My Little Green Potato

[lrchnnng]

Hi guys!
I’ve been lurking for a couple weeks but this is my first post. Tomorrow will be two weeks since I picked up my now 14 week old Quaker baby. We’re FINALLY starting to get into the swing of things after almost two weeks of incessant screeching! Turns out he’s just a fussy bugger who has to have everything JUST RIGHT! I
He’s still a little wary of hands (despite the breeder saying she’d hand reared them, she also gave me the advise to just grab him and hold him on his back in order to ‘assert dominance’ so I’m taking it all with a grain of salt!). His cage is mostly just a sleep cage/a place to go when I’m out, he loves flying around and exploring things and then at the end of the day when he’s exhausted from screaming, throwing tantrums and seeing how close he can fly to my face before I react, he lets me pick him up, give him scritches and kisses while I walk him to bed.
Just need to get him off seeds and onto more fresh food and pellets, but we’re working on it! (My floor is a mess of tiny fruit pieces he’s thrown everywhere!) d

Here’s some cute photos for your viewing pleasure. Meet Spud

 

[Scott]

So glad you took the leap from lurker to member! Spectacular pics of Spud, his vibrant personality leaps from the monitor!! Questionable at best breeder advice to "grab" to "assert dominance." Appropriate instinctive response when life endangered but hardly builds trust and strong bond!

Glad you're starting transition to fresh foods and pellets while young. One of my techniques to foster appreciation for healthy foods is preparing two identical bowls of "chop" aka fresh items. Offer one to Spud, begin eating from your bowl. Make "mmmm" sounds, bob your head in delight. Parrots are flock eaters and you are one of the flock!

 

[lrchnnng]

T

So glad you took the leap from lurker to member! Spectacular pics of Spud, his vibrant personality leaps from the monitor!! Questionable at best breeder advice to "grab" to "assert dominance." Appropriate instinctive response when life endangered but hardly builds trust and strong bond!

Glad you're starting transition to fresh foods and pellets while young. One of my techniques to foster appreciation for healthy foods is preparing two identical bowls of "chop" aka fresh items. Offer one to Spud, begin eating from your bowl. Make "mmmm" sounds, bob your head in delight. Parrots are flock eaters and you are one of the flock!

Thank you! I’m a little neurotic so I did as much research as I possibly could and spent several months getting as much information as possible before I even looked for a parrot which I’m glad about since the breeder sent me home with a bag of possibly the worst seed mix you can possibly get!

Saying that no amount of research prepares you for how much hard work they take! I’m just glad he sleeps so well and so long haha.
Incredibly helpful advice about the chop! I’ve noticed he’s more willing to try individual veg if I pretend to eat it and make a big deal about how good it is before offering it. Ridiculously cute!

My main issues at the moment are hands (which I know is just time and patience), diet, his cage (he has no territorial behaviour, which is great but I’d like him to feel some ownership of it! I’ve not overloaded it, he has various perches of different sizes/textures/materials etc, I make a point of not touching it unless I’m refreshing food/water and letting him out/putting him in at night or cleaning but as soon as he’s out that cage doesn’t exist! From day one he’s wanted to be out and having a nosy at everything, I suppose I live in his room), and the biggest thing I’ve been dealing with, which has started to get better now he’s settled in more and only screams for 20-ish mins twice a day, but mum guilt is real! That constant ‘am I doing enough?’ ‘Does he needs more time out of the cage?’ (Like I said he only sleeps in the cage so this is an irrational thought!) ‘I must be doing something wrong if he doesn’t want to be near me/eat veg/is scared of noises and toys’.

I’m waffling because im exhausted and needed to get that all off my chest! (My friends are not bird people and there’s only so much ’tater related conversations I can have before they tune out!! Turns out not everyone is interested in the fact he was brave enough to preen my eyelashes the other day etc)

But I’ve really appreciated reading this forum, I’m looking forward to having a bird parent community to ramble to!! (Even if I’m shouting into the void!)

 

[Laurasea]

Welcome to quakers @ congratulations on Spud! Preening eyelashes is huge! He likes you!

Probably has a fear of hands if that breeder has been grabbing and putting on back, ugh how did they ever get ahold of such stupid inferior information?!?

So my baby Phoebe had a hand phobia from pet store and people poking hands in. It took a solid 2 month to overcome, tho she was interested in bring friends and getting a few head scratches. Lots if treat seeds and yumny stuff fed by hand . Building trust. Showing her id never grab her. Now 10 months later is so lovely and sweet. Is still hesitant of stepping up but will, prefers to fly to me and get love. Trained to return to cage on her own, which is niw her thing th a y she is proud of and always goes back when I ask her to.

