Hi Guys.

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum but not new to Quakers. I lost my last Quaker 5 yrs ago this month after finally finding the strength to leave my abusive ex husband. Before I'd moved all of mine and my children's belongings out of the house, he let my bird go out of pure evil spite. Devastated doesn't even begin to describe how I felt. Me and that bird had such an amazing bond. Now, after five years. I've rebuilt my home, my childrens confidence, my own self esteem and my business. I'm in a great place now and decided it was time to take the plunge and get another Quaker. I got Poppet last Monday from a fantastic breeder and he's an absolute delight. He's just over 11 weeks and is already laughing and trying to talk. He's affectionate and loving but he's got that Quaker glint in his eye.

He has been reared on a seed diet. I ordered Harrisons pellets that arrived this morning and he tucked in with great enthusiasm. I would like to know if now I've seen him eat them, do I totally stick with the pellets now or still offer seed for a few minutes each day until he's completely used to the pellets. I will continue to give fresh fruit and veg daily and I have red millet for the occasional treat.

I really hope to get to know some of you on here. I've enjoyed reading several posts already.

Welcome to the forum. I feel like i'm looking at the future "ruler" of your household, LOL.

Thank you Antoinette. What a lovely welcome.

Hi henpecked. I think you might be right

Welcome aboard! Poppet is gorgeous and congratulations on your new life!

What a handsome boy you got there. Sorry about the loss of your other bird, that must have been very tragic for you as you were going through such a difficult time.

Just make sure he has access to his pellets all day, everyday, and feed in a separate bowl, fresh fruits and veggies etc, twice a day. As far as seed goes, I agree you should give those as treats And use them to motivate and train.

You are in the right place here. This forum is great.

congrats on your new quaker! I love cooper. he also was trying to talk only about a week after he got home

I don't like to feed pellets. I don't think they are the healthiest option when it comes to an avian diet, in general, but I particularly do not like to feed them to species that are natural good eaters and quakers are definitely great eaters. They love their veggies, fruits and leafy greens and get much better nutrition from them than from any pellet out there in the market so why mess with what nature perfected?

Hi Parjarita,

Thanks for your message. I chose to go with a pellet diet because of the Quaker being prone to fatty liver and also to ensure that he gets all the right vitamins and minerals. I agree wholeheartedly about them being great eaters though. Poppet is mad for his fruit and veg so I'm going to continue with the pellet, give a little seed daily and feed fresh veg and fruit.

cnyguy said:

Welcome to you and Poppet! I think we've already met on another forum.

Click to expand...

We have indeed! Nice to 'see' you again