Found bird........need help

[madpag]

This bird found us today. It was on our roof and then landed on our fence and was roosting. My husband walked over to it and it hopped right on his hand and up his arm. He is obviously someone's pet. I was hoping you could tell me what type he is and what to do for him until we can find his owner.

Right now he is living on my front porch. It is enclosed and he has a nice high perch and a dog crate (only thing we had) with a cover and water. Please help. I want to keep him alive and keep him comfy.

[mommyof8]

Hello!
and what a beautiful bird.
I believe it is a quaker..I'm still new to BB and there are alot of very great and knowledgable people here that will step in and assist you.
what a beautiful bird...I'd look up online on the proper care and feeding of a quaker.. unless I'm wrong ..somebody step in....
I'll look online and repost if need be.
Good Luck..what a beauty he/she is....

[madpag]

Thank you!

Off to search now.

[mommyof8]

Because diet affects the length and quality of life of pet birds, it's important to feed the best diet possible to our Quaker Parrots. And while it's true that even the experts still argue over what is the best diet, here is one Quaker owner's opinion on the subject. A list of toxic foods is included at the bottom of the article.
What I am trying to say is that no one has proven a 100% guaranteed, healthy, risk-free way to feed a captive parrot as of yet. Our responsibility as birdie parents is simply to provide the most well balanced, planned, variety of healthy foods possible to our Quakers, and then hope for the best.
Feeding a Variety of Foods
General consensus among bird enthusiasts, avian medicine, and professional breeders is that a pellet based diet is superior to a seed based diet and any possible drawbacks to the pellet based diet are far surpassed by the potential benefit.
What do I mean by "pellet based"? Just like it sounds, the diet is centered on a constant offering of high quality companion parrot pellet food, with a generous offering of fresh unseasoned vegetables, fruits, dairy, carbohydrates, and protein. Sound familiar? It should!
Simply put, our Quakers should eat as we should. Not as we do, however. Quakers are somewhat prone to fatty liver disease and hypertension, and therefore it is extremely important to offer them only foods that are low in saturated fats and sodium (salt). There is some debate over the ratio in which our birds should eat, but it is somewhere between 60%/40% pellets-fresh food and 80%/20% pellets/fresh food. Your Quaker will probably set its own pace somewhere within that acceptable range.
To Feed Seeds or Not
Does this mean that Quaker Parrots never eat bird seed? NO! Anyone who denies their Quaker both the pleasure of cracking seed and the dietary benefit of variety, is, in my opinion, doing their bird a terrible injustice. Cracking seed is a natural bird behavior, an excellent behavioral enhancer, and, well, just the right bestowed by wearing feathers. It is essential to feed only a superior quality, well stored, low fat seed, however. This would preferably be a parakeet (Budgie) mixture that does not contain sunflower seeds.

Sunflower and pumpkin seeds in bird seed are very high in fat and should be reserved for the occasional "special treat" food only. Wild bird and human prepared seeds are loaded in salt and should never be offered your Quaker. Premium seed mixtures for parakeets should be available at the dealer where you purchase your pellets and should be offered as approximately a 10% dietary supplement, preferably mixed in with the pellets.
As with any bird, your Quaker will crack open the seed, eat the contents, and leave the hull behind. Quite often this gives the visual impression that the bird has not eaten any or all of the seed, although there may be nothing left behind but the "suitcase". Check this thoroughly when deciding whether or not your Quakers food needs replacing.
Further, another option is to offer your Quaker a birdie bottle, which is a plastic, gravity fed water bottle with an incorporated stopper to prevent food from being inserted through the tip, blocking the gravity feed. Many Quakers adjust well to these bottles, and if you work all day, this a great option. Do not remove your Quakers water dish when not at home until you know for sure your bird has adjusted to the bottle, and be sure to change the water inside the bottle frequently as well, even if there is a lot left.
Things to Avoid
There are several things already mentioned that are bad for your birds, fatty foods, salty foods, moldy or otherwise unfit foods should all be avoided. There are certain things that present an even more immediate danger to your Quakers health and should NEVER be allowed. These include caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and nicotine. These things are bad for you, and deadly for your bird. Although some people do allow their Quakers to taste their beer and other (mind altering) things, there is truly no need for this, and I do not understand why you would take the risk. You have the ability to make an educated decision about what you consume, your Quaker does not.
Harmful Foods for Parrots
The following foods are toxic to your Quaker: Avocadoes, chocolate, apple seeds, and the pits of most fruits, i.e. cherry, peach, etc. Do not allow your bird to consume these three things under any circumstances. Some Quakers have ingested chocolate without harm, but others have died within hours. Please avoid that possibility.


