I'm looking of getting a 8 month old Quaker parrot and a 1 month old GCC

I can get the Quaker in a week because his previous owner is selling him , but I can get the GCC in about two months from a breader. I like both species but can't decide witch one to get.

I don't know your life style. Quakers are loud. They won't tolerate being in a cage 9 hours a day while you work ( when pandemic is over) or yet will pluck, scream, ECT. Because they are very smart and social. Re-homed a lot because you must meet their needs ( I love them , but the loudness drives me nuts some days , one a rescue, one a rehome )

My GCC tolerated a work load better without self destructing. Still smart and social. Usually not loud. Can be nippy. Mine rules with that sharp dagger beak and her fearless attitude. Respected she us very lovey.

So before I vote I would want to know your life style and expectations,

I live in Croatia and currently go to high school. I don't have any extracurricular activities so I am able to take care and play with the bird both before and after school and while I'm away my mother can always let him out of his cage and play with him.

Welcome! This is a really great forum and people know their stuff--It has been a great help to me and I am happy you are here!

Now, hear me out and trust me (without the skepticism of someone who wants something badly...I know you want a bird). Here's the thing, you will likely go to university and/or have a full-job one day though...birds are like having a toddler that can fly and bites (same intelligence and much louder, and needs A LOT of attention in the long-run)..Is your mom on-board for having a creature that requires as much stimulation and attention as a 3-year old who never grows up and can live 30 years? What if your bird bonds to you and not your mom...what if it bonds to your mom and not you? Birds will attack people if they are jealous or mistrust them-- and socialization can help some, but it's a slow process and getting a baby doesn't really change that because at puberty, you are looking at a lot of re-building trust anyway (and if they bond with you as a baby, the will often push away as an adult temporarily, or long-term, depending on how it is handled). It's so much more complicated than a dog or cat and they require extreme lifestyle changes, like not using chemicals to clean in the house...not cooking or heating anything w/ teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs in the house at all...not spraying perfumes or air fresheners or using candles (even unscented)...waking up early and being their nightly around the same time to cover and uncover your bird (doesn't matter if you have dinner plans or are hung-over, of have the flu...no sleeping in anymore...you have a baby with a bedtime).

Also- babies are ALL sweet. Much like baby humans. You cannot judge a baby by its personality because it will change a ton at sexual maturity--- which means that your bundle of snuggles will suddenly be all confused about why you don't want to mate with it...which means setting boundaries and rules very early on (no petting anywhere other than the head and neck, no dark spaces, no snuggle hunts/tents) and 10-12 hours of dark/quiet sleep nightly.

Hi April,
One of my quakers came to from a college student. He had to make the tuff choice of giving up his Quaker, because going to school, working, and having a relationship and room mate and a parrot didn't mix. No one like a loud parrot who destroyed phones, computer, paper ....

It's just a real tuff time in anyone's life to take on a feathered kid. The mess is crazy! Their very needy! They can't sit in a cage all day and be happy, they are way to smart and way to social for that. It's a 25 year commitment if catering to flying toddler primate.

If this is something you are going to fully commit to and sacrifice for we all will support you.

( It's just hard if you e been on the forum for years and seen so many students struggle, abd end up rehome, tho some do excell )

You want to find a breeder who works with the baby birds so they are well social . When you meet the weaned and eating on its own young bird, it should be willing to step up for you. Be interested in you. We talk about parrots choosing us, and they do. When you are lucky enough to meet several parrots, and one chooses you, it's special. When I got Neptune I met the whole clutch of weaned happy babies. They all would have stepped up for me, and I did hold them all. But Neptune and I were drawn to eachother and he jumped in my arm first. The breeder said he was a brat, and he is lol but he's my brat. He we t right in the travel cage came home with me and never missed a beat. And proceeded to take o we my life.
As an adult Quaker he is cage agressive, the cage is his that's it, I let him out to clean and feed. Away from the cage momma's snuggle boy, in cage killer kujo. Alsoasadukt he know is hormonal for a month and a half every year. This means he screams for hours, trys to claim more territory and attack defends it. Pretty much looses his mind. This happens in every adult parrot of any species in some form of hormonal madness...... But for my Quaker boy it's the screaming that's very hard to take, I mean they plunty loud and vocal the rest of the year, ...

I lean towards a Quaker for you, but you would have to make sure mom is on board in keep him or her out and activities, with different pet h hanging out areas away from cage. You would ha e to teach the young bird foraging starting simple then as grows and learns teach hard foraging to help keep him. Actively teach puzzle toys, I'd keep flighted so work on in house flight recall , these are very active and social and loud birds. I worry when you have ajob andive on your own and work all day, that the parrot would suffer and self-destructive. Quakers are well known for this cuz they very smart and social....

