As you all know, I am VERY new to the bird world! I'm falling in love with my little green chikadee, but I have some reservations! When I was a kid, I got pecked pretty bad by by sister's parakeet! Ever since then, I've been uneasy around birds. When they fly around and come close, I hate that feeling!

And now I'm seeing more ads about training your birds not to bite, how to keep them occupied to not bite. I ve voiced my concern to the woman I'm buying Seamus from, and she's assured me that hand-raising does make a difference, but...every bird has it's own personality. Seamus does have a great personality, but I see his siblings as more laid back and calm. He "strikes" out a lot and I try not to jerk away, but it's a matter of re-conditioning. He DOES calm down after I've held him for a few minutes. He eventually falls asleep in my hands, but when I go to put him back in his brood box with his brothers/sisters, he grasps at anything he can reach, my shirt, my wrist, my finger. Right now, I try to put my finger near his mouth so he WILL bite and I won't jerk away ('cause it doesn't hurt now). Pat (the shop owner) says that the babies' personalities change from day to day and that she thinks Seamus is starting to recognise me. He's excited to see me at first, calms down, and falls asleep in my hands.
But, I'm still so scared of getting bitten by a bird bigger than a parakeet.
Questions:
How bad does it hurt when an adult Quaker bites
How do you prevent your Quaker from becoming a one-person bird and attacking other family members?

Any suggestions out there?

I will ask my husband for you. Toby does NOT like him! I think because his voice is too loud and rough . He gets bit on a regular basis because he refuses to believe Toby isn't going to bite him and keeps giving him opportunities! So, DH has had a few blood drawing bites.
My favorte (aren't I AWFUL!) being just last night when DH decided to stick his nose up to the cage thinking he was quicker than Toby and Toby wouldn't get him. He was wrong! It didn't help that Toby laughed uproariously after he did it!
Now DH is complaining because he can see the bite at the end of his nose wherever he looks. Maybe the constant reminder will help him learn?

I don't want to rain on your parade but you will get bitten. I have gotten bitten by my quaker of course she was a re home and I have gotten scars on my arms from my goffin cockatoo she is also a re home. But you quaker will not always stay a baby they will grown and things will change. Hormones will kick in and sometimes quakers can be moody, loud and cranky little birds.

Yes they are sweet, but if you own any kind of parrot you will get bit one way or another. If your afraid of the bird it's going to pick up on that. I'm not a expert, but I am not afraid of birds and bites. Yes when a quaker bites it hurts and sometimes bleeds~!!!!!!

Meeka bit my face when she first came to live with us and sometimes she still gets nippy, but most of the time she is a sweetheart. I think the purrs, snuggles and sometimes quakers can talk. Meeka talks some, but I know she loves me alot because they way she looks at me so I think all the bites are worth all of that love I see in her eyes and when I walk in the room she knows I'm her Mommy and she can't wait to sit on shoulder!

Actually, that's pretty funny! Can't believe Toby laughed about it! Guess I'm gonna have to develop a "thicker skin"!!! Thanks!



Thanks for the "heads up"! I'm really gonna have to get over this fear! I do love these birds and I want to bond with them! I think they're fascinating and beautiful and so intelligent! It's a matter of gaining a thicker skin, so to speak, and to learn not to take it personally-they are a wild animal afterall! Thanks for your input!

Aww bless ya!
I think once ur little ones at home and settled you will feel more comfortable with him.After all at home,he wont have his siblings to show off too etc! My quaker came home yesterday and he is fantastic!! Very cuddly and making some lovely noises! (prefers my partner as well much to my disgust!!)
All birds have their off days! I was bitted badly by my old grey but a quakers beak is nothing compared to this so i dont fear my quakers bite! You will be fine

Thanks Kirsty! You've eased my mind a bit!
That's probably going to be my luck...Seamus will bond with my partner (who's not happy about getting a bird!), and I'll be left out in the cold!
Glad you're enjoying Oatis!
How's your daughter finding the bird?
Where in the UK are you? I'm an Anglophile, mi mum was from Whitley Bay! Love anything Celtic, AngloSaxon, Scottish, Welsh!
Thanks again!

Glad i eased ur mind a little
I am cheating with oatis, my partner went out to snooker tonight and the whole time i played games with Oatis hehe i will win him round i tell thee hehe! I am in more than my partner as i suffer from agaraphobia so i will definatly win him over!
Milly for some reason is quite scared of oatis and said he has "fat wings" lol but she was bitten quite badly by our grey (hense the sad sale of him) so i think its going to take time to win her over! Shes great with out cockatiel though! I am in northwest england a place called barrow-in-furness,its a small town! so small infact that it doesnt even get on the map haha! I am half scottish!! my mam is from edinburgh and i have family in tweka and bonnybridge and falkirk!! I am a rangers fan though,hehe definatly not celtic haha!! I am a big fan of the welsh accent! its sooo cool lol is ur quaker being hand reared? how old is he/she?
x

Hi Patty

You'll probably find that the more you handle Seamus the more you'll condition yourself to get used to his beak. The shop keeper is right, in the sense that most handfed babies aren't big bitters if they are handled correctly and on a regular basis. Remember, that birds use their beaks are a third foot. So they use it quite a bit. When my Quaker is exploring me with her beak and she bites a bit too hard, I just let her know by saying 'no bite' and then make her step up. That usually does the trick

You will get bit, no doubt about it, but I think you'll surprise yourself with how you react. And, I think it will be a rare occurrence if you give your QP the attention he needs.

