conures will not be ready for another 3-4 weeks.
It is oput of character for us to give up on anything but this quaker has shown no improvement or adaptation to new enviroment.
Last thought. Golly, wish we found this site sooner we really spent a lot of money at Petco (nopt where the birds are from) for the super sale ($100) cage and accessories that are the wrong type...diagonal bars etc.
thanks for your thoughts

[PearlRuby]

How much research before you bought this bird?

[svolk]

Welcome!

Some questions to better help us understand the situation:

Do you know how old this bird is?

Do you know any of the previous history on this bird?

If the Quaker was rehomed one or more times, or even abused or neglected, it could take a lot of time and patience to help him adjust to his new home and surroundings.

9 days home is still really new - moving to a new home is very stressful for birds. But it sounds like you are approaching the situation properly, speaking softly and not pushing him too far too fast.

Positive reinforcement training works very, very well with birds. Do you know what his favorite treat/snack is? I would start by putting your hand in the cage and trying to get him to eat a treat from your hand (I suggest millet, most birds seem to like millet). I would work on this a few times per day. Also spend a lot of time near his cage and talking to him - read to him and sing to him. He needs to know that you're his friend and not a predator.

About exchanging him for another bird - only you can make that decision if you feel that this honestly will not work out with the Quaker. But I get the feeling that he has been passed around (possibly due to the same reasons, screaming and biting), and I do feel for any bird who has not found a loving forever home.

Research all that you can on Quakers or Sun Conures (if you are seriously considering exchanging him). Be aware that Suns are known to be VERY loud.

Go the species specific sub-forums here and ask as many questions as you can. I don't have a Quaker or Sun or Grey, so I cannot give any specifics on those (except how loud I hear Suns are).

[karen774]

Our quaker took a couple weeks before he came around. I just kept offering treats to him and he would slide down the cage and take them from me, then run back. Eventually he began to trust me and now he is a big part of our family.
Remember this is all new to him. He is in a strange house with new people he is unsure of. He needs to learn to trust you. He also may not know how to play. You may have to show him how to play with his toys. If he sees you playing with them he may be curious enough to check them out himself.

Also where is his cage located? Maybe cover just a small corner of his cage so he feels he has a safe place to go. If he is in a croner it is best, they feel more secure there. Hope this helps.

[Doyle'sMommy]

First off hello and welcome!

I think Sarah covered it all. With work and time I am sure your quaker would come around and be more friendly. He is very young and 9 days is not long at all, so he could still just be getting used to you. I have two rehomed birds that were not taken care of in their last home, they were VERY frightened of us when they came home. Where is his cage located? Is it up against at least one wall? Also if it is near a corner where you can walk by suddenly that might scare him too. Take time to sit and talk to the bird, reminding him that he is safe. We had to do this for awhile before our birds would not cower everytime we were near. Try offering a treat from your hand, millet is always a favorite.

I just wanted to reinforce that suns are VERY loud! And even if they are happy and content they will screech, it is just their nature. Other then that conures are very loving and affectionate birds. They are 100mph all the time and are little clowns, hanging by one foot from their cages and always into everything! Be prepared to go through ALOT of toys with conures. They are huge shredders and anything is fair game to them. But there are no guarantees with any bird that they will be friendly, quiet, or anything.

I just brought home a Grey yesterday but have been spending time with her while she was at the breeders. She is very quiet. Loves to play with toys and is not the cuddler my conure is (she will let me pet her and hold her, but my conure will turn over on his back and take a nap on me). Greys can be a little neurotic if not socialized properly (some will be even if socialized properly). They also are known to have big vocabularies, but some might never talk so that shouldn't be the main reason to get them.

Both greys and conures require large cages, they will use every inch of it. Fresh fruits and veggies is a must. So are a variety of perches and toys.

Definitley go visit the specific bird sections and read around. And good luck!

[Ingrid]

Originally Posted by Doyle'sMommy

First off hello and welcome!

I think Sarah covered it all. With work and time I am sure your quaker would come around and be more friendly. He is very young and 9 days is not long at all, so he could still just be getting used to you. I have two rehomed birds that were not taken care of in their last home, they were VERY frightened of us when they came home. Where is his cage located? Is it up against at least one wall? Also if it is near a corner where you can walk by suddenly that might scare him too. Take time to sit and talk to the bird, reminding him that he is safe. We had to do this for awhile before our birds would not cower everytime we were near. Try offering a treat from your hand, millet is always a favorite.

I just wanted to reinforce that suns are VERY loud! And even if they are happy and content they will screech, it is just their nature. Other then that conures are very loving and affectionate birds. They are 100mph all the time and are little clowns, hanging by one foot from their cages and always into everything! Be prepared to go through ALOT of toys with conures. They are huge shredders and anything is fair game to them. But there are no guarantees with any bird that they will be friendly, quiet, or anything.

I just brought home a Grey yesterday but have been spending time with her while she was at the breeders. She is very quiet. Loves to play with toys and is not the cuddler my conure is (she will let me pet her and hold her, but my conure will turn over on his back and take a nap on me). Greys can be a little neurotic if not socialized properly (some will be even if socialized properly). They also are known to have big vocabularies, but some might never talk so that shouldn't be the main reason to get them.

Both greys and conures require large cages, they will use every inch of it. Fresh fruits and veggies is a must. So are a variety of perches and toys.

Definitley go visit the specific bird sections and read around. And good luck!

AWWWWW congrats on your new baby!!!!!!!!

[Quito's Qage]

Good advice from Sarah and Karen. I know you're getting frustrated, but how much longer do you have in that "window"? A few days more might make all the difference in the world. Keep in mind that he may have been used to being in very "busy" and noisy conditions, with lots of other birds around. If so, he may be a little freaked by the quiet. Remember, to a Parrot's instinct, quiet can be scary. If he wasn't hand raised and exposed to toys, you'll probably have to teach him how to play. Was he supposedly hand fed/hand tame? 6 to 10 months old implies that he may have been rehomed or has been sitting in the shop for a while. Even if he was hand raised, it can take a while for him to learn to trust you. What are you doing when he bites?

One good technique to try is sitting by the cage and reading to him. Doesn't matter what, just use that confident and gentle tone you already know from your other animals.

I'm sure some folks with lots of Quaker experience will chime in here soon.

Oh yeah, don't sweat the talking. If he decides to talk, that'll come later. Just be aware that he may not. He'll still be happy to talk parrot talk with you though!

[Doyle'sMommy]

Originally Posted by Ingrid

AWWWWW congrats on your new baby!!!!!!!!

Thanks!

[stepht25]

Quakers are known to be very cage territorial. Our quaker will bite the snot out of you if you stick your hand in or on her cage. We usually use a hand held perch or wrap our hand in a towel to get her out. She attacks and bites and we just ask her to step up and after biting and telling us off - she does. Once out of her cage - she is usually a completely different bird. Allowing scritches and kisses and will lay on her back for my daughter to tickle her tummy and feet.

Have you tried taking her out of site of her cage to work with her in a "neutral" area to see how she does? This may help.

Also - do you know of all the things you shouldn't use in your home that could kill a pet bird? Scented candles, most cleaners, air fresheners and non stick cookware, just to name a few?

[svolk]

I just realized that you did state the alleged age of the bird 6-10 months is very young and I do believe that you can turn things around with some time and patience.