Cage Aggression/Help please

[BeakBeak]

I took in a Green Quaker a few months ago from a lady who got the bird from a so called rescue. He was as far as I was told kept in a large area with birds of other species. Well she took him home and he has been a nightmare for her. Attacks eveything. His cage when you are near, tries to lunge at you and if you even dare get within biting distance beware. I tragicaly lost my quaker and she offered this one to me. I jumped at it because I had seen the bird before and interacted with no problems, plus my previous Quaker had aggression issues. Just not like this one.

So now I have Beaker. I have tried everything that I could think of. He tries to eye gouge you if you are near his cage and its open. If you are within biting distance beware. I have had blood drawn and welts. I can take a bite and don't give in. But I just hate to see him so upset. When you finally get him out he either asks scared or shy. But is wanting to be loving. If he does calm down and seems content anything new and he is scared, shy,or threating you with open beak. I have tried new rooms, new cages, new toys, ect. Is there any hope for this guy? Or is he just gonna be miserable getting out of his cage? Sometimes when he's out on me he will sit on me and bite my clothes or the towel on my lap. Like he's tring to show his dominance. (Currently he's sitting on my lap watching me type)

Now on being picky. He will only eat one type of bird food. It has to be Zupreem natural. He takes a piece dips it in water then eats. I have tried to mix other types of food, pellets, and seed, he eats around it or starves himself. I have recently got him to eat millet. And he goes bonkers over marshmellow treats. He only get a kernal once in a blue moon since sugar is not good for them. He will touch nothing else or takes it from you and throws it.

Any ideas or comments will be greatly appreciated.

[hollyhawkz]

First off Welcome!

I think budgies and quakers are very different. You could try posting under Quakers, you may get a better response.

[Lori~D]

If the bird has not been DNA tested then I bet its a girl. Anyhow,This is going to sound funny but, try moving the cage to the floor or on a very short stand so the birds head is always lower than your head and shoulders. I moved this thread to the proper location and maybe some more Quaker people can help. Thanks Hollyhawk
Another thing you will want to try to stop doing is moving the cage around from room to room for awhile. This home is new to this bird and he/she needs the security of knowing its not going to be moved yet again. right now the only thing that has been consitantly his/hers has been the cage (not knowing if the other owner kept moving it as well) and it will fiercly protect it. Again try lowering the cage first. this often works wonders with cage aggressive birdies!

[odhinn]

IMO Quakers are like kids cranked up on a sugar rush. Ours is aggressive also until she is out of her cage. It sounds like you either have a tamed breeder or a tamed pet that has gone semi-feral. Try what Lori said and give her some time to gain some trust in you. You may also want to teach her "step up" so she will do it on command. Use it every time you are taking her out of the cage for her free time. Then she should associate it with being able to come out. I say it to our little girl before I get close and she then changes her attitude and watches my finger so she can get on it and not bite it.

Good luck.

[Tulojow]

I adopted a rescued Quaker a few years back who, initially, was highly cage aggressive as well. She was absolutely charming once out of her cage, but she definitely got full of herself when I tried to remove her. And, while they hadn't done any DNA testing before I took her, when she got settled and started laying eggs, it answered the question.

For me, some basic desensitization worked well with Libby. I did invest in a good thick pair of gardening gloves that were about a size or so too big. That way if she did get me, she'd just get glove. The bigger size means that if she really grinds into the bite (which she often did), the excess glove would roll off my finger and all she could get was glove.

I'd open the cage and start to reach for her. If she got fussy and ran away from my hand, I didn't necessarily chase her but I didn't remove my hand either. I'd just freeze where I was until she calmed and relaxed and then I'd move a little closer. If she came at my hand and bit it, likewise, I didn't move my hand away. The glove prevented her from getting me and she quickly learned that trying to intimidate me wasn't going to work. Usually, moving slowly and offering treats at the same time I could get her up on my hand without too much undue stress and then we'd move to a t-stand to do some step up practices. Eventually, the combination of the step up out of the cage and her learning that lunging at me didn't create any response improved things. Eventually, we got to the point where she accepted the glove and stepped up on it without any contestation. Gradually, I got tot the point where I could usually get her out without the glove, though when she was hormonal sometimes I'd have to go back to the glove.

[andyparade]

So here's a little trick that really worked for me...
I tried the glove idea and it just seemed to frighten my quaker even more. Instead, I put a few band-aids around my finger. It's not a big odd shaped perch now. It's just a somewhat normal looking finger with some protection. Because, like plenty of quakers, he didn't mind my finger out of the cage, this worked fine. Now, I could really show him that biting wouldn't effect me and I was just there to be a pal. Within a couple months, he was fine.