Quakers and Conures

[andyparade]

so i've been reading up more on quarantining my bird. Should i do it longer than 30 days to be safe or is 30 fine? I'll definitely take him to the vet. i'm really curious at to what these featherless feet are from. i think you may be right and i'm just a fool to believe that's not from plucking. we'll see.

also,
if i have a new cage (at least triple the size of that tiny one in the picture) should i wait until after his quarantine to move him into it? I'll move him in gradually but i'm afraid to start too soon after coming into a new home. it seems like that's just too much stress for him. your opinions? keep him in that tiny cage for longer to save some stress or move him up to his mansion sooner to give him space?

[PatriciaLynn]

I have a Timneh that is frightened of new toys. At first I tried putting it in the same room, slowly moving it towards the cage, etc, etc. She would never get used to it no matter how long I gave her. So now every six months or so I change out her entire cage. Give her all new toys and sometimes new perches. For some strange reason, she seems to do much better with one big switch. It usually takes her about two days to start investigating everything.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[guest1717171]

yeah i doubt those feathers just never grew in
if thats the case then chickie baby is just in a perpetual molt LOL
thats what the previous owners tried to tell me

[andyparade]

good advice patricia. i think I may go with that. maybe getting it all out of the way would be best. and geekasauras, does chickie baby still pluck?

[Monica]

You could set both cages up, right next to eachother! And slowly move stuff from old cage to new cage and see how the quaker does! Or just do the entire switch immediately!

A minimum of 30 days is recommended for quarantine. 90 days is said to be the safest. 45-60 days is said to be a good amount. Some believe that with full blood workup and disease testing, if the bird shows healthy, no need to quarantine afterwards. Some believe that even with an avian vet checkup, it's still best to do the 30-90 day quarantine.

I've been pretty lucky so far as most of the birds here haven't been quarantined, since I had no place to do so.

I've got two mutilators here. Both came that way. Neither can fly. The first being Noel. She only mutilates rarely, or I'd have to say no more tahn 3-5 times a year, which is pretty good for her! She used to be a *LOT* worse! Kiwi is the other... she mutilates on and off... can't figure her out, but then it did take a while for Noel herself to lesson the amount that she mutilated... Some birds can stop with a healthy diet and all the tests run to ensure good health, as well as plenty of toys. Others may never stop, although they might lessen the amount that they pick, clip, or mutilate.

[guest1717171]

no she doesnt pluck at all anymore
she has tons of new feathers along the tops and insides of her wings as well as around the edges of her chest and on her throat
i dont have high expectations that she will regrow the feathers in the center of her chest though
i think the follicles are a bit too damaged

[andyparade]

so i visited him today. his name is snickers and he is so cute. he has a pretty great vocabulary and you can tell he wants to be loved. this is where the bad news starts.
Sad story begin.....
I had been misled into thinking this bird had proper care. i saw his diet which consisted of those nutriberry treats, a couple apple slices and two small dishes of microwaved jiffy cake mix. No veggies, any other type of fruit, or even seeds or noodles/carbs. He is most definitely underweight. And when i asked to see the cage i found out that she keeps him outside all day... with the door to the cage open! not only could he be eaten by something, but he must get so hot out there... this is tucson AZ!!! it goes on.... she showed me where he sleeps. Inside of a small animal carrier no bigger than those old lunch boxes within a closet. Both the door to the closet and his carrier are shut tight. I have no idea how he breathes in there. She said "see how loud he is? you still want him?" Maybe it's just because i'm used to my conure, but this bird's voice was so soft and delicate. I wanted to cry for him. sure enough, she started telling me about his miraculous non-plucking feather loss and in the middle of her spiel, he reaches down and plucks a nice mouthful. He does bite but i'm sure he can move past that. He just hasn't been handled much.
I have to get this bird. he is unhappy. he is unhealthy. he needs a good home. i already have a big cage for him and some loving attention, something he has never really seen.

[Monica]

Jiffy cake mix??? Okay, I've heard of feeding birds some weird things... but cake???? I can see with thinking about getting away with bread, but CAKE?????? Someone has lost their marbles...

Didn't want my suspicions of underweight being confirmed, but there's no doubt he needs help! See if she's willing to take less so that you'll have the money to take him to an avian vet! (I bet she'll think your a nut for even suggesting that with the most current info! - or just ask for him without his cage for a lower price???). I know one quaker who is louder than Noel (cherry head) but he's quieter than Charlie (mitred). Given a choice between the two loudest, I'd prefer quaker! But I wouldn't be able to give up my brat!

Keep us updated!

[andyparade]

I got him. he's bit me really hard a few times but he's getting more comfortable already. Does anyone recommend anything for gaining him some weight? I was thinking higher fat content seeds but i know that those can mess up quakers pretty bad. What else should i do? i have him on some fortified seeds, pellets, fruits and veggies. no more of this microwaves cake mix business. he knows so many words it's great. i'll post pictures of him and my other two later. also, it was a great deal! i got his cage, which sucks, but i got two huge play gyms, alot of toys (15+), a book, perches, 2 happy huts, a carrier, a bunch of snacks, bird bath, and best of all him! he was of course worth every penny. he seems so happy calling to my other birds. he's never interacted with another bird before.

[lueylover]

Yes, I had a bird with a plucking problem. You definitely need to look into fixing that. Anyway, isn't it great how long birds live?