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Post by wheezeebeep on Nov 10, 2015 21:03:02 GMT -5
Hello, I'm a new owner of a quaker parrot. My understanding is that the bird is around 10yrs old. It seems happy enough, but I took the bird from a home where it's living conditions were very poor and unsanitary. The bird itself appears clean with mild feather loss under the wings and near its upper chest area. It does appear to be regrowing the feathers on its head. I've been doing a lot of research online regarding adequate nutrition and am attempting to switch the bird from an all seed diet high in sunflower seeds to a small bird pellet designed for parakeets, cockatiels and conures. In addition I've been feeding it vegetables high in calcium as I feel it could be deficient in calcium. It's beak does not appear to be malformed but it does seem sort of flakey on the edges and "dry". It's also a slightly darker color then pictures that I have seen online. The bird also seems poofy and is leery of things I've put in it's cage. It origionally had one branch only. I've added multiple branches and toys. It seems very unsure of how to navigate the cage. I don't think the cage is over crowded but I'm not really sure if I've made too many changes at once. Any recommendations for how to proceed are welcome. I have never owned a bird before and want to make this one happy and healthy.
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Post by aaron on Nov 10, 2015 21:58:30 GMT -5
Welcome to you and your new little one! Thank you for taking in this little bird-- you're doing a wonderful thing.
I'm not personally experienced with this sort of scenario, but it sounds like you are on the right track. One thing I know everyone will recommend is that the bird is seen by an avian vet as soon as possible. The sort of condition that this bird was in could lend itself to all sorts of health complications, so it's really best you make sure the little guy is seen by a professional to make sure there is nothing serious wrong. The fact that you describe this bird as "poofy" when I would expect it to be fairly stressed out given the circumstances is somewhat concerning, as this could mean illness.
How is the bird's demeanor? Friendly? Aggresive at all? Was it ever given a name?
Feel free to ask any questions that come to mind. We are always happy to help!
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Post by wheezeebeep on Nov 11, 2015 14:06:35 GMT -5
No name that I'm aware of and we have not officially named it yet. It takes me a while to name an animal as I feel they need to grow into a name. I affectionately call him momma's little dirty bird because of how he came to live with us. I'm researching avian vet's and plan to have him examined asap. My understanding is that the bird has not had very much hands on experience during it's lifetime. I have taken him out of the cage without incident multiple times since I obtained him. We have only had him three days. He gets on my fingers no problem and sits on my shoulder and does a vocalization I can only describe as purring. He also rubs me on the face and seems to like being pet. He also seems to like my boyfriend very much as well. One issue I'm running into is trying to get him back in the cage. He is very resistive and tries to fly away. He also does not seem to like when someone else tries to pick him up off the persons shoulder he is currently on. He crouches low and beaks the hand. It not a painful bite but I can tell his mouth is open and he means business. I'm uncertain if his wings should be clipped to protect him from flying into things around the house or even away. I'm not sure if clipping wings is a good or bad thing.
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Post by julianna on Nov 11, 2015 15:20:32 GMT -5
Hello and welcome. I think you are going to have a really nice little friend there. Since you can already take him out of the cage and he does purr when on your shoulder are all good things. Keeping his diet varied is really good idea too just be sure to watch out for those foods that can kill him instantly. They are on this site.
Clipping of wings is a personal decision. Many do and many do not... it is basically up to you. Just be sure that he is safe in all cases. These little birds have quite the personality as you will soon find out.
They love water so be sure to introduce him to either a spray bottle shower... shower in the shower with you... or a bath in a sink or bowl. Usually once or twice a week is necessary.
After the bath they will feel at their most vulnerable so be very careful and let the QP dry off in a very safe place... like his cage and be sure the room is warm.
Good luck and it is very kind of you to take on this little guy.
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Post by wheezeebeep on Nov 11, 2015 16:41:33 GMT -5
The 2nd day he took a bath in his water dish so I bought him a big bird bath and put it on top of his cage. He seemed to enjoy it but the bath is shallow. Does he require a complete soaking weekly or is the shallow bath sufficient?
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Post by wheezeebeep on Nov 11, 2015 16:43:23 GMT -5
Also can he bath more then twice weekly? He seemed to really enjoy it but I'm not sure if there is too much bath time for birds.
