2 weeks since we got kali

[justfrank26]

Well it has been 2 weeks since we got kali from petco. Have a couple more questions fo ya. The first one is how often do you put food in thee cage? I guess i am asking bc we have been keeping food in her cage and reading a lot of posts about not leaveing food in there. Second question is I have to pretty much catch her and get her out of the cage, which i know is bad and trying to break the habbit of it and when i do get her out she is smart about it and runs under neath and behind the couches, so we have to corner he and towel her to get her back in her cage.She does calm down when i have her totally in my hands. Think she is still sorta afraid of me but can get her to eat some millet spary from my hand as a treat. She sits in the corner of her cage lets us pet her some just have to take it slow when you first stick you hand in the cage. Last couple of days it has been fun in the mornings she starts chattering and looking like she wants attention but when you get close to the cage back to her corner she goes. Any advice would help. I am working on her play gym should be finished soon. oh and ps i think she thinks her running underneath the couches is a game.

[Chief's Mom]

Not leaving food in the cage is normally the rule for fresh or wet foods because they can grow mold quickly. Pellets and other dried foods you can leave in there, but you should change them pretty often, preferably once a day or more. With my birds, I regulate the amount of food left in the cage based on their behaviors. They get their dry food bowls in the morning. Sarge will throw everything out looking for nuts and have nothing left in his bowl after three minutes, so I actually only give him a little at a time throughout the day because he's causing my dog to gain weight Tootie eats everything, all day long, and wants more all the time! The others tend to eat in stages throughout the day; first all of the nuts, then all the red pellets, then the orange, etc., etc. Almost like they're starting with the best stuff first and going down the line as they get hungrier throughout the day. Mine get fresh food in a seperate bowl when I know I'll be home long enough to supervise and remove from their cage after a few hours (usually between 2 and 4 hours depending on the items). If you do allow fresh food in the cage, be sure to change the cage liner every day as well. The food does not take long to begin to grow mold which then becomes airborne and is a hazard for both birds and humans

As far as getting her more used to you, two weeks is still fairly new, especially if you're coercing her into coming out of the cage. When I get new birdies, I always put them in a seperate room (quarantine from my others), but it serves as a quiet introduction into our home as well. I'll go in there with my laptop or read a book and leave the cage door open. They are usually so intrigued by you sitting in there not giving them attention that after a few days they come out to see what's wrong with you! I'm not saying to lock her in a room or anything, but it takes them a little while to get used to new surroundings and to learn to trust their new people; some take longer than others.

I would not suggest leaving the door to her cage open unless she was supervised, but when you're near her, talk to her gently and let her come out on her own free will. Now you may be chasing her under the sofa for a while afterwards, but at least you'll still have fingers to put her back in the cage You may want to look into putting something under the sofa to prevent her from going under there. Don't know how common this is, but I have heard of pets getting under sofas and beds and tearing away at the lining material underneath then climbing into the springs of the furniture. Not a safe prospect to think about

I hope this helps a little as I have no Quaker experience but I've taken in quite a few rescues who needed lots of time to adjust to a new environment. I know it's difficult because we just want to have fun with them, but having patience and going at her pace really is the best method. Good luck and Congrats all at the same time

[birdwatcher1]

Well I completely agree with the above poster. I always leave our boys pellet mix in his cage or on his playstand and let him pick at it whenever.

[Paralegalpebbles]

I'm a new Quaker owner (and probably be considered a new bird owner since I had birds when I was a kid and early adult, but they were just in the corner birds). Now I'm reading, learning, and loving my Quaker. Anyway, she is about 1 year old and will allow me to pet her head, even while inside her cage, but she doesn't want to step up. When I try to get her to step up, she blocks me with her head. It's kind of funny. She's a head blocker! lol Anyway, I worked with her for about 15 minutes in the back room away from her cage and on a perch stand. But she would rather fly away (her wings are clipped so she just falls to the floor, which scares me because she squeeks when she lands and I'm afraid she'll hurt herself) than step up. If she doesn't block my hand with her head (she doesn't bite), she flies away. She just hates to step up. Any suggestions?

[Tx mommy]

Okay this may sound weird adn it may jus tbe my husbands Conure; But Rubix has never liked step up either he's always crabby about it and nips while he's doing it. Instead my husband says "come here" and pats on his chest and Rubix comes running or flapping. It may just be the attitude. "step up" means boring "come here" seams more like "Lets play"

[Paralegalpebbles]

Thanks, I'll try that. I'm getting a Jenday tonight. I had a Sun, but he flew away (learned my lesson about clipping wings). My Sun stepped up, but would not let me hold or pet him. But he would step up just find. My Quaker loves to be petted and held, but no step up. I'll try "come here" because she looks like she wants to come to me, but when I get close she runs to the back of her perch but still lets me pet her. Thank you.

[Tx mommy]

Oh and word to the wise they love picts around here so post many. Unfortunatly I only have my camera phone right now so I can't yet.

[omelettus]

Originally Posted by Tx mommy

Okay this may sound weird adn it may jus tbe my husbands Conure; But Rubix has never liked step up either he's always crabby about it and nips while he's doing it. Instead my husband says "come here" and pats on his chest and Rubix comes running or flapping. It may just be the attitude. "step up" means boring "come here" seams more like "Lets play"

absolutely
how we interact towards the birds definately makes a difference
quakers want to have fun and speaking to them in an individual way allows them dignity
it may be off subject a little but i refer to their cages as home, so when i started to ask them to go home instead of demanding 'in your cage' (and watch the games begin), they were less offended and go home grumbling

[Kolkri]

One other thing you can try is to distract her with a toy or treat when you ask her to step up.
Just keep moving the treat/toy away so that she well need to step on your hand/perch to get to it.