I am getting a Quaker for my birthday. Ive never had a Quaker before, Ive had budgies when i was younger though. ive read websites on them, but i want to now what thier personality is for most.Can anyone help me?

I'm not sure what you mean by "I want to now what thier personality is for most." ???? you are doing good reading all you can find. there is lots of info on this site...where will you keep your bird? Are you still in school? It's good to allow them out of cage time on a daily basis..these birds are not good for keeping in a cage all the time..they are very intelligent and want to interact with their flock members, which is your family...you can't just put him/her in the cage and leave them in your room all the time..they HAVE to be where the family hangs out the most. They NEED 10-12 hours of dark, quiet, sleep every night. Pellet and fresh food diet, not seeds, since they are prone to fatty liver disease..you have to be take them to the vet for yearly checkups and this can be expensive...do your homework on these wonderful parrots and that should help you the most..this is a wondeful group and many Quaker-lovers on here to help you when you have questions...

Congratulations on your new baby...how old will he/she be when you get him?

Rebecca

Congrats on the new baby... read all you can on this forum and you will learn so MUCH!!

Welcome to the forum!

what i mean by "i want to know what the personality is for mast." is are they nippy, quiet, shy or anything else you can think of, and yes im in school. He will be about 3-4 months when i get him/her.i will keep him in a fairly large cage, about the size for a cockatiel im not sure how many inches.I read 'BirdTalk' magizines

Some can be nippy, some can be quiet, some can be shy Basically, you don't know what kind of bird you are gonna get until you get it. There is no 'one set personality' for a Quaker (or any bird for that matter). They are all individual.

My girl is pretty outgoing. She isn't crazy about strangers in her house, but will go to strangers when she is outside of the house. She can be loud, but doesn't squawk for longer than 10 minutes at a time. She does bite, as all birds do, but rarely will she bite me or my oldest son. She doesn't like other birds and is quite happy playing by herself or with me.

As for cages, if you plan on letting your bird stay out a lot, then a tiel size cage is okay. I would not go smaller than a 18 x 18 x 18. I have my Quaker in a 23w x 17d x 30h size cage and that is plenty of room

i would say a medium size parrot like a lorikeet could fit in with extra room.

You just have to be sure the cage is large enough for your bird, when full grown, to flap his wings without hitting the sides/top. You don't want to have to go buy another cage in a few months. Just be sure the bars aren't too far apart.

I agree, you can't say that Quakers have a certain personality..it is nothing like dogs..one is quieter, yappier etc than another breed..You may get a Quaker, who bites, screams and makes a bigger mess than another one..Just keep in mind that this is a life time committment..not one to go into with the mindset of "if it doesn't work out, I'll just fine him another home." Like I said before, these aren't like other pets...of course, I feel that ALL pet ownership is permanent...not one to take lightly...just because they "look so cute" or you want a bird to "talk"..because not all quakers talk and some may not act so cute..it all depends on how much time you will be able to devote to this bird..If you are gone to school every day and then after stuff at school after school and then are gone in the evenings too..then I would say a Quaker is not the bird for you..These birds aren't to be put in a cage and left alone. IF You think when you get into a higher grade(not sure what grade you are in at this time) but if you think your time will be limited...please re-think getting a bird at this time..many young people get a bird when they are young and then when they go away to college, they leave the bird behind or give it away..Your bird will be "your" bird and if this happens they feel abandoned. So many people get puppies even, without thinking about the long term committment and when things go bad, they take it to the pound..This is NOT the case with birds..They don't have "pounds" like that for birds..so, what it means, the poor bird gets moved from family to family and each time it's moved, there's trauma to the poor bird...
PLEASE research and learn all you can about Quakers BEFORE you bring one home. If you want a bird you can leave in a cage, maybe a Canary would be best for you..Think about 10 yrs from now, 20 yrs from now...sometimes 30-40 years from now..will you be able to afford the vet expenses if they get sick? If you are still a child, do your parents understand that this bird will need check-ups every year, at the cost of over $100 each time, that is IF they don't get sick? IF they get sick, then you are talking about sometimes thousands of dollars in vet bills. I am just being realistic..I am not trying to discourage you,, just trying to give you "food for thought"....Most parrots bond to one person..if that person is you and you are away from home most of the time, then the bird may start to pluck, misbehave etc etc....

I hope these things have given you something to seriously think about and weigh out your options..please let us know what you decide to do.

Rebecca

im young im in the 7th grade i have plenty of time now but im not sure about the future if i go to college ill probably give him/her to one of my younger brothers. i understand the vet bills my parents know this we have had a cockatiel in the past. She past away about a year ago thats why im getting a quaker.

They're right that there's no set personality for a QP. On average, though, I would say they are full of life, attitude, intelligence, and curiosity. ANY parrot will be a permenant 2yr-old, so be prepared for the responsibility. And he/she WILL think they run the house. They really are a cool pet, if you are PATIENT and attentive with them. The more love you give them, the more love they give you back.

Many birds are "one person" bird and you can't just assume they will bond with another person so easily. I hope it all works out for you...keep us posted...

Rebecca

well in my house that wouldnt be too too bad because my parents dont really want anything to do with it the only reason im going to get is because my parents got really annoyed when i kept asking them

I'm sorry but this concerns me.. only because getting any bird is a comitment and if you go of to college and your parents want nothing to do with the bird, and the bird does not like anyone but you... what happens to the poor bird? Please think very carefully before taking anything on, you could always get a bird in your future after college and when you maybe have your own flat, that way the bird is yours for life.

