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Post by enchantedaviary on Oct 19, 2015 12:31:59 GMT -5
I have had my blue quaker one day. The breeder told me Skye is four months old and was weaned about two weeks ago. Skye eats pellets etc.
My question is a new sound and behavior I am not familiar with in parrots. Skye make a high pitch chirping or trilling sound and shakes the head in tiny spasms, as if saying "No, no, that's enough." I can't tell is Skye is telling me to go away or is making the baby sounds when they are content. Skye make this sound and movement when i talk to him/her and when I offer treat or other things, like a toy. Skye took some hand feeding formula from a syringe and from a spoon and seemed to really like that, so I put some in a ceramic dish and Skye licked up some more. Is that small tremor or spasm with the high pitch chirping or trilling the "Quaking" or is this a different behavior? I"m not sure what I am seeing or hearing. Skye doesn't sound upset, yet doesn't seem content either. Any input at this age is helpful. Thanks.
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Post by cnyguy on Oct 19, 2015 19:58:05 GMT -5
Welcome!  I'm guessing that what Skye is doing is a form of baby Quaker begging behavior, related to quaking. Skye may or may not want food when he/she does that-- it may be just a way of asking for some attention. |
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Oct 20, 2015 9:28:37 GMT -5
The infamous baby quaker "quake". That is how they got their names |
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Post by enchantedaviary on Oct 20, 2015 10:15:24 GMT -5
I saw a video of a baby quaker that was "quaking", but Skye is doing something less active, only using his head in a fast side to side motion and chirping twice "chirp, chirp" that sounds high in pitch, but not annoying. Skye sounds very cute. Skye seems to do this when I am saying "step up" or offering a treat. I don't know what will motivate Skye at this point, but Skye seems to sleep often through out the day. Is this normal?
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Post by aaron on Oct 20, 2015 11:25:39 GMT -5
Greetings!
I believe I am familiar with this behavior although I do not know what it means. Cupcake used to do this periodically, but doesn't seem to do it any more. It didn't seem particularly troublesome, but not a sign of happiness either... Sorry, I know this isn't very useful feedback, but if we are talking about the same behavior I don't think it's anything you need to acutely worry about. Perhaps if you could capture this on video we could be more specific in our feedback (I know this can be fairly challenging to pull off).
Skye sleeping through the day may or may not be normal. It would be best to get Skye to an avian vet for a routine check-up, which is a good practice when adding any new bird to your flock, anyway. Skye could simply be exhausted from the stress of a new environment, but when birds are not very active, it's best to have them seen by a vet just to make sure nothing is wrong.
Good luck and keep us posted on how things go!
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Post by julianna on Oct 20, 2015 13:40:50 GMT -5
Howdy... I have noticed that when Oscar screams the alarm he will stretch his body out and his feathers will be flat on his body. When he shakes his head quickly from side to side... for me... that means no. Your little one is trying to communicate for sure and in order to interpret it... you must give it time and pay close attention to what is going on around Skye when the gestures are made. It doesn't happen over night that is for sure.
They definitely do have the famous "quake" however, it usually is their entire body that will shake... until they get older. Some quakers never stop quaking and my Oscar still does it from time to time when he is very excited... usually about food.
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Post by enchantedaviary on Oct 20, 2015 15:06:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the input. I spoke with the breeder today and she told me Skye is probably younger than we thought this weekend. She said Skye finished weaning from hand feeding formula last week! Apparently, Skye is not as old as she first told me, but is about 8 weeks old, which explains a lot to me. Whew, I was concerned. A two month old baby needs their sleep and will handle homes being changed as stressful events, not to mention spending all day at a bird mart! I am scheduling an appointment with the avian vet and the breeder told me she will give me a different Quaker if Skye is not healthy etc. Of course, I am already feeling attached to Skye and it's only been 3 days now. Oh boy....
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Post by aaron on Oct 20, 2015 17:06:20 GMT -5
Interesting... Well, hopefully it is just a matter of age. I'm not personally very familiar with very young birds as we got ours when she was 9mo. Attachment happens very fast with these little guys  Glad to hear you will be visiting the vet! Always good to get that clean bill of health so you can rest easy. |
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Post by julianna on Oct 21, 2015 13:15:57 GMT -5
awwww... that is nice you already feel attached and Skye isn't even home yet. When you do get Skye home just be sure to give her time to adjust to her new surroundings. She maybe a little picky when it comes to eating however, do not be afraid to introduce new foods. Vegetables and fruit should be cleaned and peeled. Some she will like and others not. My Quaker loves Romain lettuce, fresh peas, carrots, bananas, apples, peeled green grapes ... to name a few. Of course he also loves pasta very much and boiled potatoes. They do like their food room temperature or even a little warm.
I am sure Skye is going to have a wonderful home. Keep in touch and let us know how it goes.
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Post by biteybird on Oct 23, 2015 5:18:35 GMT -5
Welcome. As soon as I read your first post I thought "4 months old & just weaned? That's odd!". So now it seems you have a 2-mth-old quaker. I would just wait a bit, but if you are really concerned get him/her checked by an Avian vet.
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Post by karen stark on Jul 4, 2019 18:36:12 GMT -5
i am glad i found this thread, i just got an 8 week old quaker and exhibits the exact behavior as enchantedaviary’s bird. i’m not as worried anymore.
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Post by Jessb on Jun 6, 2020 5:24:21 GMT -5
Mine does this same thing usually after a feeding. And is 5 weeks old she will chirp and shake her head and then she ready for sleep. Seems like content chirping like they r saying ah I got to eat. Lol worried me at first tho cause I thought was a sighn of aspiration but now is a regular thing for her.
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angel
Hatchling
Posts: 19
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Post by angel on Aug 16, 2020 19:25:42 GMT -5
Hi! My bird chewy does the same thing. He is almost three months old. After doing research it seems that at this age they have a hard time controlling their emotions. And when they get excited, they will sometimes shake there head as if saying no and make those sounds. They just can’t contain the emotion. I read that they do grow out of it for the most part. Chewy seems to do it at the same times your bird does. As well as when I first get home.
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I'm guessing that what Skye is doing is a form of baby Quaker begging behavior, related to quaking. Skye may or may not want food when he/she does that-- it may be just a way of asking for some attention. 
Glad to hear you will be visiting the vet! Always good to get that clean bill of health so you can rest easy.