first time bird

[kathleen]

I have a friend who has a quaker parrot and yesterday he called me and said that a friend of his has a quaker that he wants to get rid of. I asked why and was told that he will be getting a bigger bird and already has three and wants to part with one. The information I got was that he was 2 years old. My concern with a previously owned bird is 1) I'm single and the bird was around other birds, will that pose a problem with loneliness? 2) Is there an age, or window of opportunity to teach a bird to talk? I know not all birds will talk but I at least would like a real opportunity.

Are there any other questions I should ask?

[The Outlaw]

Kathleen:

I think I already answered this somewhere else. Anyway, here goes:

I REALLY like quakers. They can be the most comical and best little talkers you'll ever own. However, they DO have their quirks. For one, they are unbelievably territorial. That means getting them out of their cages can be trying. Also, the MUST be handled daily and often. They tend to get wild very quickly if left alone too much.

What usually happens with Quakers is that they start off sweet and cuddly, progress to their ornery phase and once the owners take a few unexpected nips or bites, they are left in their cages and simply lose their human connections. If this little bird has been in that predicament for any lenght of time, you'll have to undo the damage, emotionally. That can be challenging.

This doesn't mean I don't recommend getting this particular bird, but it will LIKELY be more wild than tame. I have a 3 year old quaker named Tilde who is a wonderful little talker, very sweet with ME only, will tolerate my husband on HER terms and pretty much nip everyone else. Still, she's the funniest little thing I've ever known. Its very common for her just to burst into insane laughter, quite loud, and without any real reason. This of course cracks us all up. Usually this happens late at night while we are watching horror movies, so its really funny then.

As a rule, I recommend newly weaned, hand-raised baby quakers for first time bird owners. Getting older quakers usually is too frustrating.

THE OUTLAW

[dyeman]

I would be wary of a bird someone is rehoming because they want a larger bird. In my experience, people seldom rehome birds unless there is some perceived behavioral problem that they would like to pass on to someone else. The problem may in fact be a normal behavior for that parrot and they simply didn't do enough research before aquiring the bird.

I have quit raising Quakers because they have become the latest "throw away pet" in the bird world. Because of their relatively inexpensive price, people buy them on impulse and when the first problem arises, decide they didn't really want a parrot after all.

Just in the last six months, I have rehomed 5 Quakers. My advice would be to read extensively on this species and then go visit the bird and observe how territorial he is, see if he is freindly with you, and maybe make multiple visits to see if his behavior is consistent.

I have successfully rehomed Quakers as old as ten. I feel it really depends on the connection between the particular Quaker and human. Usually the bird picks the human rather than the other way around.

[Tiki]

Chaska was 5 months when I bought her at a bird fair just last month. She was in a cage with 3 others and she chose me, kept giving me kisses through the bars. I did do lots of research before when I was deciding what kind of bird to get and finally determined that a Quaker suited my personality. I absolutely love this little girl and am totally committed to her and my tiels, any bird that comes into my home is here for life. If Chaska gets hormonal somewhere down the track, I will deal with it, she ain't going no where though, she's my baby! From what I hear, the odds are good that a Quaker will learn to talk. They are very clever little birds!

I don't blame the Quaker your friend's friend is trying to sell. It sounds like there is something wrong with the OWNER not the bird. If you are willing to commit to giving him a good home for life, go meet the bird and see how you hit it off. Stick around Birdboard, there are plenty of people here to answer any questions you may have, we will help you as much as possible.

[LivingFiction]

The first Quaker I ever saw was dropped off at my house by an owner who didn't want it anymore. He had been through at least 4 homes that I knew of, but nobody seemed to know exactly how many, or how old he was. I was told he was once friendly, but now very hostile. The cage he was dropped off in was in miserable shape, I've never seen one so messy, it must not have been cleaned in months.

He wouldn't let me get near him, and became very upset when I put my hand in his cage, but he and his cage were a mess, so I put the whole thing on the floor of the shower and proceeded to spray it down with a spray bottle bird and all. Once he, and everything else was soaking, I removed the roof and front sections, leaving a cold scared bird sitting on his perch. I reached out for him then, and he stepped right up. From that moment on, we were inseperable, I discovered he actually spoke quite well, contrary to what I was told, and although he continued to be stand offish with other people, as long as I was there, he allowed himself to be handled by just about anyone. He was one of my favorite birds I've ever had.

Not all rescue stories turn out this way, more often than not they don't, but not every homeless bird is in that situation because of it's own issues, sometimes they just find themselves in the hands of people who don't want them, or in the case when I had to part with him, their living conditions simply change and they are no longer able to care for the bird. I'd definately not be shy about asking questions.

[Monica]

Sounds similar to how I had gotten my conure... She was dropped off by a stranger only days before X-mas one year, in a horrible cage that looked awefull. She was moving into a smaller house and had too many dogs and cats. My conures taming had started after she had gotten a bath, and that was the beginning of her happiness, even if she is not real cuddly and a prankster as others have told me they are, as she can't fly, though Noel is very happy where she is now, living with a tiel cagefree. She'll only allow handling from other people if I am holding her first.