We are considering adopting a quaker/conure bonded pair from our local bird rescue, and I wanted to ask a few questions about the quaker specifically here. I posted the same general explanation and a bunch of questions about the conure over in their forum a bit ago. And many of these are things I’ll also be asking the rescue in the coming weeks, but I’d like to hear from different sources.
A little background since I’ve only been posting in the new members forum up until now, we are looking for our “first” bird. I have a little experience in bird keeping from my childhood/high school since I had cockatiels and did after school work for a local lady who had several aviaries of Amazons, Macaws, and Cockatoos. One of my children (10yo) has been asking whether we could have a bird for a couple years, but I wanted to be confident in my youngest child’s (7yo) ability to understand and obey instructions about proper interactions with so delicate a pet. Since I’ve missed having birds around I’m game for all the mess and noise. We’ve spent the last year or so on education and began visit rescues around us several months ago mostly to start getting the kids hands on experience with birds. We found an incredible rescue/bird store a couple hours away that really seems to do everything right by their birds, and they have bent over backward to help my efforts in teaching the kids how to handle any bird, not just the species we’ve been looking at.
When we visited this week, we met these two birds and are very interested though we haven’t put an official hold on them. They are new to the rescue, and I’d like the staff to complete their evaluation. We’ve visited a couple times with them, and they both seem like the friendliest and chill members of their respective species that we’ve met. Since quakers and conures are tied as the bird we’re most interested in, it seems like it might be a good fit for us. We are expecting my daughter and I to be the primary caretakers and entertainers, and they will be sleeping in her room, but I want family birds who will handle her leaving for college in time.
So, my questions for you – as a rescue we can’t know a ton about their background. But the owner has given the rescue permission to contact them with any questions a new owner might have. So first, what should I try to learn about their history? They seem to have been extremely well socialized, and we know they’ve been together, sharing a cage, since they were chicks. They came to the rescue eating a great diet of high grade pellets and chop. Unsure what size cage they’ve been in since that didn’t come with them. They are both 6 years old, and we’ve been told the quaker is male and the conure is female, but again, I don’t know if that’s been default assumptions or if they’ve been DNA tested.
So the conure is clearly the more assertive bird of the two. In fact, based on what I’ve heard about the species, the quaker is alarmingly passive. I know he’s already been medically checked out, and one of the reasons they are still under observation is to watch for any signs of illness. But he couldn’t have cared less about a complete stranger walking up to him and offering a hand. He stepped up right away, climbed up my shoulder, and sort of turned into a pancake. Whether we were holding him to our chest or on our shoulder, he seemed to want as much contact as possible and never ending head scratching. In fact, after we’d held him for a while and then put him back on top of his cage, I had trouble picking him again. Every time I’d reach for him, he’d just face plant on the cage. I honestly couldn’t decide if he was really just that desperate for pets, or if he was using the pets as a way to block me from asking him to step up.
He definitely seemed to be fond of the conure, but far less caring of where the conure was and what was happening to him than the conure was of him. He never tried to get away from her, but he never seemed to seek her out either.
So my first question about him is – does he sound like an unusually calm quaker or does that behavior raise alarm bells? Is there a chance that the conure has driven him into an unnaturally passive state? Again, I’m seeing no signs of fear. Lots of cuddling together despite space to get away in and lots of preening. And both birds’ feathers are in great condition despite an (IMO) overly aggressive wing trim. I know the rescue isn’t thrilled about that either. So no plucking issues.
And secondly, since they are both 6 years old, how likely is his behavior to change do the road? Will the quaker wake up one morning and decide it’s his turn to be in change? Should I anticipate needing to separate them at some point?
It seems to help the conure if we acknowledge him first – but does that leave the quaker feeling like he’s being overlooked? How should we move forward making sure to not harm their bond, but giving them equal time and attention?
Also, as we visit with them at the rescue, what sort of behaviors should a look for to decide if they are happily bonded or if the conure is more of bully toward the quaker? They both seem to have incredible personalities, but I don’t want it coming at the expense of the one bird if that makes sense.
And just any quaker specific recommendations would be very welcome! Like I said, I was mostly around the bigger birds and cockatiels, so I’m less familiar with the medium birds. Toys ideas, preferred treats, that sort of thing are new to me for this species. We are probably getting an A&E flight cage from the rescue for them, but I also want to get some good ceiling boings and perches as well as a couple of play stands.
