adults

[birdnew]

I have been reading and researching everything possible about quakers and parrots hoping i can avoid some of the common mistakes humans make with birds that make both parties miserable. I have read that diet plays a very important role. Many experts have suggested training diets, but only for adult parrots....well, does anyone know how old a parrot has to be to be considered an adult? Also, is there any particular cues quakers give that they are attempting to talk or does it just one day say a word? Our Leo has so far been very quite, he coos, squeals when we come home but that's about it. I know that not all quakers will not talk, but oh how i hope Leo does!!!

For all those interesting in training......if your like me and you've searched the internet high and low for information, you've come across BirdTricks.com. Well i purchased the $60.00 package and it has been worth every penny. I've had Leo one week and 3 days and he waves, turns, steps up, and targets like a champ. He is working on fetch which is taking a little longer than the other tricks, but he is catching on. Just thought i'd share in case some of you have looked at the site but just couldn't commit. Chet and Dave Womach share some awesome techniques and advice for living a happy life with a well trained bird!!!

[MonteDucklo]

Cool! From what I've seen and read about that program, I notice it has a lot in common with general things that I typically have my clients do with their dogs (training/behavior mod). As for the age they are considered adults, I guess it would depend on the species...of course I'm another newbie to Quakes so I'll be interested in learning that too!

[Chico's Mom]

I've wondered about "adulthood" also, so thanks for asking! I tried the birdtricks "free" video tips when I first got Jazz and they worked like a charm, so I am going to go for the training tips, thanks for the report! I love my quaker, and training him will give me a great way to spend quality time!

[birdnew]

Hey Chico's mom!! I'm thinking about ordering the whole system!! Don't let it freak you out if you decide to order the 60 dollar offer, they start offering all kind of other stuff to....toys, other videos, etc......just say no thanks and order the initial offer. It will show you how to teach your bird to wave, spin (which i changed to turn), fetch, shake head yes and no, and a couple of card tricks. I'm amazed at how smart these little birds are!! So much fun to see them catch on and oh sooooooo cute!!! You're right, quality time!! Leo is not interested in toys yet, how bout jazz? I wish he would get interested, i'm so scared he's gonna get bored and start some nasty habits!! I'm so tempted to order the video on how to train the bird how to talk, its 100 bucks, yikes!!!

[Littlesavedgirl]

Thanks for the reviews on the training material, I was wondering about it. Good to hear it is effective!

[Chico's Mom]

Hi Birdnew! I haven't ordered it yet, just havent gotten around to it but maybe tonite...anyway, I bought a couple of foraging toys for Jazzie today also, because I had to be out all day and maybe all nite babysitting (but now I'm home, yay!) so I was worried about her/him being bored and also about those nasty habits. I bought two toys, one simple, and one a little bit more complicated. I gave him the simple one, and had to leave, it was stashed with p-nuts, and when I came home it was opened and all the pnuts were gone! Smart birdie! Anyway, I'm gonna go and order them the next time they send me an email (pretty often). Should be soon.

[birdnew]

Chico's Mom, where'd you get the toys from? Are you ordering off the Internet? If so, send me a link, Leo hasn't touched a toy yet. Leo learned fetch today....i learned the training technique from the training video i mentioned. He only does it on his training perch though, I bought a card table to put him on for play time but he keeps flying off and forget the floor, he will not play on the floor!!

[Chico's Mom]

Jazz won't go on the floor either, except by accident (clipped wings) and then I have to rescue her/him/whatever. I actually had toys from my other (healthy) birds, and I made some of my own by using loose toy parts. I just started with foraging toys...so far I have to do all the work or he can't figure it out. Hoping he'll learn by watching me.
I really do have to get around to ordering those cd's.