Age of a new Quaker

[Tiki]

Hopefully I will get a Quaker at the bird fair on 1 May. They will be between 5-6 months by the time I get one. Is that a suitable age? They won't breed again until Oct and I don't want to wait that long. They will be hand raised but certainly weaned by then and I don't know if they will still be tame or go wild? If I get one that is that old, will he still make a good pet? I want him to be friendly and cuddly? How do I know this if they won't let me handle them at the bird fair? They probably won't take them out of the cages.

[Monica]

Only way to know is to go to the bird fair. Generally, quakers remain tame and cuddly if they are handled often enough, so wouldn't become ornery until they are maturing, though with care can remain tame and cuddly. 5-6 months of age should be fine.

Just look around the bird fair at the different quakers, if any of them just 'jump out at you' or try to get your attention, then you can pick one of those. If not you can look for some breeders who might have some quakers around the same age and see if they ship.

[Takoda]

my Pickle was from the pet store I work at (i HIGHLY advise against buying from a pet store unless it's just an awesome store or you get emotionally attached to a particular bird like i did). I didn't get to know him until 5 months of age, and he was not tame at that point. All the employees called him not very nice names and, well, it was bad.

i took him out everyday while i was doing the bookkeeping. At first he only let me grab him, he was afraid of hands. He bit too, I'll tell you. But it eventually got to the point where he'd curl up in the back of my neck and purr, growling at anyone who tried to take him away. My roomie bought him for me for xmas because i wouldn't shut up about him... pickle this, pickle that..

so my advice is, if you want it, go for it. A little TLC will go a long way if he's not quite as tame as you'd like. Just make sure you get a written health guarantee at the germ fair, i mean, bird fair.