Please help!

[Kalson]

Hello,


Please help! I am new to parrots. We just rescued a parrot in our back yard yesterday evening.



Please let me know what kind of parrot he/she is and how large it should get as we need to purchase the correct size cage even if temporary.



He/she seemed to be starving last night when he/she was trying to get into our chicken coop. I put some bird seed in a bowl, shook it and showed it to him/her and it came running/flying into the bowl. I was able to put him/her into a dog kennel. while we ran to Walmart for some basic supplies. He/she was eating seed from the time we left until 11:30pm when we returned and tried to create a makeshift cage out of the kennel.



We have not seen him/her drink at all.



I keep checking on her however he/she is not making a peep and is still looking like he/she is trying to sleep. I had read they usually need 10-12 hrs of sleep per day. It has only been 9 hrs since we finished getting kennel set up and allowed him/her to go to sleep.



I have been looking on Nextdoor, and other area sites for anyone who may be missing him/her but have not seen any picture or post resembling him/her.

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums, thanks for rescuing this bird! I believe it is a Quaker Parrot. This species is not legal in all 50 states, but you are in Texas where they are permitted.

The pictures do not show apparent illness or trauma, but this is likely a companion bird that may have wandered for some time. As such, it may be tired and hungry. Birds do drink water, but rather sparingly - not like a dog or cat.

The odds are high this bird is deeply missed and there may be a family frantically trying to find and reunite. Nextdoor is a helpful site, but there are several highly bird-specific venues.

Our Lost and Found Forum has a "sticky" thread detailing the various methods to find a lost bird. The process works well in reverse as in your case: http://www.parrotforums.com/lost-found/49129-bring-them-home-tips-locating-lost-bird.html

If interested, a small to medium cage (depending on budget) will provide a familiar and comfortable environment. While seed mix is a good triage food for a lost bird, fresh vegetables and fruits form the bulk of their diet.

Should you be unable to find the prior owner and wish to eventually keep this bird, we can offer much advice for long term care.

 

[Kiwibird]

As mentioned, you have found a quaker (aka monk) parrot.

As you will hopefully be able to reunite him/her with it's rightful owner soon, I would just go to your local chain pet store and get a reasonable sized cage (likely one advertised for a 'cockatiel' or 'conure' with one or 2 cheap perches. This will be fine for a TEMPORARY setup. Buy a bird food mix that contains both seeds and pellets (look like dog kibble), as some parrots only eat seed and others only pellets so you want to be sure you have something with both staple diets and as parrot food is pricey, a mix will be your best bet for your (hopefully) temporary guest. You may offer a little fresh fruit (no seeds or pits) or veggies (no avocado or onion). Apples (no seeds), grapes, bananas and carrots are pretty universally well liked by most parrots and fresh produce is a better way to hydrate a weak bird than water in a dish (though a dish of clean water must be offered too).

IF you are unable to locate the owner after a reasonable time and decide to keep this bird, we could direct you to a much more long term setup at that time. We will also be able to help get the bird on a good long term diet as well. If that turns out to be the case, this temporary setup could then be saved as an emergency/travel cage.

Good luck and hope this little guy/girl is reunited with it's family soon! And thank you for looking for them first before deciding to keep the bird.

 

[Squeekmouse]

I can't think of anything to add to the above advice, it's golden.



Thank you for rescuing the little guy! He's lucky you found him. I hope you can find his/her human, I'm sure they are devastated looking for him/her. If you do manage to find the Parront, I'm sure they'd be happy to reimburse you/buy from you whatever supplies you bought to care for the little guy. Just a thought.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Thank you for rescuing this little Quaker.
And thank you again for quickly thinking of finding the owners, who are probably heartbroken at the loss of their darling.
And thank you a third time for sharing your story with us, and being open-minded to help!

 

[ChristaNL]

The little one found you, and you found us
Interesting times.

(adorable photoos btw)

Welcome and so far: well done!

 

[Flboy]

Welcome! The little tyke is lucky to have found you!

 

[noodles123]

Hes definitely a Quaker.

Most parrots can eat cooked unsalted and unfortified pasta or plain cooked oatmeal with mashed fruit (cooled off obviously)....that is a good source of food/water in a pinch...Not terribly nutritious, but better than dehydration.

You could also try baby food (plain or mixed with oatmeal) but avoid brands containing sodium, citric acid or other "no-nos" for parrots (dairy, avocado, tomato, salt, rhubarb, high sugar, super-high protein etc)

 

[noodles123]

If things are getting bad- a vet can also syrringe feed a bird the avian version of Gator-aid/Ensure

 

[noodles123]

ANOTHER FOLLOW-UP- I am assuming he isn't well enough to happily chomp down pellets. If he is, you can try them. Petsmart carries a generally accepted (but semi-controversial) pellet (Zupreme) and a lot of pickier birds eat "Zupreme Fruit blend" + a mix of seeds. Obviously there are the classier and healthier pellets like Harrison's, but that is like taking a presumed toddler and progressing from fruit loops to swiss-chard overnight. Avoid excess seeds and sunflower seeds/ peanuts. These seeds can stress the liver and cause fungal issues (peanuts). DO NOT feed any fruit pits, as these can be deadly due to chemical compounds within.

 

[MonicaMc]

Might not be the same birds, but here are some lost quakers

Usa Tx, cypress, Quaker ?Daisy? June-7-2018
https://houston.craigslist.org/laf/d/lost-my-quaker/6630544669.html


You can report as found here and on Craiglist and the info should also be put on Facebook.

Report Found Bird

 

[EllenD]

I'm not sure of his temperament, especially if he is sick or was starving, but are there flocks of wild Quakers in Texas as there are in the Northeastern states, such as NY, NJ, MD, NH, VT, etc.? I'm just wondering if he's not a wild Quaker, as they are plentiful up here....Of course, if he's hand-tame then he's definitely someone's pet, but if he's ill then that could be a different story too...

 

[TiredOldMan]

Yes we have wild flocks here.