Hello friends!

This morning I was woken by my wife yelling from outside. She had been walking our dog when apparently he found this little QP in the grass! We have put him in Paco´s travel cage and given water (initially with a syringe) and seeds. He is puffed up and looks reasonably happy to be here (if a little bemused). I think he is 7 or 8 weeks old, as his feathers are pretty much fully formed. His beak still looks a little soft edged at the sides. His eyes are clear and he is actively observing what is going on around him.

I hope he doesn´t need formula feeding as we are in the middle of a tough time financially.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can increase this little guy´s chances of survival?

Also, what would be the effect on Paco if we decided to keep him?

Thanks guys!

Glad that you found that baby and took him/her out of harms way. I am sure that someone will be along soon that is experienced with this and will offer some advice. Good Luck!

Thanks QuakerMom2Be!

Update:

We have named the little runaway ´Pita´.
Pita is now sitting in his cage on a towel made like a nest. He is very shy, but allows us to stroke his head, chest and neck. He has eaten a little bit of boiled egg, but as soon as the stores re-open after siesta I will go and buy some more suitable food for him.

He does not seem to be injured in any way, just a little confused at how his world has changed, I guess....
Also he is preening himself regularly, which I take to be a good sign. His towel is now littered with those white tubes that protect new growing feathers.

Is there any way of judging his age? His tail feathers are still very short.

Glad you found this little guy! Pita your so cute. I am not sure how to tell the age as I got Joey when he was 1 and half. Hope all goes well for you and him. Thanks God there are people like you to take him in. Whats the odds of keeping him! Keep us posted.

I would HIGHLY recommend that you start a 30 day quarantine with him immediately!!! Wild birds are exposed to all kinds of germs and mites that you wouldn't want Paco to be exposed to.

He probably wasn't ready to fly when he left the nest which means he probably wasn't completely weaned. I would offer him some oatmeal along with the solid food and just kinda "feel him out" on how well he's eating the solid stuff.

I'm pretty confident on what I have offered but I'm sure some more experienced people will soon be along with more complete advice.

Good luck.

Thanks cindylou and QPDad!

The disease issue worries me. We live on a sailing boat and there is not an awful lot of ´spare´ room. We cannot house the two birds in separate rooms, only separate cages. Is this enough? I am assuming Paco will be quite hardy to any germs Pita may carry as we rescued him (or sooner he rescued us) from the ´wild´ too.

Another woory is the fact that Pita hardly moves at all in the cage. He sits still, looking around, yawning a lot - or he sleeps. Is this just normal behavior for a young bird in an unfamiliar situation?

Well, I completely understand that we can only do what we can do. I would keep them as far apart as possible and not let them share any toys, dishes, etc.

It usually takes awhile for them to get used to the brand new universe that they have suddenly found themselves in. Many of them don't even start eating and drinking for a couple of days. It's hard to tell from the picture but I also suspect that he's a week or so younger than you figured.

Wow, thanks for rescuing the little guy! If I remember correctly Paco flies off during the day and comes back right? So I wouldn't think the disease issue would be a major concern compared to someone who has a strictly indoor bird and brings home a wild one, JMO... but of course you never know if he's carrying anything different.

I'm not sure how Quakers do it in the wild but if you left him outside and watched would the mom come and feed him? I know here the Robins and the Starlings have babies that leave the nest before they are weaned and they live on the ground for a while until they are old enough to fend for themselves and the mommy follows them around feeding them... I know if Quakers are the same.

He's most likely not weaned but old enough to start trying solid foods I'd assume, so maybe like Buddy said, some oatmeal, rice cereal, some sort of mash etc. if you don't have formula right now. He probably is a little confused in his new "cage" something he's not used to, so give him some time to get used to things, he's still a baby so he won't be as adventurous as a fully grown QP.

Good luck! Pita sure is cute!

P.S. I wish we had siestas!

Soak some oatmeal in warm water until it is soft and give it to him if you have nothing else. Do not give it dry as it will swell after he eats it and be too much. Please don't turn him loose outside. I'm sure there will be a hungry hawk or cat along after a while that would be very happy to see him. If you feel that you can't keep him, please give him to someone who knows about birds. Poor baby. He's a lucky little guy. Good thing your dog saw him and called it to your attention.

