For the past two days Cricket has been hanging on the side of his cage biting the bars. He does it for hours. I have to beg him to come out of his cage because all he wants to do is "hang" out at the top of his cage... biting at the bars. Is this normal quaker behavior? I just went to check on him again and i noticed he barely ate today! Should I be worried???

I can't really help you as Morgan gave up his cage for a small dog kennel. I am hoping that all is well and hopefully someone else will come on who can help you out better.

You could try giving some favorite treat food to see if he will eat it. Maybe he is bored, try changing around his cage a bit or giving a new toy, maybe some shredders. If it goes on take him to a vet he may be ill and birds go downhill quite fast.

ok... here's the deal. i put toys up in the two corners where cricket was hanging from and since he doesn't play with toys he's stayed away from the corners. he didn't eat at all tuesday and wednesday but ate a little thursday and friday.

i took him to the store where i bought him from to get his nails trimmed and i had him weighed. he only weighs 95. when i brought him home on march 18th he weighed 102. (i can't believe i haven't even had him 2 months yet!!)

should i be worried about the weight loss even though he's within the weight range for quakers? i think its time for a trip to the vet. i don't think i'll feel better until he's checked out!

Agree on the vet trip- that's a significant weight loss. Hope he does ok.

what r you feeding cricket? are you feeding him seeds pr pellets. some are picky birds..lol If he likes Millet sprays i suggest to buy a bunch and give him fruits too just make Sure you have all your bases covered.. It could be a sing if a small illness or something. but do the vet trip and try giving him a big variety of foods also a wide range of toys my guy perfers stringy toys. anything chewable for him. please keep us updated.

i just noticed my quaker doing the same thing over the last week or so......but he is eatting fine. i dont know why they are doing it but with the weight loss that you mentioned i think a visit is in call. hope everything turns out for you.

Thats probably the most reasonable suggestion. Gizmo loves the paper rolls.

I also agree on the vet trip. Some questions though: 1. Has anything changed around the house or with your routine of being home/away? 2. Have you change the type of food you give him or been sharing bits of your food with him a lot? 3. Did he go through anything extra-stressful or unusual right before this started? chewing on the bars is a very normal and benificial behaviour; it helps keep their beek in shape (the beak never stops growing). The not eating is what concerns me. Our QP stopped eating his food for almost a week after we had him a few months because we were sharing too many bites of our food with him. We stopped sharing for a while and he was eating his food again. Changes in the household (new people/furniture, moving the cage, people moving out, etc.) and changes in when/how much you are home/awaay can upset QPs and make some stop eating aslo. I still agree about the vet visit though, just to be safe.

Within the two months you have had your bird have you taken him to the vet? If so you might be able to just call the vet and get some advise over the phone. If not now is probably a good time to take your bird in and get it checked over. Its really beneficial and that way your bird is listed as a client of the vets etc so that in the event of an emergency you have someone to call and go see.

There are way too many variables but if your bird isnt eating all that much that is def a sign that something is up and your best bet would be go to the vet get the bird checked over and take the time to discuss your birds diet etc...

Let me know how your bird is doing and what you decided to do.

hugs
impy

If your bird is not eating itcould starve. Did you try feeding treats? That could be an indication somethings up.

here's an update on cricket...

i have recently stuck the beaks of 2 beany babies in the one corner of the cage where he likes to hang. a bright pink flamingo and a pelican. he's not very fond of them so he stays away from the corner.

i also added an evening feeding of veggie baby food. since he wasn't eating a lot of pellets i had assumed he wasn't hungry but when i tried feeding him when i get home from work it was like he was starving.

so now he gets warm oatmeal with a fruit baby food for breakfast, pellets during the day, veggie baby food in the evening and he's starting to nibble on things i'm eating. i occasionally will give him safflower seeds as a treat but for some reason he doesn't like millet.

i haven't taken him to the vet yet but i will certainly do so soon because i'm still worried about him. he's molting right now and very crabby so i might wait a week or so before i take him.

thanks for all the advice!

i decided to add a couple of pictures i took today of cricket. he looks so uncomfortable with his pin feathers. does he look a normal size for a 5 month old quaker? i'm afraid he looks too skinny compared to every one elses pictures!

sorry the pic is so big...

Hi Kris

He does look a bit thin in that photo, but He's stretching up on his legs and body.

My Shrek was 5 months old, when I got him, and here a photo of him, taken soon afterwards.
Click to view attachment

Someone told me it matters what time of day you weigh, and it does. I have scales and Poppy's weight fluctuates during the day significantly.
Also, if you converted him from seeds to pellets he will lose weight. Like Impy said though... establishing a vet if for no other reason than emergencies is worth it. Having piece of mind, knowing I have a vet available 24/7 is priceless. I vote with the majority... it's a good time for a visit!