Cockatiel VS Quaker

[Aquatic7]

So I've been interested in getting myself a parrot, but I'm not sure exactly which, I've been debating between Cockatiels and Quakers, I'm more just interested in personal experiences that aren't talked about, things that should be known, and just personal experiences overall.
Long story short: Whats your favorite, a Quaker or a Cockatiel, explain below

 

[zERo]

Welcome to the forums!

I currently own a Quaker, and previously owned three tiels. To start, they’re very different birds.

Tiels, generally speaking, are gonna be more hands off, of course, there are exceptions. They are gonna be more flighty, night frights are a common thing, mine would have them a few times a month.
Males can be loud, when displaying, the female I owned however, was very quiet.
Their diet is a bit more seed heavy than a Quakers too.

Quakers, at least my boy Tony, prefers my company, to sit near me and likes to be pet on the head.
He can get loud, like, hurt your ears loud when he’s upset 😅
A lot of people experience there Quakers being territorial of their cages, I haven’t experienced this, but it’s a common thing.
You should also check if Quakers are legal in your state or if there are any regulations.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Jcas]

Great that you are doing research before getting a bird! Will this be your first bird? If it is, I’m going to be completely honest: I personally would never recommend a Quaker parrot to a first- time bird owner. After getting my Quaker, I found that a lot of information on the internet didn’t really give an adequate description of what it’s like to live with a Quaker. I describe my JJ as 10% sweet 90% sass! He’s comical, demanding, cute, frustrating, obstinate, sweet, opinionated, smart, and charming ( when he wants to be). Whenever getting a new type, species, breed etc, of animal, I feel that it is best not to just look at the positive characteristics and say “ hey I like that,” but rather to look at the negative characteristics and ask, “ can I live with that 24/7, 365, for 20-30 years?”

These guys are loud. I always feel it’s misleading when internet sources claim that Quakers are not as loud when compared to some other birds. I suppose that’s true, but 113 decibels is plenty loud enough to leave your ears ringing! JJ used to scream a lot when I first got him; starting out early in the morning and continuing for much of the day. I’ve worked with him and it has significantly improved but he still has days when he’s just in a mood and decides to scream. He does short screams, spaced evenly apart, and will sometimes go for close to an hour no matter how I try to disrupt or distract him. He will also scream if he wants me and I leave or if he hears someone in the house that he doesn’t like.

He is totally a one person bird and will bite anyone but me who tries to touch him even though I have family members that he sees regularly and who have tried to make friends with him. Quaker bites hurt and can absolutely draw blood.

I’ve heard experienced bird owners say that Quaker body language is harder to read than some birds, making it harder to predict them. With JJ, sometimes it’s just a certain look in his eye that warns me to be careful!

The fact that Quakers really like being with their person can be a positive or a negative. If you’re home most of the time, it can be great, if you work five days a week and like to do stuff with friends on the weekends, you will have a lonely, stressed, depressed, angry bird.
So there are some things to think about on the Quaker side! You asked for personal experiences and I wanted to be honest 🙂. Whichever species of bird you decide on, I wish you the best! ❤️ Here is a picture of my buddy 🙂

 

[Aquatic7]

Great that you are doing research before getting a bird! Will this be your first bird? If it is, I’m going to be completely honest: I personally would never recommend a Quaker parrot to a first- time bird owner. After getting my Quaker, I found that a lot of information on the internet didn’t really give an adequate description of what it’s like to live with a Quaker. I describe my JJ as 10% sweet 90% sass! He’s comical, demanding, cute, frustrating, obstinate, sweet, opinionated, smart, and charming ( when he wants to be). Whenever getting a new type, species, breed etc, of animal, I feel that it is best not to just look at the positive characteristics and say “ hey I like that,” but rather to look at the negative characteristics and ask, “ can I live with that 24/7, 365, for 20-30 years?”

