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Post by sorrelhorse1 on Jan 10, 2015 12:24:38 GMT -5
Hello, all. I'm not sure how to do this, so please excuse my fumbling... I recently acquired a Quaker parrot. And I have NO idea what I'm doing. It's kind of strange how he found us. (If it is a he) My husband and I are truck drivers. Well this little bird hit my husbands windshield as he was going down the road. He pulled over and there it was sitting on his fender. So he picked him up stuffed him in his pocket and brought him home. I had no idea what kind of bird he was till I did a little research. Sooo then I went to petsmart and if it said conure any where on the package I bought it. He's very shy, but will let us pet him sometimes.
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Post by easttex on Jan 10, 2015 14:02:03 GMT -5
What a novel way to acquire your first bird!  Do you plan to keep him? I recommend that you keep a close watch on him, and if you can, take him to a vet at your first opportunity. Sometimes injuries from crashes are not apparent for quite a while. I don't know where you are, and certified avian vets are in short supply, but it's usually possible to find someone who knows birds to some degree.
For general information, I'd suggest you start with the QP Main Site: www.quakerparrots.com/ especially the information under the FAQ and Articles sections. Lots of good, basic information there on housing, feeding, etc. That should give you a pretty good start. People here will help you with your questions.
That was very kind of you both to stop and take him in. |
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Post by siobhan on Jan 10, 2015 14:27:44 GMT -5
I agree that a vet visit is first on your list. Concussive injuries in a bird take a while to show up and you want to make sure the vet knows what happened and what to look for.
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Post by cnyguy on Jan 10, 2015 22:42:31 GMT -5
Welcome! That was a very unusual way to acquire a Quaker parrot. Hope that you'll be able to give him a good home. There really aren't a lot of products specifically made for Quakers, so Conure-sized food and toys do work well. Along with the companion site noted above, you might want to read a good book about QPs, like Mattie Sue Athan's Guide to the Quaker Parrot or Pamela Leis Higdon's The Quaker Parrot: An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet. Having your new friend checked by a veterinarian is a good idea. |
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Post by sorrelhorse1 on Jan 10, 2015 22:47:19 GMT -5
Oh, Yes we are keeping him. He's screeches and barks at me whenever I walk into the room. But if I just hang out with him he'll giggle. I've got a room set up just for him. He's got severel food and water dishes. Perches, swings, ropes all over the place. I've had him for a couple weeks now. When it first happened I kept him in a small cage. I didn't even think about taking him to a vet! Now I feel like such an a$$. I also worry about him being lonely.
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Post by biteybird on Jan 11, 2015 0:47:40 GMT -5
Hi and welcome! It sounds like you care a lot about your new little companion. Hopefully you have a vet you can take him (I'll say 'him' for now) to, to get a checkover. If you are both truck drivers you may be home at different times (?), so perhaps each of you can spend time individually with your new 'lord and master' ( :Dit's a running joke on this forum about how we humans are our quakers' slaves). He may not be lonely if you do your best to spend a little bit of time with him each day, consistently. It also sounds like you've bought him lots of toys to keep him occupied. What colour is he?
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Post by easttex on Jan 11, 2015 6:19:41 GMT -5
After two weeks, the odds that he has a concussion are greatly reduced. Still good to get him vet checked when you can. You can see if he has any nutritional deficiencies, and if it's an avian vet, you can get great advice on taking care of your bird. You could even get him/her DNA sexed, though I think most of us don't really care for pet purposes. Have you named him?
As for him being lonely, that's always a consideration for parrot people, because they are such social animals. If he was hand raised, and the chances of that are pretty high, he will view people as flock members, and if he gets a lot of attention he will probably be fine. Many of us do have multiple birds, and some of them interact with each other and some don't.
p.s. You mention he has his own room. He'll be happiest if during the day he can be wherever the action is. They like to be part of the flock virtually at all times.
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Post by sorrelhorse1 on Jan 11, 2015 11:38:34 GMT -5
"His" name is Paul. Not original I know, not my choice. Lol. Paul has green wings, a blue tail, and a grey-ish underside. I suspect he was a pet that was released or escaped. He seems very curious about us, but when I try to handle him it seems like he goes into a panic. So I try to handle him on his terms, to make him comfortable. I live in northern Oklahoma. So my regular vet is a basic dog, cat, horse, cow vet. His room is kinda like the hub in my house. Everyone always in and out. Kids playing Xbox, family movie night. So he has lots of time to watch us. This area has definitely become his lol.
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Jan 11, 2015 15:12:17 GMT -5
Just fyi, Mr P (my quaker) prefers cockatiel sized everything, including the tiel sized pellets. If a toy is too big, he won't play with it. You just have to be careful and inspect the tiel toys daily as quakers are stronger and have bigger beaks than tiels |
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Post by msdani1981 on Jan 11, 2015 15:29:02 GMT -5
I have to say, I love your username...  Cami isn't sorrel, but that's beside the point. LOL  Anyway, welcome to the forum and congratulations on getting adopted! It sounds like you're doing very well with Paul. If you haven't already, I would start seeing if he'll eat any veggies. The basic rule of thumb is, if it's good for you then it's good for your bird. Exceptions to this are avocado (it's poisonous) and products containing lactose (they're lactose intolerant). If you have any questions, please ask! |
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Post by sorrelhorse1 on Jan 11, 2015 15:50:08 GMT -5
Msdani is that an appaloosa? I've got chickens and I've been doing that with him already. Lol. It's kinda the same rule of thumb for them. Since they are born from eggs they do not nurse. So no milk. And so far I haven't found any thing he likes/:
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Post by sorrelhorse1 on Jan 11, 2015 15:52:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the tip Sharyn and MrP, I'll be sure to browse the other bird goodies!
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Post by msdani1981 on Jan 11, 2015 19:38:55 GMT -5
Yes, she's a few spot Appy. |
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Post by sorrelhorse1 on Jan 11, 2015 20:29:27 GMT -5
MsDani I adopted a mustang that is very similar in coloration
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Post by msdani1981 on Jan 11, 2015 20:51:04 GMT -5
That's awesome! You can read Cami's story here. |
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Do you plan to keep him? I recommend that you keep a close watch on him, and if you can, take him to a vet at your first opportunity. Sometimes injuries from crashes are not apparent for quite a while. I don't know where you are, and certified avian vets are in short supply, but it's usually possible to find someone who knows birds to some degree.
