Is a Quaker the right bird? Tell me about yours please!

Welcome to the forum! You are doing the right thing by doing research before making a decision.

Quakers are wonderful birds, but they, like all parrots, can also be very challenging pets. Their demeanor will vary depending on the individual bird, as they each have an individual personality, but in general, Quakers are very energetic, headstrong, inquisitive, and charismatic birds. They are very intelligent, particularly for their size, and are seen as having the personality of a larger parrot packed into a small parrot's body.

They can be quite silly and fun and are very loving companions when all goes well. They can also be quite demanding and territorial, can be quite loud (although many are fairly quiet birds), and some can be quite nippy to say the least, but that definitely varies, and can often be improved with the right training. Generally speaking, they are very good talkers, although it's important to realize that not all of them will talk (we have a 5 year old Quaker who does not speak). Some are very cuddly, and others are less so, but they are in general quite affectionate birds. They will undoubtedly capture your heart with a quickness.

So, a few things about keeping parrots as pets--

They start out sweet as babies, and are nice to everyone, and then around 1-2 years of age, they reach sexual maturity, and things change. In a family setting there is a good likelihood that your parrot will at this point choose a favorite person as a mate and become defensive/aggressive against the others in the home. In the long term, this is generally resolvable, but it will take a plan, patience and persistence to get through it. You'll also encounter other hormonal behaviors that you will need to make sure you do not encourage.

You will definitely get bitten. How often, and how hard varies, but this applies to all parrots. They aren't the greatest pets for young children for this reason. We have a 10 year old, and we don't allow Cupcake to sit on her. While Cupcake is not an aggressive bird in the least, and very rarely bites, they are never fully predictable. Furthermore, it takes a calm and patient demeanor to have a good relationship with a bird, which is something most children do not possess... so I would work within the expectation that your 7 year old will not handle the bird at first.  I am not particularly knowledgeable on them, but from the bit I know, I would have said that Green Cheek Conures are actually less nippy than Quakers, not more.  But I could be wrong.

I think most of us as parrot owners feel a personal obligation to counteract the fact that parrots are often glorified as pets. As I've already noted, they are hard work-- noisy, messy, demanding, impatient, territorial. They also live a long time-- they essentially substantially reduce the flexibility of your existence on a near-permanent basis.

All of that said, our QP, Cupcake, is a beacon of light in our household. She is extremely sweet, funny, charming. She makes us smile and laugh every day (and often laughs with us)... She very rarely bites (and never hard), is not cage aggressive or territorial at all, and is extremely affectionate and cuddly-- very tolerant of being touched. She's a highly valued member of our family and I don't know what we would do without her. At this point she is a wonderful family pet-- but it hasn't always been this way! And even in the very favorable scenario that we find ourselves in at this point, she is a ton of work.

I'm not particularly knowledgeable about whether to get a just weaned vs 6 month old-- We got Cupcake at 9 months old from a pet store. The others might be able to give you some insight on that.

Sorry for the diatribe I'm not trying to discourage you-- you sound like you have the makings of a good bird owner. Just want to make sure you know what you're up against. Hopefully this helps and doesn't just complicate the issue. Please feel free to ask any follow up questions you might have! We are all happy to help.

I don't think I can say more than what has already been said. My QP (Oscar) is very similar to those noted above other than Oscar does not fly therefore, I am his direct link to get him from room to room or anywhere he wants to go.

He has made me his slave and I love it. He can communicate quite well just with his body motions... such as sticking his head out in the direction he wants to go... flapping his wings when he gets his way.. shaking his head "NO" when he doesn't like something... etc. etc.

I enjoy the fact that they love all types of different foods and will come and get what he wants off my plate at meal times. I always have to share with him but he will never share his food with me. (greedy little boy)

Good Luck with your decision.

Welcome! As you can tell from the other replies, each parrot is an individual and has his or her own unique personality. My QP Ralph is on the quiet side. He doesn't scream or screech, but he does squawk. He knows a lot of words and understands what they mean, but doesn't say them often or loudly. He isn't what you could call a cuddly parrot, but he would rather be perched on me than anywhere else in the world. He's smart, curious and inquisitive, and also rather stubborn and particular that things should be done his way. He has a well-developed sense of humor too, and is playful. Ralph was about six months old when I got him and I would say that's a good age for a newly acquired parrot-- though fully weaned babies I imagine will be good companions too.

What everyone else said!   

I just want to put in a plug for older birds, in case you haven't considered it. Unfortunately, many people get parrots on impulse and have no idea what to do with them. They wind up needing new homes. As was said several times, they're individuals, and in many cases all they need is love, patience, and understanding to become good companions. 