These guys are loud. I always feel it’s misleading when internet sources claim that Quakers are not as loud when compared to some other birds. I suppose that’s true, but 113 decibels is plenty loud enough to leave your ears ringing! JJ used to scream a lot when I first got him; starting out early in the morning and continuing for much of the day. I’ve worked with him and it has significantly improved but he still has days when he’s just in a mood and decides to scream. He does short screams, spaced evenly apart, and will sometimes go for close to an hour no matter how I try to disrupt or distract him. He will also scream if he wants me and I leave or if he hears someone in the house that he doesn’t like.

He is totally a one person bird and will bite anyone but me who tries to touch him even though I have family members that he sees regularly and who have tried to make friends with him. Quaker bites hurt and can absolutely draw blood.

I’ve heard experienced bird owners say that Quaker body language is harder to read than some birds, making it harder to predict them. With JJ, sometimes it’s just a certain look in his eye that warns me to be careful!

The fact that Quakers really like being with their person can be a positive or a negative. If you’re home most of the time, it can be great, if you work five days a week and like to do stuff with friends on the weekends, you will have a lonely, stressed, depressed, angry bird.
So there are some things to think about on the Quaker side! You asked for personal experiences and I wanted to be honest 🙂. Whichever species of bird you decide on, I wish you the best! ❤️ Here is a picture of my buddy 🙂View attachment 57067

Yes, this would be my first bird! This is quite helpful advice, and that is the clearest explanation I've seen on Quakers on the internet as a whole. Would you say an introvert going through highschool would be a bad fit? If you're unsure that's no problem! Thanks!

 

[Jcas]

Yes, this would be my first bird! This is quite helpful advice, and that is the clearest explanation I've seen on Quakers on the internet as a whole. Would you say an introvert going through highschool would be a bad fit? If you're unsure that's no problem! Thanks!

If you’re living at home, a lot depends on how the rest of the family feels about the bird. Will they spend time with it while you’re at school? Or will they be annoyed by the noise it makes while you’re gone? How about college after high school; what will happen to the bird then? Quakers can live for thirty years so that’s a long time to think about! I would be inclined to suggest you steer away from a Quaker for now, but only you know your exact circumstances, so of course the final decision must be yours 🙂!

 

[wrench13]

My friend, a parrot is far from the ideal companion animal for a high school student. And very far from a pet for someone in college! Try studying with a smoke detector going off every 47.6 seconds for hours.

 

[Free as a bird]

So I've been interested in getting myself a parrot, but I'm not sure exactly which, I've been debating between Cockatiels and Quakers, I'm more just interested in personal experiences that aren't talked about, things that should be known, and just personal experiences overall.
Long story short: Whats your favorite, a Quaker or a Cockatiel, explain below

Hi. First of all I want to say that all birds are different. They're individuals and their characters vary so it's hard to put blanket labels on a whole species. I'm speaking in general here and from my own experience.

A bird is probably not an ideal pet for a student but neither is a dog and if you truly love birds then you should go with your heart ♥

I don't have any experience with quakers but I do have with other birds and I would recommend a cockatiel to anyone interested in getting a parrot especially someone with little experience. They are little cockatoos and have all the same behaviours, their playful, fun, inquisitive, affectionate, cuddly, not too noisy or loud. They also have beautiful features with their unique crests giving you an easy time reading their body language.
All in all cockatiels are cool little pets.
I love em 🥰

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

I, too, was looking for a quaker or to get another cockatiel some years ago and a friend of mine who bred quakers said to stick with the cockatiels. Quakers are in a class of their own: they have a lot of sass and will literally bite you and run away laughing! They can be very territorial and opinionated. But if you're willing to deal with their bad points, quakers can be a challenging but satisfying species

 

[Aquatic7]

My friend, a parrot is far from the ideal companion animal for a high school student. And very far from a pet for someone in college! Try studying with a smoke detector going off every 47.6 seconds for hours.

That makes sense! I've never really been bothered by that type of thing, but of course, making excuses doesn't help me.
I've got enough money for an apartment and all that, but I do definitely need to think about that type of stuff.