Hi! New here, have some questions about my quaker!

Meadowrats

New member
Feb 14, 2023
2
1
Parrots
Quaker!
My dad bought a quaker parrot about two years ago(?), and come about last month was planning on rehoming it/really stopped giving it attention. It sucked so I offered to take care of it, dad didn't care and I moved his cage over to my room.
It's been maybe a month since I took over and the bird is doing good, I am homeschooled and hole up in my room so he gets to hang out outside of his cage all day. He's gotten comfortable enough with me for some scritches, kisses, hand feeding and to not stop hovering around on my shoulder all the time hahaha.
I've done some research but still have questions, would be really appreciated if anyone could answer any of these!
How am I supposed to react towards unprompted biting? Everything that I have read says that the best response is to have no reaction at all/ignore it, I have been doing that and so far he's stopped biting hard but It doesn't really feel like there's been a decrease in consistency. I know I can't completely stop biting, but I'm unsure if I am doing the right thing or should I be doing something else? I don't really mind it considering he isn't biting hard enough for it to hurt, butttt it would still be great if there was any way to work on decreasing that haha.
How can I persuade him to try new foods? My dad had him on an all seed diet which I've read isn't good for them at all, I've tried everything that I've heard to get him to eat various fruits but nothing is working... he's like a little kid refusing to eat vegetables lol.
Should I give him a name? I think my dad named him, but if he did he never really used it.. just called him 'the bird'. Is it too late to give him a name or should I just stick with bird? I don't know if it's something they need to learn haha. If it's relevant I'm pretty sure he's around three years old.
And my last question, should I consider rehoming? I don't want to, but I want what's best for the bird. I am fairly sure that right now I can meet his care requirements but next year I'm switching from homeschooling to public, I don't know what to do with him since I'll be gone most of the day and my parents won't get involved in his care.
And that's it! Apologies for this being long haha, and any general advice/tips that I might not find looking around the pinned threads here would also be appreciated!
 

Stitchthestitch

Well-known member
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Feb 9, 2020
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Manchester, uk
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Albie - Pineapple Green Cheek Conure - Hatch date 14 Dec 2019 - Gotcha date - 4 March 2020
Welcome!

It sounds like you're doing wonderfully for the little guy

No,its not too late to give Him a name. If you repeat it often enough he will associate it with you calling him. Itll make bonding and traing much easier. How can you get to know some one if you dont have a name to all them by ?


The best way i got my green cheek to eat his veggies was to make a sharing plate of bird safe veg and i made a huge fuss over eating it. When he saw me eating he wanted to get involved. Parrots learn whats safe to eat From other flock members . You are now its flock and will look to you for guidence on whats safe and tastey.



This can help with the biting. Basically you teach him what is and isnt acceptable pressure with their beak.

remember, there are no stupid questions , so please feel free and safe to ask away ,no matter how silly or odd the question may be.
 
OP
Meadowrats

Meadowrats

New member
Feb 14, 2023
2
1
Parrots
Quaker!
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Welcome!

It sounds like you're doing wonderfully for the little guy

No,its not too late to give Him a name. If you repeat it often enough he will associate it with you calling him. Itll make bonding and traing much easier. How can you get to know some one if you dont have a name to all them by ?


The best way i got my green cheek to eat his veggies was to make a sharing plate of bird safe veg and i made a huge fuss over eating it. When he saw me eating he wanted to get involved. Parrots learn whats safe to eat From other flock members . You are now its flock and will look to you for guidence on whats safe and tastey.



This can help with the biting. Basically you teach him what is and isnt acceptable pressure with their beak.

remember, there are no stupid questions , so please feel free and safe to ask away ,no matter how silly or odd the question may be.
Thank you so much! Tried sharing a plate with him and got him to try some carrots. Will give everything else a try too, again, thank you!
 

DonnaBudgie

Supporting Member
Jan 24, 2023
3,213
3,961
Windham, Maine
Parrots
Budgies. Lotsa Budgies.
My dad bought a quaker parrot about two years ago(?), and come about last month was planning on rehoming it/really stopped giving it attention. It sucked so I offered to take care of it, dad didn't care and I moved his cage over to my room.
It's been maybe a month since I took over and the bird is doing good, I am homeschooled and hole up in my room so he gets to hang out outside of his cage all day. He's gotten comfortable enough with me for some scritches, kisses, hand feeding and to not stop hovering around on my shoulder all the time hahaha.
I've done some research but still have questions, would be really appreciated if anyone could answer any of these!
How am I supposed to react towards unprompted biting? Everything that I have read says that the best response is to have no reaction at all/ignore it, I have been doing that and so far he's stopped biting hard but It doesn't really feel like there's been a decrease in consistency. I know I can't completely stop biting, but I'm unsure if I am doing the right thing or should I be doing something else? I don't really mind it considering he isn't biting hard enough for it to hurt, butttt it would still be great if there was any way to work on decreasing that haha.
How can I persuade him to try new foods? My dad had him on an all seed diet which I've read isn't good for them at all, I've tried everything that I've heard to get him to eat various fruits but nothing is working... he's like a little kid refusing to eat vegetables lol.
Should I give him a name? I think my dad named him, but if he did he never really used it.. just called him 'the bird'. Is it too late to give him a name or should I just stick with bird? I don't know if it's something they need to learn haha. If it's relevant I'm pretty sure he's around three years old.
And my last question, should I consider rehoming? I don't want to, but I want what's best for the bird. I am fairly sure that right now I can meet his care requirements but next year I'm switching from homeschooling to public, I don't know what to do with him since I'll be gone most of the day and my parents won't get involved in his care.
And that's it! Apologies for this being long haha, and any general advice/tips that I might not find looking around the pinned threads here would also be appreciated!
Of course you should name your bird! It helps establish a bonding relationship with your bird, even if you name him Bird. Take your time and read posts on this forum and maybe you can give him one of the great names a member gave their birdies!
Regarding his diet- try offering him big pieces of raw vegetables like carrots, green beans, or large florets of broccoli as if they were toys for him to play with and chew on and hope he acquires a taste for them in the process of destroying them. I would do this daily. Just throw out what's left at the end of the day. Try offering your bird moist things like a little chopped pasta or rice in a separate bowl. Just make sure you remove it after 8 hours so it doesn't spoil. If he eats any, great! Get a bird multivitamin/mineral supplement and following the instructions add dome to the moist food. If he doesn't eat any of it keep trying every day. He may come around, especially if he sees you eating it. If he never takes a single bite keep it up he ideal way to ensure your bird doesn't develop a deficiency but its better than nothing.
As for biting, I wish I had a solution for that problem! Readers?
 

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