My quaker, Peppy, was 21 when I got him. He was cage bound and a biter. It took over six months to handle him comfortably, but now he is a cuddle monster. I'm not suggesting you should look for a senior bird with a lot of problems, but if you come across one that is over six months, don't dismiss it out of hand. I know they're awfully cute and cuddly as babies, but that is a phase. Depending on where you live, there are lots of homeless parrots that need a second chance.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Having a Quaker is like having a forever 3 year old. I hire "birdy sitters" when I travel. Gordon will tell me "gotta take a bath" and then proceed to dump his little tub! He will bite me, say "no biting" then laugh his fool head off! He tells me "you're a good boy" several times a day. He eats my food, drinks from my water glass and and generally runs my life.  

The thing is, Gordon needs more attention then the parakeets and cockatiels I had before. On the other hand, he talks (a lot) and  often wants a cuddle. He thinks he's in charge of me, and maybe he is. Probably the same amount as a dog, but I've never had a dog. Not the best for a first bird, IMHO.

~Sandee~

I'm a brand new member here - but I'll share some of my experiences with my QP's. First, some background about me - I used to raise and train the birds for customers. I have raised and trained dogs, horses, and several species of birds, Cockatiels, Budgies, Conures, Indian Ring Necks, Amazons, and a rescued Umbrella Cockatoo - Bobbie. The youngest bird being a 6 day old QP needing formula every 2 hours (day and night) and the oldest being Bobbie at 22 years. It's been my experience that the younger the bird - the quicker it will become adjusted to the new home and become attached to the family. But an animal at any age - given enough love, time and patience, can become a wonderful addition to the family. So if you were to get a very young QP that still needs hand feeding, even if it's just once or twice per day for a week, I recommend that by you and your spouse alternate feeding. Otherwise, you may find your bird bonding to the one who feeds and reject the one who doesn't.

It's important to remember that most "pet quality" birds live in a flock, and interact with others in the flock every day - all day long. So when you bring home a single bird - you and your family become the flock. The more time you can spend with your bird, the tighter the relationship will be. But it is very important that you spend as much time as you can with your flock, at a minimum - an hour. Since you work at home, even if your bird is in another room, talk with it, answer it's calls, take a moment to give it a treat (i.e. favorite food - a couple of seeds or detached ball of millet spay, a scratch behind the head or a rub on the beak) throughout the day. Think of it as more "quality time" than "quantity time" without interaction.

Right now we have a 3 year old cocker spaniel (Cookie)and we also have a 9 month old QP (Lola)that was purchased from the breeder at 3 weeks of age. Unfortunately for Lola, the breeder didn't clip the wings - but cut off the feathers on one wing. If the bird you are going to get can fly and you want your bird's wings clipped - make sure that both wings are trimmed equally and leave 3 or 4 of the flight feathers (the longest feathers at the end of the wing). There are plenty of good videos that you can watch to see how this is done. Clipping one wing will cause the bird to be unbalanced when it flaps its wings and will not be able to "fly" to the floor without running the risk of breaking bones, damaging it head or beak. A bird with a few flight feathers can't fly up more than a foot or two, but it will be able to safely fly to the floor.

Cookie is jealous of Lola and growl's at her when Lola is too close to her food bowl. Lola plays with Cookie and her toys. And Cookie plays with Lola, sharing her rope toys with her. I'm still working with Cookie to have her allow Lola to ride on her back. Cookie is becoming less fearful of Lola because she no longer bites Cookie - but Lola will remove stickers and grass that gets caught is Cookie's fur. Sometimes Lola will preen Cookie's hair.

I am Lola's partner of choice and Lola will bite my wife - Lucia. Lucia is starting to spend a little more time with Lola and the biting behavior is declining. For the past couple of weeks, Lola comes to Lucia to get "plate food" when Lucia calls her. Patience is not Lucia's strong suit. And patience is required with any bird you add to your family.

Three out of five QP's that we've owned were talkers starting at about 6 months. All of our birds had different personalities, played with different toys, had different levels of affection - a couple were very "clingy" and one didn't like being held at all and would jump or fly off quickly after getting away from his cage.

I recommend that you get some info on positive reinforcement training and/or the ABC's of behavior. I am a big proponent of clicker training as well - the clicker is a marker for the animal to know exactly when they were doing the correct behavior. And the animal knows that a treat will always follow.

I will say that ALL birds need to have quality time spent with them. Some species more than others. IMHO the Quaker is an excellent companion bird. You will be amazed at the intelligence these birds have. How quickly they learn and how long they seem to hold a grudge. But with time and patience - I think you will be happy. You'll both grow to know each other, learn each others moods, expressions, and be able to tell by the tone of your voice when you each are happy, sad, worried, angry, and when to be left alone - at least for NOW. It's great that you are doing some investigative work before you take on a feathered companion. I've had a bird as part of my life for more than 35 years, and I must admit, it is worth it.

Good luck and I pray you will find the best companion for you and your family.