Hi Everyone,
My name is Shauna and I'm from Saskatchewan, Canada. I've been researching Quakers for a few weeks now and would love to add one to my family one day. For now, I am still in 'consideration mode' as they are a big responsibility and a huge commitment. My mom had a few larger parrots while I was growing up but they never ended up staying long. I don't think my mom had the birds for the right reasons. She didn't seem to put a lot of thought into it and I think, in the end, the birds were slightly neglected. I am trying not to follow that path so attempting to do the right thing.
I do have a question for all you owned by Quakers out there... do any of you work full time, have other animal members, children members, other hobbies or all of the above? Do you still find that you have the time to spend with your Quaker(s)?
This is mainly my dilemma. I do work full time but am home all evening and generally all weekend. My husband and I tend to entertain more than we leave the house. I also have a hobby of showing dogs but my husband stays home all weekend while I am away. I know I can definitely provide the time for a parrot but am worried it may not be enough time. How sensitive and demanding are Quakers in general? I realize each parrot has their own personality so a general idea is great.
Any info you guys can pass my way would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much in advance,
Shauna
Full Version: New To Quakers
quakers like most animals really dont need attention all the time but daily attention and care is important to their well being as well as toys to play with during the times you are not there.
I work full time but for the most part mine travels with me to work with the exception of winter because I get concerned that he will get too cold going from the car to the office etc. He seems to adapt to any schedule I give him and sometimes I think he likes to have his own time to himself as he does get over tired with alot of attention and stimulation.
I have other animals as well as a child and for the most part things run like clockwork but I have to add I am an active person by nature so if I were not busy I am sure I would be miserable.
It all depends alot on your own personal lifestyle and birds are messy and can be alot of work to care for as well as the added expense of vet exams food toys etc can also cost alot of money to keep them healthy. Yet with all that said I find them quite rewarding to be owned by.
I work full time but for the most part mine travels with me to work with the exception of winter because I get concerned that he will get too cold going from the car to the office etc. He seems to adapt to any schedule I give him and sometimes I think he likes to have his own time to himself as he does get over tired with alot of attention and stimulation.
I have other animals as well as a child and for the most part things run like clockwork but I have to add I am an active person by nature so if I were not busy I am sure I would be miserable.
It all depends alot on your own personal lifestyle and birds are messy and can be alot of work to care for as well as the added expense of vet exams food toys etc can also cost alot of money to keep them healthy. Yet with all that said I find them quite rewarding to be owned by.
Welcome to the Forum. IMPY covered everything pretty good...
Welcome to the forum! 
I agree with everything Impy has said, they do tend to adapt to any routine/schedule you have. A lot of people on here work full time jobs and their Q's are happy during the day, playing with toys etc. For us, someone is home all day and therefore Casey is out all day long. We do have dogs in our house as well, and they are fine with Casey, but they have grown up with birds their whole life so they haven't known anything different. They seem to do okay with most kids as well, but I guess it depends on the kids and the bird. When it gets too crazy here Casey just hangs out in her cage for a little while, and she plays with her toys and chews on paper etc. They are definitely smart and most of the time it feels like your taking care of a toddler, especially when they talk back to you! 
They can be demanding little guys sometimes but they provide you with so much love and so many laughs throughout the day, so in the end it's worth it. I can't imagine what we did when we didn't have Casey and it's only been a few months!
All in all, I think they are a fantastic animal to bring into your home. They do adapt to whatever schedule you are on, and everyone has a different routine, you just have to find one that works for you.
It's great that your doing your research first as many people just jump right into it. Like impy said, they can be a lot of work and a lot of money to take care of (with food, vet bills, fresh foods, toys etc.), but in the end it's all worth it.
Good Luck with your decision, ask as many questions as you want, everyone here is extremely knowledgeable and helpful.
Welcome!
I agree with everything Impy has said, they do tend to adapt to any routine/schedule you have. A lot of people on here work full time jobs and their Q's are happy during the day, playing with toys etc. For us, someone is home all day and therefore Casey is out all day long. We do have dogs in our house as well, and they are fine with Casey, but they have grown up with birds their whole life so they haven't known anything different.
They seem to do okay with most kids as well, but I guess it depends on the kids and the bird. When it gets too crazy here Casey just hangs out in her cage for a little while, and she plays with her toys and chews on paper etc. They are definitely smart and most of the time it feels like your taking care of a toddler, especially when they talk back to you! They can be demanding little guys sometimes but they provide you with so much love and so many laughs throughout the day, so in the end it's worth it. I can't imagine what we did when we didn't have Casey and it's only been a few months! All in all, I think they are a fantastic animal to bring into your home. They do adapt to whatever schedule you are on, and everyone has a different routine, you just have to find one that works for you.
