My quaker name is ecko as in Ecko unlimited, I just bought him 3 weeks ago from someone in Kijiji I was so happy because this is my first

bird, I didnt know what to expect initially I wanted a African Gray because I heard they're the best talker, but due to my budget I have to settle
with Quaker, The person I bought it from told me that he can talk and do some tricks, and to my surprise he does a little he makes different

sound sometimes it sounds like hes barking, sometimes he sounds like hes laughing, he does say his name though but to a lower pitch and then

when I pat his head he say something almost like human voice but I cant quite get it, I dont understand what hes saying. At the beginning I

was a bit unsure if I did the right thing because he always tries to bite me everytime I put my finger in his cage little did I know that that's

there nature very aggresive and protective and because of my unknoledgeable i got bitten by him when I was changing his water and seeds,

until now he still tries to bite me everytime I change his water and open his cage. Just recently I trained him to fly on my shoulder, so

wherever I am sitting in my living room he always flies to me and go to my shoulder and nibble my ear, shirt, hand etc. which I find so cute. I

never thought of having such a tame bird. Is it bad if I only feed him seeds? quite frankly I dont like feeding him seeds because I felt like hes

just wasting it I wonder if theres alternative perhaps a pellet, and is it bad to just feed him just that? I've also noticed recently that Ecko

everytime I try to caress him he fluff his feather make a strange sound and tries to put his feet up then nibble my finger tries to turn around,

then I guess when hes gettting to his climax he tries to bite me harder so I say hey and a higher tone and move my hand, then when I put my

hand he starts all over again. Is he trying to mate with my hand or just trying to bond with me which I hope its more like...Sorry guys its a bit l

long I just wanted to share my experience with my first Quaker parrot any suggestions or comments please feel free to keep them coming I

would need it Thank you all...

Welcome to the forum. I am new with pet birds as well but I will try to answer at least one of your questions. From what I have heard, pellets are much more nutritious for birds than seeds. I think this is mainly because they can pick through the seeds and only eat what tastes good to them. As far as the biting goes...it may be because he is still new to your home, or maybe he is testing you to see if he's the boss. I couldn't tell you if he is trying to mate or just bond. My quaker likes to sit on my shoulder and preen me...but he never gets that excited about it. Hope some of that helps.

Thank you very much for your reply, but is it okay though that I dont give him any fruits or vegetable since I dont eat them myself, someone told me hes trying to mate, I find it cute but I dont know if its healthy in the long run, lately he always flies to me and play around on my neck try to nibble my ears, my shirt my necklace then he goes to my finger start doing what hes doing fluffing his feathers make a sound also I always leave him alone because I work long hours I only spend few minutes in the morning and in the afternoon, I really love him I want to know if this is healthy but I always have the radio on all day for him..Please tell me more about this loving cute birds...

Welcome to the forum!!!

I would advise that you discourage the mating behavior by taking him back to his cage at those times. He needs to realize that you have the parent role and not that of a mate. If he sees you as his mate, he will consider you his equal and could be more difficult to handle. It will pass in a couple of weeks.

Yes pellet diet would be MUCH better. A good pellet (Roudybush, Zupreme, Harrisons.....) contains the nutrients he needs and as was mentioned, he can't pick and choose the parts he likes best. You can find an excellent conversion method at http://www.quakerparrots.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1366 .

you got good advice so far about the diet and mating behavior. they do need fruits and veggies, and you may find that it takes a few times of introducing them before he will eat them.

i have something to add about the cage aggressiveness and aggressiveness in general. first tho, i want to comment on the "had to settle for a quaker" comment you made. before we brought a bird into our family, i researched the different species because my first encounter was with a very entertaining and talkative grey. i decided against a grey due to our schedule and decided the quaker species was a better fit. within 3 months of bringing home our louie, we brought home a grey named goofy. both birds are wonderful in their own right, but louie is my favorite, sometimes even amongst the humans it just made me sad to read you "settled" on a quaker. as we all here have learned, they are amazing birds. hopefully it was just worded funky.

ok, on to the aggression thing. not all quakers are cage aggressive. some start out that way but become less so with patience and training. some stay aggressive regardless of how much you work with them on that. 3 weeks is not very long in the life of a parrot, and after such a major change such as moving, they are bound to be a little insecure. their whole world has been turned upside down and everything they once knew is no more. he will probably test his limits with you as well - how far can he go before he is redirected? you need to be consistent with what you allow and what you don't right away so he understands that, for instance, you will allow him on your shoulder as long as he doesn't get bitey. as they settle into your household, the only constant thing they have is their home - their cage. of course they will protect it from the intruder - you. some birds acclimate to new conditions quickly but some do take longer, so it's up to you to pay attention to the cues your bird gives. our birds let us reach into their cages, but louie will get a little nippy when i put his dishes in - i chalk that up to sheer excitement as opposed to aggression.

if you wish for your bird to remain tame after he settles in more completely, you might think about spending more than a few minutes a couple times a day with your bird. in the beginning, it's normally good to take things slowly so you don't overwhelm or frighten him with all the new things around him. birds that don't get a lot of human flock interaction may revert to their more wild ways and become less friendly, i.e., more bitiness when you do try to interact. birds are very social beings, and need interaction on a daily basis. as far as shoulder perching, well, that's your choice but shoulders are a priviledge not a right. if your bird is unpredictable you could get a nasty bite on your face before you even realize what's going on.

good luck! i'm sure others will be along soon with more advice.

kris

You sem to have been given some good advice so I will just say Hello !! and welcome to the group..
If you browes through the different forums you will learn lots of what other members feed their fids (feathered kids) check out the health and diet ..reading other posts helps you learn even us that have had fids for years learn new things all the time here (well I do anyway ) and its great to be able to pass on advise and tips to help a new fid owner do the best for their fid..
Ask any questions you want someone will always try to answer, or point you in the right direction ..
Once Again WELCOME to a great group...your little guy looks like he is enjoying that neck rub...(cute)