I think you are doing great I love the bath picture.

 

[lrchnnng]

Welcome to quakers @ congratulations on Spud! Preening eyelashes is huge! He likes you!

Probably has a fear of hands if that breeder has been grabbing and putting on back, ugh how did they ever get ahold of such stupid inferior information?!?

So my baby Phoebe had a hand phobia from pet store and people poking hands in. It took a solid 2 month to overcome, tho she was interested in bring friends and getting a few head scratches. Lots if treat seeds and yumny stuff fed by hand . Building trust. Showing her id never grab her. Now 10 months later is so lovely and sweet. Is still hesitant of stepping up but will, prefers to fly to me and get love. Trained to return to cage on her own, which is niw her thing th a y she is proud of and always goes back when I ask her to.

I think you are doing great I love the bath picture.

This is so helpful and such a relief that I’m not just doing a terrible job!!! We’ve gone from flying away every time hands are close to having a gently nibble and lick when my finger is close. But I’m super conscious of respecting his boundaries and not pushing the hand thing, if he steps back or gives any kind of signal he’s not into it I walk away and let him be! He’ll step up onto my elbow as long as I have a sleeve and will land on my head etc. But I agree that being grabbed out of the cage and manhandled… I’d have issues with hands if someone did that to me!

The only time I really touch him is at night when he’s super tired (I know because he gets all heavy eye lids and makes the most heart warming sucky noises!!) and I’ll pick him up super gently and put him to bed. I’ve been doing it for 5+ nights now so he knows what I’m doing, he’ll give a little chirp as I pick him up and then hold onto my fingers while I give him head scratches and slowly put him onto his perch.
How long did it take for you to get Phoebe to go to her cage? We haven’t worked out what treat Spud will do anything for! Some days he’ll love a peanut and get really excited for it. Other days he’ll take a bite, throw it on the floor, scream and fly off in a huff!

The bath is actually his water bowl! He’s been enjoying a spray of water but he obviously decided it wasn’t doing a good enough job! Especially with him having some pin feathers on his face! Honestly I’m just excited that he’s feeling comfortable and brave enough to have a bath and play with some of his toys.

Oh jeeze, I’m one of those annoying new parents who’s obsessed with every tiny change or achievement of their kids!! (Just know I’m fully conscious of the rambling essays I’m writing haha!)

 

[Scott]

A touch of neuroses quite helpful and imo preferable to lackadaisical approach!!

You and Spud doing exceptionally well after two weeks. Every issue mentioned improves over time measured in weeks to months. Love the conversational updates, please continue! ,

 

[Laurasea]

I have years of practice reading parrots, so I had an advantage teaching her to go back.

Saffelflower seeds, popcorn, and a tiny crumb of cracker are her favorite treats. I showed her the treat, put it in her bowl and told her time to go back. Every step she took towards the cage I praised. With huge celebration when she went in. I also stood behind her and slowed took a step towards her while pointing at cage, I stopped moving praised if she was moving towards Cage. If she stopped move towards the cage I stepped towards her again. As she was in early days and still retreat from me a little. Once she went in the Cage I treated it like she was a rock star genius ! She still thinks this is true when she goes back, pride shines from her eyes that she is so smart!!@

I had worked fir her to understand good birdie. Anytime she ate her food I told her good birdie, sny time she took a treat, or did anything that made her happy I told her good birdie. That really helped with cage return, as she understand good birdie that I said when she took a step towards cage.

Please share away about your new baby!! I think you will feel the same still in 5 years! I still want to share them and their adventures with family friends, strangers that hooks still!!

On noise. Yiu will want to start work on that a little, because by nature they like to make noise. Praise when quiet. Do have a flock call word or whistle, do answer flock calls, do check out alarm calls to make sure everything is OK. But ignore the other noise. I'll try and find articles and tips to share with you. But I don't have time right now.

Big bird hugs to you and Spud

 

[Flboy]

Hi! The breeder is a bully!

 

[wrench13]

Congrats! 2 things I will mention. As you guessed, parrots are all about trust, so any action by you should be held to the rule 'will this build or bust trust?'. And yeah, find that favorite treat, because the way to a parrots heart is thru its stomach! I use pieces of pine nut for my Salty.

Oh yeah and Quaker parrots are famous for developing a really strong cage dominance, so be prepared for that. Most times they need to be taken to a play stand or play area in order to be less territorial. We had one that was a terror in and around his cage, but away, was a sweety pie.