[Axelle]

Hi
Tomorrow I get my new baby... I'm so excited
Having lived the last few weeks - without a Quaker in my life,
i'm looking forward to having a new QP member of our family.

When I got Strewth, several years ago - he was 9 weeks old & he was still on 2 feeds a day, I continued to handrear him until weaning... which was still several weeks...
He loved his spoon feeds. & would still take handrearing mix from a spoon even as an adult bird whenever I was feeding other bubs.

My new little one is only 5 weeks - going on 6.
The handrearer I'm buying him/her off says that he's on 3 feeds a day & has a good
coverage of pin feathers with just a little down.

I've watched some youTube video to try & get an idea of what to expect - as I've not seen a pic of a 5 week old - It's going to be a surprise when I meet him.

I've bred & handreared for years - but have not done any in the past 2 years, so even though I'm completely confident *like riding a bike, I was wondering if anyone may have any advice on raising this new little one, in general.

He will be out of a brooder & I will keep him in a covered cage with stuffed toys as clutch mates.
The weather here is more than warm enough to just cover the cage with something light now, to give him security & stop any drafts.

I will continue with the 3 feeds a day until he lets me know that he doesn't need his lunchtime feed anymore & so on.

I will offer millet sprays, egg & biscuit mix, sprinkle seed on the floor of the cage, offer water, & also some fruit - (chopped apple & celery was suggested by the handrearer he's coming from)

I'm all prepared & his castle will be set up ready for his arrival tomorrow.
We have 3 indoor cats & we will have the task (which won't be hard - did it last time) to train the cats to have a respect for the QP... Strewth would nip them on the nose if they stepped over the mark when we had him... That part won't be a problem as they're not unfamiliar with QP's - but I will certainly be keeping them well away from the little guy until he is a bit older...

*I never thought was possible - to keep cats & birds together, but it is - obviously you teach the cats that the cage is the birds territory & to keep off it etc... & when QP is out of the cage - the cats know their place, & IMPORTANTLY, NEVER leave them unattended.
I would never trust them to leave the little one out if I wasn't around - don't worry!

So, if you have any advice on how I can make this little guys transition to our family less stressful & to help him grow into a healthy bird, please share.

I'd like to hear how others have gone about raising a QP chick of this age.
It's younger than I would have imagined I'd get one, but the handrearer assures me that he will be fine to manage the hour & a half flight from the capital city to here, & she will add a stuffed toy etc to his travel box to give him support etc.

I'd also like to hear your opinions on feeding...
Who feeds seed, who feeds pellets alone & who feeds a bit of each...??

With Strewth I used to give pellets & some seed aswell - keeping an eye on his sunflower seed consumption.
I went to the pet shop to buy pellets this week & the bird department expert (supposedly) there told me - "oh no - don't feed pellets - it's unnatural - how do you know whats in them"... "Birds in the wild don't eat pellets."

Hmm -
Well that could be said for most things.

I still believe that I will feed pellets & a little seed along with egg & biscuit mix & fruit & veg soft food etc.
I'd love to hear what everyone else gives.
It makes sense to me that the more "real food" the little one eats, the less he'll need spoon feeds & weaning will take place easier if it is all on offer daily...

Thanks for any suggestions about anything that would be helpful.
Can't wait to show you a pic once he's here.

Blessings
Axelle

[QPdad]

You've pretty much got it down. As you probably know, the little one himself will teach you a lot about his personal feeding process.

I believe strongly in a good pellet diet for Quakers. The seed mixtures just give them too much opportunity to pick and choose. I think seeds are probably fine for species like Budgies and Cockatiels who spend a lot of their time in wild eating from the seed heads of their local grasses but not all parrots require the same diet.

That's just my opinion and I was wrong one time several years ago so I suppose it could happen again.

[Siobhan]

Clyde gets mostly pellets with a pinch of seeds every day, which he eats first, of course, but that leaves nothing but pellets until the next day when I clean his cage and refill everything. He also gets a bit of whatever we're eating for supper. We can't wait for pics of the baby!

[Axelle]

That's just my opinion and I was wrong one time several years ago so I suppose it could happen again.

ROFL

[slic102]

Wow...5 weeks! Bet he's gonna be a heart stealer!! I can't give you any advice about the hand feeding, but if you've done it before, I'm sure you will be fine with that. I've not ever had a birdie that young, mine were all weaned before bringing them home. As far as the seed vs. pellet diets, I vote for 100% pellets. Simon was on a mixture when we brought him home, but he was a pro at picking through the pellets and eating only the seed. Vet told me to get him switched over to all pellets as soon as I could because they are much better for him. I tried the conversion method similar to the one listed on this site, but as long as there were seeds, that's all he would eat. I finally just switched "cold turkey" and he was fine with that. Now he loves his pellets, and his feathers look so much brighter and healthier than they did when we got him. I'd skip seeds altogether if I were you, other than for an occasional treat....then you won't have to switch him later. Ofcourse the fresh veggies and fruits are great, mine gets them in his bowl in the morning and evening, and also he eats some of whatever we are having at night as well (except when it consists of fast food...hehehe). Oddly enough, Simon doesn't like ANY veggies. I still offer him some everyday, because my caique LOVES them, and they both get the same thing, but Simon picks thru his and only eats the vegs.

Good luck, congrats, and I can't wait for pics!!!