My new quaker

[Sarah.d]

Hi , I just got a 4 month old blue quaker about 4 days ago. She will only eat grapes and sunflower seeds out of my hand and she does not like her cage. She just sits on top of it or comes looking for me to snuggle any tips on how to get her more settled in ?

 

[aliray]

Hi and congrats on your new quaker. Is she still on any kind of handfeeding or is she fully weaned. You said she will only take sunflower seeds or grapes from you hand. Are those just a treat or do you mean that it is all she is eating? Where did you get her or him from and what were they feeding her. You should try to keep the bird on the same basic food for at least a month before trying to switch . their food gradually to what you want their base diet to be. They should also be given vegetables some fruit whole grains such as cooked pasta cooked brown rice. Little bits of protein like hard cooked egg, boiled chicken, little bits of any cooked meat or cooked fish. Small peice of whole grain cracker or toast. food should not have salt on it. no avacado, no chocolate, no caffine ,no alcohol. They need a varied diet along with whatever their base diet is. Millet spray is good for training . you can also let him eat meals with you, and try little bits. It will take her time to settle in and feel comfortable with you. Check out the quaker section and diet sections of the forum there is tons of info on there. Feel free to post any questions

 

[JerseyWendy]

Welcome to the forum, Sarah, and congrats on your Blue Quaker.

Alison (aliray) has given you some AWESOME advice there.

 

[Sarah.d]

Hi she is fully weaned . I have a small parrot mix and she will eat from her cup but picks out the big seeds and that's it . I'm not sure what diet she was on as the lady I got her from was a loony and I can not make contact with her anymore , she got her from a good breeder here. Thanks for your advice I will keep offering her things . She has come out of her shell this morning sitting on the couch with us nodding her little head like mad , such a snuggle buggle we have named her Lola

 

[BirdBrains2233]

Grat's on your new companion. If you have never dealt with a quaker, you will learn that they a a VERY large parrot trapped in a tiny body. Most quakers usually have a great temper and are very energetic. As for getting settled in, all I can suggest is time. Each bird will do things on their own time, and there is not much we can do about it. DO NOT try to force them, they will only learn to resent you for it. As for the diet, Aliray had the best advice any of us could give. I dont know if you have a local bird store, but this is what I do. I take my Quaker over to the local store (they encourage it) and let him try different types of foods / treats. Much easier to figure out what he like and dislikes, and it was much easier to balance a good diet for him. ***Make sure he is fully vetted before taking him around other birds*** Good Luck and keep us posted. Also.. we love pictures here!!!

 

[Sarah.d]

Hi , she is really settling in this week eating all sorts and interacting well with every member of our family this morning she laughed

 

[BirdBrains2233]

Glad to hear she's laughing I want to get a video of mine doing it so I can upload and show everyone, he is a trip. Btw, hows the eating going?