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Post by screechowl on Feb 22, 2018 13:00:19 GMT -5
Hello, I adopted a Quaker in the New Year.
He had an October 2017 split ring on but we think he may be a bit older than that shows.
He was described as 'hand tame'
He's a gentle bird and can be a bit nervy and loud. (His name is Sim aka Screech Owl)
He will step up onto hands but I haven't managed to pick him up yet either when he is in or out of his cage.
I don't want to rush it or traumatise him so I'm hoping for some tips on how to acheive results with this.
(I'm also trying to get him to eat pellets but that is another matter!)
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Post by rickygonzalez on Feb 22, 2018 19:50:14 GMT -5
I think your best bet is to do what you are doing in taking your time. You can't really rush birds as this causes other issues. I would let him come out on his own for now and make it as positive an experience as you can. Give him lots of healthy treats and pay attention to his body language. It will take some time but In the end it will be worth it. I have heard they can be very cage possessive, though I have never had this problem. I would recommend getting him used to stepping up on a stick. When he gets good at that maybe you can get him out using the stick. I would wait for a while before doing that. Good luck!!!
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Post by biteybird on Feb 23, 2018 2:13:49 GMT -5
Hi and welcome!  I agree with Ricky. I would let him dictate the pace here. If he's 'nervy' it sounds like he may have had some bad experiences. If he is happy to step onto your hand I wouldn't even try to pick him up. You are correct not to rush him. It could take a while, so I hope you're a patient person! If you check the Diet and Health section on this forum there are some threads that discuss converting your quaker from seed to pellets. Good luck & let us know how everything goes! And don't be afraid to ask any question you wish, as someone will always respond to help you. |
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Post by screechowl on Feb 23, 2018 12:43:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies. I don't have any problem getting him out of his cage -- he has 'out' time every evening and will fly across the room to land on our shoulders and heads. He's happy to explore a small area and fly back to his cage for sanctuary if required. He plays with the computer and hampers everything I am trying to do - eat/knitting (I can't have a cup of tea while he is out because he wouold have his head in it) I can get him back into the cage easily enough by stepping him onto my finger, taking him close to the door of his cage and showing him his favourite food (crispy lettuce) and he climbs back in and scoffs |
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Post by rickygonzalez on Feb 23, 2018 17:39:02 GMT -5
Getting your friend to eat pellets is important. The best method I have found is to do a 50/50 mix of his current food and pellets. After a few days mix less of his current food and more pellets. These guys are very smart he will get the idea fairly quickly. I wouldn't cut out his current food entirely until you know for sure he is eating the pellets. I let mine have some seeds once or twice a week. She also gets some of whatever I'm eating. (I eat a vegan diet.) Anything I give her is without added salt or oil. These guys tend to get fat if on a seed only diet. Variety is good...
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Post by dinucci on Feb 25, 2018 6:13:15 GMT -5
All good ideas for sure. Ricky points are spot on too. 1 thing I could add is that from the beginning,Ive had buddy since may,is that I eat with him while he is in the cage. I started off having "communal" breakfast every day..my cereal,his pellet dish. When they see you eating,they are inclined to go eat too ! It's fun. Fill your bowl,and fill his too.
The other thing I did was to chop a variety of fresh stuff and arrange it on his "plate",which is a flat rock,keeping everything separate. This way I knew what he was hitting on throughout the day. He now eats a huge variety of things,and even will mooch things he doesn't like !
Best of luck ! Cheers !
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Post by julianna on Mar 1, 2018 17:49:30 GMT -5
My Oscar eats mostly what I eat... veggies, fruits, grains and then in the evening he loves a handful of pellets. I have fruit and veggie seeds for him but he really prefers fresh fruit and seeds. If I know he is eating fresh food then that is all that matters to me. He is too fat ... ha ha ha... but then again he doesn't fly so he doesn't have the chance to burn off all those calories. I give him as much exercise as I can by making him flap his wings... or running on the floor etc... and of course he spends time building his houses. lol
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Post by screechowl on Oct 11, 2018 14:30:54 GMT -5
Well, Sim got louder and louder and was driving us all mad so we built a 8' 8' aviary outside and he loves it! It makes me think that he was originally an aviary bird that hated being in a cage. I would still like to get some company for him and was thinking of a couple of budgies or cockateils but I have heard such horror stories of introducing other species (legs getting torn off!) soI'm taking my time to research it. Has anyone got any ideas of probable compatible species - size and beak wise?
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