All right i hope you keep us posted onyour thoughts. I hope you thi k how you will incorporate an intelligent creature that takes a lot of relationship work and maintenance into your life.

I do prefer the Quaker parrot but because the youngest Quaker that I could find is 8 month's old (one from a previous owner and one from a breeder) they both have been hand fed but I don't know if he will be able to get used to a new environment. The breeder's is raised outside and the owners is used to an apartment. And I don't want to emotionally damage the bird.

Poslano sa mog Redmi Note 8 Pro koristeći Tapatalk

make sure that any bird you get is 100% WEANED ahead of time--you will face enough challenges, but an unweaned baby is not safe to adopt.

noodles123 said:

make sure that any bird you get is 100% WEANED ahead of time--you will face enough challenges, but an unweaned baby is not safe to adopt.

Click to expand...

Both Quakers are 100% weaned.

Poslano sa mog Redmi Note 8 Pro koristeći Tapatalk

8 months is fine! I have two I git older than that and one was abused she is a least ten years old when I got her. Both are just as wonderful as the one I got young. So age is no issue. Just meet them and see if you hit it off.

So I brought my Quaker home for the first time at first he flew around but was obliviously tired.I barely got him in his cage and now he isn't moving the new cage is a lot bigger than his old one and I'm worried that I scared him too much.

Poslano sa mog Redmi Note 8 Pro koristeći Tapatalk

When you bring a bird into a new place there will be a day or two when it will probably be very still & not do much. This is normal, the birdie is taking-in his new surroundings. He's not necessarily frightened, really, but birds often go still & boring in order to be less-noticeable as a defense mechanism. You want to be relaxed & calm around him.

There is lots of good advice about on this forum about how to get your relationship off on the right foot!

But just wanted to reassure you it's normal for him to seem withdrawn at first, but his mind is actually Very active, as he is figuring out his new surroundings.

He probably is scared. I would not force contact or chase --he will let you know when he is ready. DO associate yourself with positive things. DO NOT try to force your bird to do anything (including eat from your hand or step-up) unless he wants to. The only time to force a bird into anything is if their safety is at risk. Quietly go about your routine, talk in a calm voice about what you are doing ("I am washing the dishes", "I am taking out the trash", "I am sweeping") etc--that way he learns to anticipate and associate activities with words. You can try reading from a book like 6 feet from his cage just so he gets used to you-- do this often if he doesn't mind and if he does, back up a bit and pair it with a favorite snack in the food bowl. He is stressed and tired..so are you.
You will both recover from today.
Birds move in SLOW-MOTION. Yours is young, so he will move past this faster than an older bird, but prepare for puberty, when he will question your trust all over again.

I know he just went through a scare, which is probably why you have the cage partly covered like that, but excluding injury, illness or a crazy situation, his cage should be FULLY uncovered on a normal day (top, sides etc). Again- it makes sense that you did it today, but tomorrow and forever onward (barring sickness etc) it should be fully uncovered except for at bedtime. No cave-like spaces...By decreasing light, you will make him hormonal in the long run and mess with his natural sleep cycle--- today, it is fine, but I just want you to understand that the way you have that covered should not be the norm.

It will get better. Being patient is hard...I know...but just know that with patience and an understanding/observation of his behavior, you will go far.

Welcome new Quaker! They do have to adjust. Spend time talking to him and sitting bear and feeding little treat seed

Today he seemed normal. He played in his cage and moved around but when I put the blanket over his cage for bedtime he freezes again. Should I leave him uncovered.

Poslano sa mog Redmi Note 8 Pro koristeći Tapatalk

April12 said:

Today he seemed normal. He played in his cage and moved around but when I put the blanket over his cage for bedtime he freezes again. Should I leave him uncovered.

Poslano sa mog Redmi Note 8 Pro koristeći Tapatalk

Click to expand...

He may not be used to covering, but it may just be something he adjusts to. Was his cage covered last night and did he do okay? excluding night-frights or individual fears, they do tend to do better when covered...but some of that depends---if you have a really dark/quiet room for him (like, his own room) then covering isn't essential, but it DOES protect from drafts etc. There are some birds that need a night-light or they will fly into stuff (cockatiels tend to be notorious in some cases) but again- hard to say w/o knowing your bird.

I think I found the problem. I uncovered him but I had a little light turned on and he went back to normal. When I turned off all the lights he froze again. I now put the blanket on top of his cage but not covering the sides with the little light turned on and he is calm again. Is there a way to get him used to the dark.

Poslano sa mog Redmi Note 8 Pro koristeći Tapatalk

Yeah- as long as it is actually pretty dark (not just dim and nesty), that should work. The issue may be in the winter when it gets drafty--- the covering protects them----but if you can keep temperature steady and the room dark, it should be okay.

This is a tough one for me because I have a GCC and my nana has a quaker and they are both wonderful species. But since I have a GCC I voted GCC lol.