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Post by aaron on Nov 11, 2015 18:10:59 GMT -5
Sounds like things are going well! If he is so willing to sit on your fingers and shoulders, there's a good chance he's had some hands on experience at one point or another in his life. In fact, it sounds like he was probably well loved by someone at some point. The purring sound you describe is a very positive, affectionate expression  One thing we do with Cupcake is give her a small treat whenever she goes into her cage willingly. At this point, she fully associates going in her cage with getting a treat, and basically never objects (occasionally at bedtime). We do not clip Cupcake's wings, but as Julianna said, it's a personal preference kind of thing, and the safety of the environment, the skill of the bird's flight capabilities, and your ability/willingness to be vigilant should be the factors you consider when you decide whether to let your little buddy fly or not. We have an apartment with a fair amount of open space in the main area, and clear sight lines between rooms, which is extremely conducive to keeping track of a flighted bird (especially one that is relatively obedient when it comes to staying where she is supposed to stay)... We are also fond of Cupcake being able to follow us around, which lends a sense of autonomy to her existence and I genuinely think that for her, it's the right thing. Cupcake is also a very good flier and has only had one minor accident in the whole time we've had her. It's definitely more dangerous, and it requires all of us to be trained to always be paying attention to where the bird is... but we wouldn't have it any other way. That said, I can certainly understand why in other circumstances, one would choose to clip their bird's wings. I'm not aware of any reason why you should limit bath time. Just make sure that the water is cool. Warm water will dry their feathers and skin out in an undesirable way. A full soak is not necessary, although I personally like to give Cupcake a good soak in the shower periodically to simulate the rainfall that she would be getting in the wild... But there are definitely birds out there that don't do anything but bathe in dishes and seem to be fine. |
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Post by wheezeebeep on Nov 11, 2015 18:34:30 GMT -5
So I was able to schedule an appointment on Tuesday with my regular vet. Apparently he also sees birds and all sorts of other small animals. I'm excited to see what they have to say about the birds health. I'll keep you guys updated on what they have to say  |
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Post by cnyguy on Nov 11, 2015 20:25:36 GMT -5
Welcome to you and your yet-unnamed feathered companion! It sounds like you're off to a good start together. My QP Ralph wants a bath about every four days. He tells me when he wants one by rattling his drinking water dish, so I can add more water and get out the spray bottle to mist him too. I know of some parrots who demand a bath every day-- usually not necessary, but not especially harmful either. |
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Post by wheezeebeep on Nov 21, 2015 19:57:05 GMT -5
Just wanted to post an update. Our birds name is Rufus and we saw the vet earlier this week. Rufus is overweight and malnourished. This is most likely due to his prior diet. The vet feels that with time on the correct diet he will naturally lose the excess weight and his beak will re-mineralize. We apparently got him during his great molt which explains some of his feather loss. The vet saw no indication of malicious feather plucking and believes Rufus will be happy and healthy in no time. In addition Rufus has started eating his healthy birdie kibble and is now on the correct bird kibble to bird seed ratio. Even better he has started to use his happy hut and genuinely appear super psyched about his new home. Im very pleased by how quickly rufus has adjusted. Thanks for all the kind words of wisdom and advise |
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Post by cnyguy on Nov 21, 2015 20:58:30 GMT -5
It sounds like Rufus is settling in nicely with you. A good diet can make a tremendous difference-- I imagine you'll see some improvement in Rufus' condition fairly soon, now that he'll be eating healthier. |
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Post by aaron on Nov 21, 2015 21:57:15 GMT -5
Glad to hear things are going well with Rufus and that you got him to see the vet. It sounds like you are doing all the right things. Diet is very important for these little ones. When we first got Cupcake, we weren't as diligent about her diet as we needed to be. We had her on pellets but we were not insistent that she eat fresh veggies every day, and we fed her a lot of things from our human diet that she should not have been eating, and it became clear that it was not good for her. When we finally changed this, the difference was dramatic, and things turned around quickly. I'm sure Rufus will make a quick turnaround as well.
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Post by biteybird on Nov 21, 2015 23:33:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the update and welcome to you and Rufus! That's a nice name for a quaker.
As the others have said, you are doing all the right things and it's nice to know that Rufus is now receiving proper nutrition. Keep us posted!
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Post by beccilouise on Nov 23, 2015 17:28:03 GMT -5
Hi and welcome! I'm quite new to quakers as well and brought my Byron home a month or so ago. From what I've read about parrot psychology etc, the reluctance to go back into the cage may be because he's been locked away for long periods of time with no attention and so is frightened of neglect? I've heard of a few similar scenarios. If the cage really DOES become a cage and not just a place to keep the bird safe when you are not there, they can become frightened or resentful of it. I guess time will help him and I'm really glad to read he seems happier.
I wondered if you'd tried giving him boiled egg with the shell still on for calcium? Byron loves it as it gives him something to destroy and egg shell is a good source of calcium alongside the protein in the egg. He also likes boiled peas and pulses. Hope all goes well with your little refugee and he gets happier and healthier soon!
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