New Quaker acquisition | Quaker Parrot Forum

john1reality0
Hatchling

Posts: 1

New Quaker acquisition Nov 20, 2015 16:03:53 GMT -5

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Post by john1reality0 on Nov 20, 2015 16:03:53 GMT -5

Hello,

New to this forum and looking for advice.

She was in a small cage with 8 other Quakers. The bird we brought home, appears to have bonded with her clutch mates. We were told she is 4 months old. My experience is with newly weaned babies.

Sookie, as we call her, runs from us and cannot be handled. She was clipped. She tries vainly to escape human contact. Step up training has failed over 6 days. She cannot be picked up, without attempting fright flight flopping. She does not really vocalize except an occasionally disgruntled grumbling. Upside she is not nippy, but seems unhappy. My question: is it reasonable to expect, over time she will overcome her separation from her brood mates and accept her new family? My concern is she may never acclimate to humans after bonding with other birds. We have a very quiet household. No children, three dogs (two Belgians and an old Scottie) one 16 yo Greenwing Macaw female. Our routine is take her out of her cage and place her on a table top play gym on our granite kitchen island. At night (dusk) we put her back in her cage and cover her up for the evening.

Years ago we had a wonderful male Quaker, Jefe, who was hand raised, very amicable, and funny. Talked up a storm.
We thought Sookie needed a home. Our experience is limited with this type of behavior in a bird.

Has anyone else had experience with this type of bird?

Last Edit: Nov 20, 2015 16:05:18 GMT -5 by john1reality0

wsteinhoff
Fledgling

Posts: 203

New Quaker acquisition Nov 20, 2015 18:08:23 GMT -5 via mobile easttex likes this

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Post by wsteinhoff on Nov 20, 2015 18:08:23 GMT -5

I don't really have any experience with a bird like that. My Quaker didn't like people for a while either but not in the same way. For about a year after I got him he spent a lot of time with me until he started gradually getting less friendly to the point where I couldn't do a thing with him. Being young and inexperienced with parrots I left him caged for most of the next few years which I now feel really bad about doing. My point in this though is after he spent those years without much attention he stayed mean for a while but with some work and patience he became a friendly lovable bird companion again. So it may just take time. Since she runs away from people she's probably frightened of them, maybe instead of trying to hold her set her cage where she can observe the rest of the home and the routine of the home and start out with just talking to her. I have spent most of my years with birds raising pigeons and a pigeon kept around other pigeons will act like a pigeon but keep them away from other pigeons like when they are being quarantined and they will start to become more tame being away from other birds. It works the opposite way too though, take them out of quarantine and put them back with the others and they become like the rest of the pigeons; more wild and try to fly away. So given time away from other quakers Sookie may gradually become more and more friendly.

Birds: Bishop (quaker), Skye (pigeon), Casey (sparrow).

cnyguy
Senior Forum Manager

Posts: 2,274

New Quaker acquisition Nov 20, 2015 20:52:33 GMT -5 easttex likes this

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Post by cnyguy on Nov 20, 2015 20:52:33 GMT -5

Welcome.

I'm not experienced with birds like Sookie, but if she's new to you, she'll undoubtedly need more time just to settle in and get used to her new surroundings. It's better not to insist on handling her until she's more comfortable with you and her new home. Lots of time and patience will be needed, but eventually, she may come around, and in time, she may be willing to be handled.