My New Baby!

[BanalityBob]

I am a first time bird owner and have been trying to buy/adopt a bird for about two months now. After two people falling through on delivering birds, a breeder backing out, and a lady selling her baby conure out from under me, I received a call back from a bird rescue that I had given up on hearing back from. They had several birds they wanted me to meet, and they drove (almost an hour) to my house that night to let me meet them. After interacting with a pair of Quakers and getting my hand slightly mauled by a supposedly "male friendly" Goffin's Cockatoo, I walked over to a single Quaker who had been sitting quietly on my couch, ignored in all the ruckus caused by the three other birds.

William Penn, as she was called, snuggled right up under my chin and started preening my sideburns and unshaven chin--immediately winning me over. She threw a total fit when one of the rescue ladies tried to get her to step up and go away from me so that they could write down her leg band number. They let her stay with me immediately, and I'm five days in to the 30 day foster period the rescue requires. Day one and two were pretty idyllic; she rode around on my shoulder and got to know me. Day three and four were pretty bad, as she started biting viciously anytime I got near, but today, she's been a big petting and preening sponge, letting me pet (but not hold for some reason) her for several hours now. It might have something to do with the new toys.

Since she is a girl, I changed her name from William Penn to Penelope. She doesn't really talk, but does make a noise that sounds a bit like "hello" and she does imitate a crow quite well (usually when she's really mad). She's completely stolen my heart, and is living in a quite large cage with lots of toys in my living room. Penelope is 12, but did live with a loving family in New Jersey previously and is pretty tame but was fed mostly seed mixes with a lot of sunflower, so she's a little chunky. I have her on pellets now, but she's wary of most fruits and veggies. During the two day period she decided she was going to test me, she threw her grape pieces at me.

Pic time!

Her cage:

Fat birdie:

The tiny, green dictator:

 

[suebee]

awww she's so cute, and just settling bless her

 

[MikeyTN]

Congrats on Penelope!!! Quakers are wonderful birds to own, they can be clownish. Super smart and escape artist. She's very pretty!!!!

 

[Gandolf]

Congratulations on the new family member she is very pretty

 

[cnyguy]

Congratulations-- and a big welcome to Penelope! Quakers are very good at finding their way into your heart-- and life is seldom dull with a Quaker around.


Quakers are fussy little gourmets and are very good at rejecting some of the foods they're offered. Persistence often pays off-- keep offering the same fruits and vegetables over and over, and eventually Penelope may decide some of them are worth eating. Try offering them in different forms-- both raw and cooked, finely chopped, mashed up, etc. You'll undoubtedly end up having a lot more food flung at you in the process, but there's likely to be some success sooner or later. It took me 8 months to get Ralph, my Quaker, to decide that broccoli isn't so bad after all.


Quakers can also be susceptible to the occasional mood swing-- they may go from being sweet and cuddly to grouchy and biting in the blink of an eye. A lot of people who live with QPs consider that a part of their charm .



All the best to you and Penelope!

 

[suebee]

lmao @ brocoli, i let nut have that she don't like it!! as the last time, she just stood stock still as i pushed it into her beak, it reminded me of feeding a toddler that did not want it, and refused to open there beaks, oops ment mouth! lol i have tried brocoli countless times before lol

 

[BanalityBob]

Another cute day. She's letting me pet and hold her, but is pretty intent on playing. She's decided that her favorite toy is the rawhide chews with the bell because it makes the loudest noise when she bangs it against the side of the cage. For an hour last night, all I heard from her cage was clanging and excited squeaking every time the toy clanged. It was adorable.

She's tried green beans. I'll have to start presenting previous options in different forms. Needless to say, I'm completely in love.

 

[PetoftheDay]

She is adorable, congratulations on being chosen by her! Life, as someone said, will never be dull with her around! You should nominate her for Pet of the Day! (Pet of the Day - Every day a new pet photo and story )

 

[Vanessa32885]

I loved your story of how you found your new quaker. She is so adorable! Quakers are always having mood swings, one minute they want snuggles, the next they want to bite! But they are such good parrots, I know your going to love your new baby!

 

[Gliderider]

Aw she is cute. Congrats !