Go places and do everything with a quaker and it will be your worlds best buddy. Have it out of its cage as much as possible, its cruel to lock a quaker up all of the time. They are like owening a crazy little monkey. Some people take ther quakers to college with them or make sure another family member gets to be friends with him as well. Keep us up to date and check this board often because a lot of information is written and will help a lot. Good luck

i was thinking about taking it to college but i have a long time to wait so ill think about it then

Hello, I am also a new owner of a Quaker Parrot and have been watching this fourm for a bit. I recently lost a budgie who lived a very good life (lived past 10 yrs) and wanted to upgrade to a larger bird. I was recommended to a Quaker Parrot because they are easier to care for than most larger exotic birds and LOVE to interact. Fortunately, I have experience with working with other birds and work at two wildlife rehab facilities that care for injured brids of prey and reptiles, so I am a bit prepared of the responsibilties I will be facing.


I had a budgie who was strongly connected to me that while leaving her at home for college, she did NOT get along with other family members. My mom was the only one who agreed to care for the bird and even noted that she was depressed. The bird literally acted like I was her soul mate and eventually had a false pregnancy. As a result, I had to sneak my bird into my student apartment, which does not allow pets and I thankfully got away with it because my building mates and the RA did not care about the pet issue and one of them had a dog that made more noise, so the parakeet was not noticable. I also had a reliable roommate who promised to let me know if she had problems with the bird instead of snitching to the apartment director or to another RA behind my back.

Please keep this in mind: when you go off to college you have NO idea what your living situation will be like. I got lucky and worked out backup plans if neighbors or my roommate if they had problems with my bird. College changes everything. Dorms and student apartments owned by universities do not allow pets (you may even be lucky to get away with a fish at some universities). A bird who squaks often will be discovered and like some people here warned, birds have their own personalities. They do imprint and imprinted birds are the most difficult to care for. Some students have taken the initative step of sneaking their pets in because they were homesick and pets cure that, or they've had similar problems as I had with my bird. Unfortunately, when they were caught they paid the penalty of having their animals removed or having to call home to have parents come get their pets immediately. I was not prepared that my Budgie would live a longer life until I reached college- in fact I had her since I was in 7th grade. Just remember that a Quaker lives longer than a Budgie, so this IS a life long commitment. Since I will be out of college within a year and have an idea where I will be living once I graduate (already found roommates to live with after I leave), keeping a parrot would not be an issue with me.


Therefore, schooling (going to college), is a major issue with raising a bird or any kind of pet that has attachment issues. I agree with Cantab that you will need some support in raising a bird if there are times you are unable to take care of it. It's very important that your bird interacts with other people and that there is someone who is willing to help you when you need it. If your parents are not willing to help you out then you should not get an animal that has a long life span. My father hated the bird and wanted to get rid of it, but my mother was more empathetic and did her best to take care of it until I decided what was best for the bird (and for me too).

I just wanted to say welcome...our members have pretty much covered it. Meeper, you may want to start your own introduction thread.

Again, welcome to QP.Com

red flag...when you said your parents don't want to have anything to do with the bird...You should really re-think getting a quaker..if anything, why not get another Budgie? Quakers are so smart and if left alone for long periods of time, can start plucking and screaming..if your parents are against it even before you get it, then imagine how they will react to this screaming LOUD at times, bird that they didn't want in the first place..I just think if it were me, I would get another pet..something that the whole family will love and not resent..you will have to close this bird up in your room all day while you are away at school and what IF something happened to it while you were gone during the day..All kinds of freak things can happen...
JMHO, but I would fore-go the quaker parrot..think about it long and hard and think about the bird and not just "wanting" it..they are sensitive creatures....
Let us know what you decide...

Rebecca

i have decided to get one, well not me my mother she changed her mind about not wanting anything to do with it because she fell in love with quaker we saw at the petstore it is 200 becuase it carries the blue gene we are going to breed him/her
for fun and to maybe get a good feeling out of it.what a happy ending.

I am 1or 2 years older than you. All quakers have different personalities.

Yah my parrots only like me and my dad

i hoping for one that will like me and my family or at least tolerate them

I agree about the college thing. I'm very fortunate to have family living where I am going, so I don't need to stay in residence (that and residence is REALLY expensive) and I know my residence doesn't allow any pets at all.
My friends who are going to different universities, most don't allow pets some will allow fish WITH PERMISSION.
So be sure to look into that before making this commitment. As someone said previously, it really is a lifelong commitment, and you don't want to sacrfice your birds happiness for your own.
If you do end up taking it with you to college, be sure you know how to manage your time!

As for the liking of whom, Hanzo loves everyone who gives him attention, and though my parents originally wanted nothing to do with him, they absolutely adore him. That way, I know if I don't actually have the time to properly care for him, I know I can put him in their care.
Getting a Quaker or any parrot is a big commitment, so be sure to REALLY think about it.

Good luck!

Yah i was thinking of that. Who's gonna care formy birds in college, but i may go to a university near my house. Like OSU Ohio State.

im going to the university of miami it is REALLY close to my house so i could see him every day.

Your in College?

no, i just THINK thats where im going to go