Post by myfirstquaker on Jul 11, 2019 20:23:49 GMT -5
There's a reason I need to go into the details, so please bear with me...
When I was in contact with the breeder in Wisconsin, before getting my Quaker... I had expressed my concerns with her regarding buying a female. I told her that two birds in my family had egg binding issues and died. She told me that it is very rare in Quakers and that all I had to do was not feed her fruits in the spring and she wouldn't develop eggs. She also said that she offers DNA testing for 35.00 so that way I would know for sure before buying because she knew we had stated that we only want a male bird. I paid and was relieved when she called two weeks later to tell me the results came in and it was a male. After picking up our bird and not getting any paperwork, I emailed her asking for the DNA results. Finally, after going back and forth she emailed lab results, but it was dated a month after we picked up our bird. I asked her why the date shows June when she called us with the results back in May... how could she had known the results without sending in our bird's DNA? I contacted the lab and emailed the paperwork that she had emailed me and with that, they were able to tell me that no DNA specimen was sent out in May. The results were obviously from another bird not from my Quaker.
I now sit in fear that the bird I have may be female. For some, it is no big deal. But, I witnessed my family members struggle with their parrots having egg binding and they spent a lot of money in vet bills dealing with the issue. They lost their birds after 11 years and were devastated. It was hard for me to see them go through losing the birds they loved so very much. I guess it scared me in a way and is the reason I waited so long to get a bird of my own. But, when I had finally decided I was ready, I knew I would feel a little bit better knowing it was a male.
I have had Rico for 2 months now and our kids and family love him dearly.
I could never give him up if it turns out that he is female... how could I? It is very hard because I believe the breeder figured I wouldn't question the DNA results and by the time I found out it was female, I would be to invested in the bird to ever give it up... I am not sure yet if I will have my vet assist in plucking the feathers or cutting the nail needed for the testing. I think I'm afraid the results may come back and Rico may not be male. Would I still love this special little bird with all my heart? Absolutely! I just need some advice from other QP owners who have females. I'd like to know about what I can do or not do, to help my bird not produce eggs, if that's possible. Are there signs that are indicative of female behavior? Meaning, can I tell by some of the things that the bird does, that shows it is female? Do they act different from the males around the time they want to mate? And how old is a QP female when she begins producing eggs?
Any advice and suggestion are greatly appreciated!
When I was in contact with the breeder in Wisconsin, before getting my Quaker... I had expressed my concerns with her regarding buying a female. I told her that two birds in my family had egg binding issues and died. She told me that it is very rare in Quakers and that all I had to do was not feed her fruits in the spring and she wouldn't develop eggs. She also said that she offers DNA testing for 35.00 so that way I would know for sure before buying because she knew we had stated that we only want a male bird. I paid and was relieved when she called two weeks later to tell me the results came in and it was a male. After picking up our bird and not getting any paperwork, I emailed her asking for the DNA results. Finally, after going back and forth she emailed lab results, but it was dated a month after we picked up our bird. I asked her why the date shows June when she called us with the results back in May... how could she had known the results without sending in our bird's DNA? I contacted the lab and emailed the paperwork that she had emailed me and with that, they were able to tell me that no DNA specimen was sent out in May. The results were obviously from another bird not from my Quaker.
I now sit in fear that the bird I have may be female. For some, it is no big deal. But, I witnessed my family members struggle with their parrots having egg binding and they spent a lot of money in vet bills dealing with the issue. They lost their birds after 11 years and were devastated. It was hard for me to see them go through losing the birds they loved so very much. I guess it scared me in a way and is the reason I waited so long to get a bird of my own. But, when I had finally decided I was ready, I knew I would feel a little bit better knowing it was a male.
I have had Rico for 2 months now and our kids and family love him dearly.
I could never give him up if it turns out that he is female... how could I? It is very hard because I believe the breeder figured I wouldn't question the DNA results and by the time I found out it was female, I would be to invested in the bird to ever give it up... I am not sure yet if I will have my vet assist in plucking the feathers or cutting the nail needed for the testing. I think I'm afraid the results may come back and Rico may not be male. Would I still love this special little bird with all my heart? Absolutely! I just need some advice from other QP owners who have females. I'd like to know about what I can do or not do, to help my bird not produce eggs, if that's possible. Are there signs that are indicative of female behavior? Meaning, can I tell by some of the things that the bird does, that shows it is female? Do they act different from the males around the time they want to mate? And how old is a QP female when she begins producing eggs? Any advice and suggestion are greatly appreciated!
