New QP Momma!!

Hello Everyone!! I’m a new Quaker mom, just got my little “girl” Maggie about 2 weeks ago. She sort of ended up falling into my lap without me having a lot of planning time before bringing her home. I had checked into getting one a little, but had decided to wait a bit because of being in the middle of the holidays and everything.... Ended up getting an email from the breeder I had talked to and met with saying that he had a newly weaned one that someone had put a deposit down on and then found out they couldn’t have it. Apparently, he wanted to give me the first chance at her and I decided to go ahead and bring her home. So, I’m definitely still learning and working on figuring out everything. Fortunately, she’s amazing and easy to work with. She’s done really well so far and hasn’t had any issues getting used to her new home. Our only problem so far is that she was used to getting mainly seed and some fruits & veggies, no pellets :-( We’ve been slowly working on transitioning to pellet and she’s doing well with about half pellets/half seed at the moment. Won’t touch most fresh fruits or veggies but goes to town on a dried fruit mixture I bought. Only giving her a few pieces of it a day though...
Anyways, any tips/tricks/helpful info for a new owner would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!


Pics of my girl

https://imgur.com/gallery/NUpxU4U

PS I say girl because that’s what they told me when I got her but they didn’t actually say they had the DNA testing done. So, I’m currently waiting on confirmation of that.

Conratulations on Maggie!!! What a sweetheart!
Quakers really seem to love veggies, so keep trying! Eating them in front of her and hand feeding them to her helps. Also place them in a shallow flat dish, I use a casserole dish, let's them see and explore them better .

It's a crying shame they clipped her!!! Fledging is a huge important step that is programed into babies. It's much harder for them to learn to fly later! Read these
https://www.windycityparrot.com/blog/2010/04/13/flight-important-parrots/#ixzz62HloSvKV

https://www.parrots.org/ask-an-expert/wing-clipping-vs-flighted-companion-parrots

Also once she gets past her baby stage she is likely to like to be loud a lot! So establish a contact word or phrase or whistle, and use it. That way when she is being loud she will likely switch to that ( contact call) which is much easier to hear over and over, than screeching! You can also pattern to music, you play it right before bedtime when they are quiet, and you want soothing soft music, that way you can also play it to calm them down later down the road. I'm going to link the article I got that from here to. Though I'm not a fan of clicker training, I just say good birdie instead if clicking.

Unfortunately, I live in Ohio and they have to be clipped here. We are only like 5 miles from the PA state line where they’re not legal at all.


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Welcome to PFs K.Cox85, glad you joined us! Congratulations on Maggie, that's a great name.

Quakers are illegal in Jersey as well. We have quite a few feral populations here from escapees back in the 70's.

Start here:
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Best of luck to you both.

Oh darn!!! That's such old school thinking!
Here is the article that's has lots of good stuff in it
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/

I use ceiling hooks and fishing line to hang rope hoops or rope bungie over the breakfast bar, and in front of Windows, then I zip tie some stuff to chew on to them. It's good to have a few extra spots for them to hang out at. And keeps the floor clear

I wasn't aware of Ohio's law about Quakers. But, at least you can have them.

Lawriter - OAC - 901:5-42-01 Designation of destructive or dangerously harmful plant pests.

Laurasea said:

Oh darn!!! That's such old school thinking!
Here is the article that's has lots of good stuff in it
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/

I use ceiling hooks and fishing line to hang rope hoops or rope bungie over the breakfast bar, and in front of Windows, then I zip tie some stuff to chew on to them. It's good to have a few extra spots for them to hang out at. And keeps the floor clear

Click to expand...

Awesome! I’ll try that!! We only have certain areas she’s allowed to free roam because I also have 3 small dogs whom I don’t trust at all with her yet. They’re getting better but not enough that I don’t panic if she flies to the floor more than arm’s reach from me. I’m planning to set up some higher play areas for her in other parts of the house for her ‘out of cage’ time but haven’t quite gotten there yet. I wish I’d had more time to prepare for her but literally got the email and was picking her up 6 hours later


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Also these parrots are very smart, and social, and active. So they are more prone to behavior problems like feather plucking, Quaker mutilation syndromes, and screaming. So very many get re-home because of that. So you want to be proactive in preventing that.

So you want to teach her to play with toys, give stuff she can destroy every day, like used paperback books. Or that shredding braided stuff they sell at pet stores to thread through bars.
https://blogpamelaclarkonline.com/2018/10/10/my-parrot-wont-play-with-toys/

Also work on teaching her to forage, and be creative
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/foragingfood.html

I have small dogs to. That's why I have lots if stations for my three Quakers , my GCC and my Budgie to hang out at

Welcome to you and Maggie! Seems he/she was nicely socialized by the breeder. Please understand the "honeymoon" period of 4 to 6 weeks is one of discovery and patience.

Setting the tone for diet is crucial. This thread shares excellent techniques: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html
Diet specifics: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

Not pushing Harrison's Pellets, but their conversion protocol is superb and ought work for most any brand. Successfully transitioned my flock of 8 in two weeks: https://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/using-our-foods/large-bird-conversion/