A little background since I’ve only been posting in the new members forum up until now, we are looking for our “first” bird. I have a little experience in bird keeping from my childhood/high school since I had cockatiels and did after school work for a local lady who had several aviaries of Amazons, Macaws, and Cockatoos. One of my children (10yo) has been asking whether we could have a bird for a couple years, but I wanted to be confident in my youngest child’s (7yo) ability to understand and obey instructions about proper interactions with so delicate a pet. Since I’ve missed having birds around I’m game for all the mess and noise. We’ve spent the last year or so on education and began visit rescues around us several months ago mostly to start getting the kids hands on experience with birds. We found an incredible rescue/bird store a couple hours away that really seems to do everything right by their birds, and they have bent over backward to help my efforts in teaching the kids how to handle any bird, not just the species we’ve been looking at.
When we visited this week, we met these two birds and are very interested though we haven’t put an official hold on them. They are new to the rescue, and I’d like the staff to complete their evaluation. We’ve visited a couple times with them, and they both seem like the friendliest and chill members of their respective species that we’ve met. Since quakers and conures are tied as the bird we’re most interested in, it seems like it might be a good fit for us. We are expecting my daughter and I to be the primary caretakers and entertainers, and they will be sleeping in her room, but I want family birds who will handle her leaving for college in time.
So, my questions for you – as a rescue we can’t know a ton about their background. But the owner has given the rescue permission to contact them with any questions a new owner might have. So first, what should I try to learn about their history? They seem to have been extremely well socialized, and we know they’ve been together, sharing a cage, since they were chicks. They came to the rescue eating a great diet of high grade pellets and chop. Unsure what size cage they’ve been in since that didn’t come with them. They are both 6 years old, and we’ve been told the quaker is male and the conure is female, but again, I don’t know if that’s been default assumptions or if they’ve been DNA tested.
So the conure is clearly the more assertive bird of the two. In fact, based on what I’ve heard about the species, the quaker is alarmingly passive. I know he’s already been medically checked out, and one of the reasons they are still under observation is to watch for any signs of illness. But he couldn’t have cared less about a complete stranger walking up to him and offering a hand. He stepped up right away, climbed up my shoulder, and sort of turned into a pancake. Whether we were holding him to our chest or on our shoulder, he seemed to want as much contact as possible and never ending head scratching. In fact, after we’d held him for a while and then put him back on top of his cage, I had trouble picking him again. Every time I’d reach for him, he’d just face plant on the cage. I honestly couldn’t decide if he was really just that desperate for pets, or if he was using the pets as a way to block me from asking him to step up.
He definitely seemed to be fond of the conure, but far less caring of where the conure was and what was happening to him than the conure was of him. He never tried to get away from her, but he never seemed to seek her out either.
So my first question about him is – does he sound like an unusually calm quaker or does that behavior raise alarm bells? Is there a chance that the conure has driven him into an unnaturally passive state? Again, I’m seeing no signs of fear. Lots of cuddling together despite space to get away in and lots of preening. And both birds’ feathers are in great condition despite an (IMO) overly aggressive wing trim. I know the rescue isn’t thrilled about that either. So no plucking issues.
And secondly, since they are both 6 years old, how likely is his behavior to change do the road? Will the quaker wake up one morning and decide it’s his turn to be in change? Should I anticipate needing to separate them at some point?
It seems to help the conure if we acknowledge him first – but does that leave the quaker feeling like he’s being overlooked? How should we move forward making sure to not harm their bond, but giving them equal time and attention?
Also, as we visit with them at the rescue, what sort of behaviors should a look for to decide if they are happily bonded or if the conure is more of bully toward the quaker? They both seem to have incredible personalities, but I don’t want it coming at the expense of the one bird if that makes sense.
And just any quaker specific recommendations would be very welcome! Like I said, I was mostly around the bigger birds and cockatiels, so I’m less familiar with the medium birds. Toys ideas, preferred treats, that sort of thing are new to me for this species. We are probably getting an A&E flight cage from the rescue for them, but I also want to get some good ceiling boings and perches as well as a couple of play stands.