It's great that your doing your research first as many people just jump right into it. Like impy said, they can be a lot of work and a lot of money to take care of (with food, vet bills, fresh foods, toys etc.), but in the end it's all worth it.
Good Luck with your decision, ask as many questions as you want, everyone here is extremely knowledgeable and helpful.
Welcome!
Welcome Shauna!
My Quaker just turned 3 months old and I've had him home for about a month now. I had a lot of reservations like you are about how much time I would have to devote to Cricket and would he be better off with someone else who didn't work full time.
I spend about a half hour with Cricket in the morning before I leave for work. The sun isn't completely up yet when I leave so he goes back to sleep.
I have 2 cats and 2 parakeets so I assume he's not bored during the day while I'm gone but I have no way of knowing for sure.
Cricket gets really excited when I come home and he and I spend anywhere between 1 hour to 3 hours together with him usually sitting on my shoulder. He doesn't play with toys yet but I've just introduced him to a small rolled up piece of paper towel he likes to pull into little pieces.
There are days where he only wants out for an hour and is ready for bed and there are days he won't go to bed even though its hours past his bedtime.
He seems healthy and happy. I would totally go for it. Working full time doesn't seem to be hurting our relationship at all. If anything it's making him bond to me more when I am home!
Its funny because they really do like to be kept to a certain schedule. If I come home from work early or have the day off, he won't come out of the cage until the living room light turns on because its on a timer.
I love my baby and I'm so glad I have him!
My Quaker just turned 3 months old and I've had him home for about a month now. I had a lot of reservations like you are about how much time I would have to devote to Cricket and would he be better off with someone else who didn't work full time.
I spend about a half hour with Cricket in the morning before I leave for work. The sun isn't completely up yet when I leave so he goes back to sleep.
I have 2 cats and 2 parakeets so I assume he's not bored during the day while I'm gone but I have no way of knowing for sure.
Cricket gets really excited when I come home and he and I spend anywhere between 1 hour to 3 hours together with him usually sitting on my shoulder. He doesn't play with toys yet but I've just introduced him to a small rolled up piece of paper towel he likes to pull into little pieces.
There are days where he only wants out for an hour and is ready for bed and there are days he won't go to bed even though its hours past his bedtime.
He seems healthy and happy. I would totally go for it. Working full time doesn't seem to be hurting our relationship at all. If anything it's making him bond to me more when I am home!
Its funny because they really do like to be kept to a certain schedule. If I come home from work early or have the day off, he won't come out of the cage until the living room light turns on because its on a timer.
I love my baby and I'm so glad I have him!
hi shauna,
i'm new to this site as well....i also work a full time job, as does my hubbie, but we're here in the evenings. i also have a ten yr. old daughter with learning problems.........but to answer your question about quakers..............they are the most fantastic bird i've ever had..................during the day.....this is gonna sound crazy but i do it, and mine had over a hundred word vocabulary..........i called him periodically throughout the day, from work, and would talk to him,via the answering machine saying words or phrases, i wanted him to learn..(i've been overheard by coworkers a couple of times..lol.....by the time i would get home.......he would be practicing most of it, and would be saying it clearly within a week.............also, i played a radio for noise, so that he wasn't in "total" quiet all day, plus he's by a window so he can see outside........that way when we came in.......he didn't sqawk all evening long because "suddenly" there was action, he'd been listening to noise all day.
hope this helps
Lori
i'm new to this site as well....i also work a full time job, as does my hubbie, but we're here in the evenings. i also have a ten yr. old daughter with learning problems.........but to answer your question about quakers..............they are the most fantastic bird i've ever had..................during the day.....this is gonna sound crazy but i do it, and mine had over a hundred word vocabulary..........i called him periodically throughout the day, from work, and would talk to him,via the answering machine saying words or phrases, i wanted him to learn..(i've been overheard by coworkers a couple of times..lol.....by the time i would get home.......he would be practicing most of it, and would be saying it clearly within a week.............also, i played a radio for noise, so that he wasn't in "total" quiet all day, plus he's by a window so he can see outside........that way when we came in.......he didn't sqawk all evening long because "suddenly" there was action, he'd been listening to noise all day.
hope this helps
Lori
Thanks everyone for the advice. I knew there would be no better way to research than to ask Quaker parrot owners themselves. It's always better to hear about others experiences. Hopefully, one day, when the time is right, a Quaker will make it's way into my home.
Thanks again!
Shauna
Thanks again!
Shauna
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.