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New mom
Oct 8, 2015 16:59:22 GMT -5
Post by tuxedosmom on Oct 8, 2015 16:59:22 GMT -5
Hi all, I recently remarried and have taken over the care of our Quaker Parrot. There is much I don't know but want to learn. We really have no idea how old our little guy is as he has been passed down from several other owners. For whatever reason he attached himself to me after I moved in with my husband who had him for about a year before meeting me. I love him but am afraid that I have not been a very good mom yet. I'm working on keeping his cage cleaned more often (don't ask how bad I was before) and I have always changed his food and water 1-2 times a day. I have some toys for him but he seems to only like a few. I also am not very good about having him out of the cage. his wings are not clipped, we have a cat (Tuxedo chases him sometimes) and he just poops everywhere and often. I was thinking about getting him a jungle gym type toy for the top of his cage so he can play. He also has a terrible beak...grows very long and is peeling and also has an odd part that grows up from his bottom beak. Makes him look like a snaggle tooth. I sure love him though and hope to get lots of useful information on this site and forum.
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New mom
Oct 8, 2015 19:48:59 GMT -5
Post by cnyguy on Oct 8, 2015 19:48:59 GMT -5
Welcome!  You've come to the right place to learn and talk about Quaker parrots. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have, and someone here is likely to have some answers for you. Something I always recommend to anyone new to QPs is to read a good book about them. There's one by Shelly Lane available on the companion site quakerparrots.com (where you'll also find some informative articles about QPs). Another I recommend is Mattie Sue Athan's Guide to the Quaker Parrot. I'd also suggest a checkup for your Quaker with an avian veterinarian, who should be able to help with his overgrown beak. |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Oct 9, 2015 1:39:25 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. Ask any questions you like here. You will get a variety of answers so you can try different things with your quaker. I agree with Gary about getting that beak vet checked.
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Post by biteybird on Oct 9, 2015 2:37:22 GMT -5
Welcome to you and your quaker. You have a lot of information available to you on this site and someone will always attempt to help you. As the others have said, ask any questions you like! Yep, if you have an Avian vet close to you, a vet visit would be a good idea. |
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Post by easttex on Oct 9, 2015 5:02:14 GMT -5
Welcome! As the others said, I would get that beak looked at, and soon. Even if not due to a medical issue, it should be taken care of. Their beaks are really vital all-propose tools and that may be impairing his ability to groom, eat, and get around. Once it is in better shape, having a variety of textures in his cage may be enough to allow him to maintain it himself. I have a Quaker who lived a lot of years before he came to me, and he has one toy that he loves. He is starting to also play with a mirrored one that has buttons that play recordings of "hello, bird!", "I love you", etc., but I don't think I'll ever have the heart to rotate his beloved plastic chain links out. As for for cage cleaning, I recommend Poop-Off. It makes daily maintenance so much easier. |
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Post by aaron on Oct 9, 2015 9:57:17 GMT -5
Greetings and welcome to you and Tuxedo!
It sounds like you are on the right track with Tuxedo, and you've certainly come to the right place if you want to talk Quakers. Please feel free to ask any and all questions you might have. We are more than happy to help.
I agree with the others that the overgrown beak should be checked out by an avian vet in the very near term. It could be fine, but as Easttex noted, proper beak functioning is very important for these little guys. Peeling can be normal, but the overgrowth could be an issue, or could become an issue. How is his diet?
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New mom
Oct 10, 2015 14:41:24 GMT -5
Post by julianna on Oct 10, 2015 14:41:24 GMT -5
Oscar takes very good care of his beak because he has a perch that has a rough type of finish to it... almost like a rough sandpaper. He goes there and rubs his beak all around. It is beautiful and smooth. Perhaps you should look into getting him something like that??
Welcome to the forum. I hope you will find it very helpful. As for changing the food and water twice daily I do not think that is totally necessary. (unless he has soiled in it). Usually one good cleaning every day seems to be okay in this household. Maybe others do it more often?
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New mom
Oct 10, 2015 21:45:26 GMT -5
Post by aaron on Oct 10, 2015 21:45:26 GMT -5
We only clean once a day here. Seems to be enough. I put her veggie plate into the fridge whenever we leave the house and put it back out when we get home. Pellets/mash/flax meal go out in the morning and get changed once a day.
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New mom
Oct 11, 2015 3:26:46 GMT -5
Post by easttex on Oct 11, 2015 3:26:46 GMT -5
Likewise, cages are cleaned once a day here. A really good steam cleaning is infrequent. Pellets and other non-fresh foods stay out all day. I change the water at least once a day, but often more frequently. Allie likes to make soup out of hers, dropping pellets into it, and Peppy's gets food bits from his beak.
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You've come to the right place to learn and talk about Quaker parrots. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have, and someone here is likely to have some answers for you. Something I always recommend to anyone new to QPs is to read a good book about them. There's one by Shelly Lane available on the companion site 