sorry its long..but copied/posted for you to read as to nt miss anything in my typing...
let us know how things are going...
if it were me..I'd contact local vet etc to see if anyone is missing there pet quaker....

[madpag]

Thank you!

Right now he is sleeping on his "perch". When I check on him, he wakes up, looks at me and then buries his head back in his feathers and goes back to sleep.

My husband had given him some cheerios and raisins earlier. He said he ate both like he was very hungry. (I was at work, didn't get to see it). I will go to the store tomorrow and get him some pellet food.

I'm going to make some calls to local vets and the humane society tomorrow also. I've checked the local paper lost and found and also craigslist. Nothing I can find. He does look like a quaker from the pics I've seen. Not that I know anything about birds.

The trick tomorrow will be keeping the kids and animals far away LOL

Thank you again!

[Xen]

Yeah, he's a quaker and looks healthy too. He knows his basic "step up" so I'd bet he's a missing well loved pet...

Keeping him enclosed is a good call. If it gets cold where you are you could always bring him inside... bathroom with loo seat down?
Since you're hoping to find his owner... for now offer him some fruit and vegetables. No avocado, rhubarb, onion or mushrooms. Carrot, apple and peppers are basics that always go down well here. You can look up a bunch of other safe, well loved fruits and vegetables if you wanted.
The cheapest option for you is to buy some seed. If he's not on a pellet diet then he won't know what to do with pellets if you buy them... if he does eat pellets then there's nothing to say he'd even eat the brand you buy. Birds are picky with pellets and you could just end up wasting your money. Water is a given.

Are you planning to put up posters? Inform local vets and pet stores... If he's being searched for they'll no doubt ask around vets and stores. Inform local rescues and refuges? I know you have parrot 911 over there... is it possible to inform them of found birds in specific areas?

[madpag]

It's going to be a low of 56F here tonight. He's on the enclosed front porch. It's probably a few degrees warmer on the porch. From what I'm reading they can survive in the north even as released birds (never would have thought) so I'm sure he'll be ok on the porch overnight. Tomorrow is going to be 84F.

The problem of bringing him inside is two cats and two dogs (not to mention the two toddlers LOL) I've got one cat who is too fat to do more than watch, but the other would be more than willing to try to catch him. And well, pretty much the same situation with the dogs too.

I'll put out some apples, oranges and watermelon for him tomorrow morning before I go buy some seeds. Little variety. Maybe some more cheerios & raisins too.

Although I'm wondering if anyone will be advertising for a lost quaker as from what I gathered from the net is that they are illegal to own or sell in Pennsylvania. Anyone know if that is for sure?

Thank you so much for your help.

[madpag]

oh, and what is parrot 911?

[madpag]

Originally Posted by madpag

oh, and what is parrot 911?

Nevermind, I found it. No missing ones for my area.

[rockybird]

If it were me, for now, I would just buy some parrot seed. You can add pellet to it. I think the most important thing is to get food into him. My birds wont touch pellets. I spent a small fortune on every type of pellet for them, although they occasionally do munch on the pellets that come in the seed mixes. My birds also like apples, corn, pasta. As someone said, no avocados. And fresh water always.

Definitely give him the raisins and cheerios until you get the seed. I imagine that he is VERY hungry. Birds have fast metabolisms.

Check craigslist also. Do a search under "pet" for missing bird, missing quaker, or just quaker and see what comes up.

Hopefully he is safe and cant get out of the enclosure. He could very well die if he did. If you decide to keep him for any length of time, you might have to get a cage for him.

I am so glad that he found you! It sounds like he landed at the right house.