Our New Quaker Parrot

[PunkyB]

I joined the forum a few days ago as our local parrot breeder took in a bird that was found in a garden, and after several months went by no-one came forward to claim him

This was the original post; Urgent Identification Help Needed - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

We did not know for sure if it was a Quaker parrot due to the coloration, but it seems that he is, just an odd colour

Belgrano (as we have named him) has settled in now, and has turned out to be a remarkably friendly bird, he steps up, takes food from the hand and enjoys being stroked and petted.

I have only had Australian parrots before, we have an aviary with a few grass parrots and Cockatiels, with some Japanese quail on the floor, so this is our first time having a companion parrot inside the home.

He does seem to like grapes, but I just wanted to know from other Quaker owners if there is a particular type of fruit or vegetable that they particularly enjoy, I also wanted to know from owners experience which commercially available food/pellet mix may be best

Any advice on general care specific to Quaker parrots is gratefully received. He will be going to the veterinarian for a general checkup before he is insured this week

 

[Allee]

Congratulations! Welcome Belgrano!

I hope the vet visit reveals Belgrano is in perfect health.

Your quaker will appreciate a large, sturdy cage, a variety of perches and plenty of toys. Quakers are high energy and like to keep their beaks busy.

In addition to a high quality pellet, there is a long list of vegetables and fruits you can offer. Sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, corn, broccoli, squash, peppers, cucumbers, sprouts, sugar snap peas, melon, banana, pineapple, grapes, blueberries, raspberries, pomegranate, apple and the list goes on. My quakers love pumpkin seeds, walnuts and sugar snap peas. In addition to pellets and fresh chop, I give my quakers a high quality seed mix with a variety of flowers, dried fruit and herbs.

Here's a list of both safe foods and toxic foods.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

If you the time, you may want to browse the diet section, there's lots of good information and recipes.

I'm looking forward to more photos, your new addition is a real beauty.

 

[Jeans]

I have to say, that is one beautiful bird! First thing, do you plan on upgrading his cage? Quakers really do need space. Starry (my green quaker) loves blueberries! I feed her Tropican pellets, she doesn't like Harrison's and I haven't tried anything else yet, but she really loves her Tropican.

Quakers are really intelligent and social. Mine doesn't like me much yet, but still hates when I leave. She loves treats and training as well! Don't feed him too much fat.

Sorry I'm not much help, I am still a new quaker owner myself! Good luck with your new baby!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PunkyB]

I was actually going to buy blueberries today but wasn't sure if they liked them and I'm scared of giving anything harmful, now I know I will get him some

The cage is a bit small for my liking but luckily it's temporary, I do have one downstairs that i guess you would say is African Grey sized, but i was a little concerned about him squeezing through the bars as they are much wider.

Would a larger cage with tighter bars be better, are they known to try to get through bars?

I'm amazed that this poor bird not only survived being lost but just how affectionate he still is. I guess loosing their home and owner must be traumatic, but he is so unbelievably happy. I've tried every website and newspaper but no one has claimed for him. The band around his leg is purple. The other birds we have have red tags, would purple indicate anything?

 

[cnyguy]

Welcome to the Forum, and congratulations on becoming a Quaker parront! Belgrano is a very special Quaker-- the gray QPs are rare, and obviously, very beautiful. Allee has given you a comprehensive list of good foods to offer. My QP Ralph's favorite food is fresh green peas. He likes kale, broccoli, corn and chick peas, among other vegetables and is indifferent to most fruit. He also enjoys cooked grains like quinoa and barley, and cooked pasta. One of his favorite treats is plain air-popped popcorn. His current favorite pellets are Higgins InTune Natural (subject to change ). He also likes ZuPreem Fruit Blend and Pretty Bird Daily Select.
The ideal bar spacing for a Quaker's cage is 5/8 inch, which is roughly 16 mm. Cages with wider spacing are better suited to larger parrots.
As far as I know, the color of the leg band doesn't mean much, except perhaps that the breeder likes purple.

 

[PunkyB]

Today I got him some blueberry which he loves and plain unsalted walnuts and cashew nuts for occasional treats and he likes them very much

Since we have only aviary birds I don't know too much about the rings put around hand reared parrots. There is a number 15 on the band, is this likely to be his hatching year?

My insurance company has the hatch date of all of my birds but obviously i may not be able to give them one for Belgrano. I hope this won't make insuring him difficult

 

[cnyguy]

Since we have only aviary birds I don't know too much about the rings put around hand reared parrots. There is a number 15 on the band, is this likely to be his hatching year?

That's usually the case with leg bands, though unfortunately, there are no set standards for what's put on the band. In the U.S., it's usually the year the parrot was hatched (sometimes the month is there too), the state in which the bird was hatched or quarantined, and often, the breeder's registration number.
Nice that Belgrano enjoyed the blueberries. My QP Ralph thinks they're evil things and has reacted to them with a Quaker alarm call. :11:

 

[GaleriaGila]

I LOVE the Quakers I have known...

I'd love to get one, but... the Rb is too much of a domestic abuser.
I'm grateful to 'visit' some here...

What a happy story!

 

[Piasa]

How exciting you get to keep him! He is so beautiful and sounds like so much fun. I have a soft spot for those little guys.

 

[PunkyB]

Just a little update on Belgrano, his health check with the vet was perfect no issues at all, estimated to be about 2-3 years old

We took some food samples from the vet and he liked the Hari pellets as recommended on this thread so we have ordered him 1.8KG of Hari Tropican Parrot Lifetime Granules, in addition to this he is having lots of fruit and veg but it seems his favourite is strawberries but dislikes cucumber and Zucchini

He has a new freestanding perch to be on in the daytime until his bigger cage arrives (A big corner unit), his clicker training is going very well and he is incredibly tame.

He didn't like my phone at first, but now he watches other Quakers on YouTube he seems to like it better so I will post some pictures of him shortly

 

[Allee]

This is a wonderful update! I'm happy things are going so well for your beautiful quaker! Looking forward to photos!