I'd say he's probably closer to 5 or 6 weeks old. Not fully weaned and he probably attempted to take his first flight and wasn't strong enough to get back to a nest. He will need supplimental food a couple times a day. You might try warm oatmeal, if you have like a (we call it cream of wheat here) its like cornmeal only made from wheat. You could also use cornmeal and make a porridge and add things like mashed up hard boiled eggs and finely chopped veggies and fruit or applesauce but in small amounts, The also need protien so if you were to boil up some dry beans and mash them up you could add them to the porridge mixture. Offer him the same food as you feed Paco and see if he's interested in it.

I'm not sure what you feed Paco but if its pellets you can also smash them up and make a paste to pancake batter consistency and offer that as well. Offer him millet sprays if you have them as well. Even some mashed potato's would be good,

Is he attempting to drink water on his own? If he is he's close to being weaned by his parents, You might also trying giving him small pieces of boiled chicken as well.


Good luck, and keep us up to date on his progress.

Thankyou very much Andie´s Mom and EquineRtist!

Pita is eating! We boiled and mashed up some potatoes and corn (we can´t buy an awful lot more as there is a transport strike on at the moment and the stores are very poorly stocked) and he pecks at that from a spoon. he also eats seeds from our hands and indeed drinks independently (although not very often - so we still occasionally carefully ´feed´ him water with a syringe).

He chirps too, but Paco is totally indifferent to him. We put extra toys and fresh bamboo sticks in Paco´s cage so he is well occupied while we take care of our new baby. ****, he is just so cute! I really hope that he one day will be as affectionate as Paco is. So yes, we do intend to keep him!

The cutest thing of all is our dog Igor´s concern for the little green fur ball. Every time Pita chirps, Igor immediately goes to see what is going on. It´s almost like he feels responsible for him after finding him - lol!

May I also add, I wouldn't give him water with a syringe. That could be dangerous. I've had Kiwi eight years and she has never been one to drink often. If the water is readily availabe and the bird is drinking OK on it's own, it will drink when thirsty.
Sounds like you are doing OK.
You got some good advice from Connie on the feeding. My birds also love grits. I soak them in HOT water or put them in water and Microwave them for a minute and then let them set til cool. They love them. They also love cheerios and for a baby, i's make those soggy cheerios

Bless you for rescuing this baby! I'm so glad to hear you are going to keep him.

Don´t worry....I wasn´t squirting water into his beak with it, just forming a droplet of water at it´s end and bringing it to Pita´s beak. Sometimes he takes it, other times he literally shakes his head ´no´!

Lucky you, two quaker parrots in the same month. You must have a sign on your head that says, "I'll take in the next needy quaker". I am very happy that both paco and pita will be making a home with you. Do you still let Paco fly in and out at his own free will? Good luck to you and your growing family!

Lucky you, two quaker parrots in the same month. You must have a sign on your head that says, "I'll take in the next needy quaker". I am very happy that both paco and pita will be making a home with you. Do you still let Paco fly in and out at his own free will? Good luck to you and your growing family!

You are so lucky to have a Quaker come to you like that. I'm so glad there are kind people like you to rescue the poor little guys. God Bless!

HOORAY! Pita is eating big gulps of food on his own!
Also, he and Paco get on very well now I decided that they are no threat to each other.

Here is a short video of Pita being fed by my wife Jitske:



Sorry for the poor quality, but I made it with a mobile telephone.

And here is a nice picture of our dog Igor:

looks like little Pita is fitting in very nicely and eats alot too

Thanks Sandi Kiwis Mom!

Update:

Pita is living it large and chowing down like food´s going out of fashion!
He is so cute when he ´head-bobs´ when he is hungry. Broccoli, potato, corn and applejuice mash is his current favorite.

Great news that Pita is adjusting well, looks like they are getting along good. More pictures please!!!! LOL

Loki - I have posted to you before about your adventures with "Paco" at the Spanish Marina....
Now with the "orphaned" Pita... I have some advice to offer.... please see all the great advice since my wild rescue, now named "Dolce" and DNA sexed as a male on this thread: http://www.quakerparrots.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=36212

You should be able to estimate "Pita's" age with photos of "Dolce" and see the "Newbie" questions I asked! You guys will do just fine!!! It's obvious you love these birds
New QP Dad