Thanks so much! The shopkeeper is great! She had a phobia of birds until she was 42 and now she is so knowledgable and helpful! She boards so many birds, rescues them, and rehabilitates them (that's so common in FL--a lot of birds set free in our tropical climate). I see her using the "step up" command with her rescues and they seem to react to that. Just knowing that you're familiar with the same technique really eases my mind!
Thanks

Yes Kirsty, Seamus O'Malley is being hand fed with formula every 4 hours! He's so adorable when he's being fed! I know it takes a while for the formula to reach his "crop", but he tries and tries to make me feel sorry for him to give him more food! After about 5 minutes, he's full...fat, happy, content, and ready to settle down for his nap! I always say to him, "I thought you were the hungriest bird in the world..."!
That's funny that your partner plays snooker... I do too! I am an avid billiards player and learned to play the "snook" when I was in your neck of the woods 3 years ago!

just to add..I had my first "bite" from my baby through a towel.. so i guess he was biting the towel really about a week ago after wiping the cage down cause it was all wet after kiwi bathed... the lil darling lunged at the towel and bite .. hard.. i didnt even flinch and was completely surprised and proud of myself when i looked at the quickly forming bruise!

Soo... it can hurt but nothing that is going to be a lasting pain to be afriad of.. i was more perturbed at the time that he didnt fly off the cage.. which is what he sually does when something scares him lol

Good luck!

I've only had my quaker 4 months and I haven't been bitten hard. I've been nibbled...One thing though, I used to have a budgie (beautiful blue girl and loved her to pieces) she was a biter! Even though budgies have smaller beaks, the beaks are also thinner and sharper if you get my meaning, and ouch!

My sister is scared of my quaker biting her so whenever she comes over my sister gets really jumpy and I think Puffy picks up on that and trys to intimidate her...Another thing you can do is play with their beak and let them know that you're not intimidated by it (even if you're faking it at first), touch it, stroke it ...beaks are very sensitive so be gentle and your bird will probably really enjoy it...

Another thing you can do is watch their body language, they'll usually let you know if they're getting upset or grumpy and then just leave them alone for a bit and you will probably avoid getting a nip...However, you will probably get an occasional nip...

I got biten my my corella (bare-eyed cockatoo) once, Wacka was really frightened and had totally freaked out and I was there, and being about 14 at the time, I didn't react very well...I bleed and I had a bruise for weeks but I got back in the avairy the next day and all was forgiven I don't think quakers hold on, they just bite and let go...

Sorry, I didn't really have a point did I? Just a bit of random rambling...

So here's the summary, you will get bitten, it will hurt, it could bleed but you can avoid getting bitten, and it wont happen much and you will have so much fun with your little one that you wont care

Thanks, Jess. You eased my mind quite a bit, too! I ordered a book yesterday, which I'm hoping will help me with tha body language and behaviour.

Seamus will definatly be fine with bites etc! My baby is 7weeks and hes on formula for breakfast and for supper but soaked seed during the day! He is doing really well! I spoon feed him rather than syringe as it takes longer so i think it works better. (more time one on one with quaker) i bath oatis after his brekkie which he detests! but ive always done this with my cockatiel so hes guna have2get used to it lol
i dont like snooker,the tables2big!but i love pool!!

I hope I did not scare you off from the birdie. I really do think you will be fine. Quakers rock and they are amazing little birds. You will love the little purrs from him and when he preens you. It's so awesome! Can't wait to see your little fellow and all the cool picture's.

Not at all Meeka's Mom! I need to hear the honest truth from experienced bird owners. Not what the shopkeepers tell you so they'll make a sale!

QUOTE (Seamus O'Malley @ Jun 28 2008, 06:07 PM)

Not at all Meeka's Mom! I need to hear the honest truth from experienced bird owners. Not what the shopkeepers tell you so they'll make a sale!

Thank you!!!

My kiwi goes to hiss at me if I move too fast for him or he's trying to be "big bad birdie" and I just let him. If he's gonna bite he's gonna. I need to learn to slow down I guess LOL Just remember it might hurt but its fleeting. By the next day you will barley remember. My little boy (he's a year old) got bitten by Kiwi because usually he stays away from his cage but that day he didn't and he cried HARD but was over it in like five min. and the next day he didn't make a peep when I looked at his little finger. And Kiwi had drawn blood. So. You'll be fine and like any animal or person they have their up and down days.
Also if you do get bitten I just tell Kiwi in a nice but firm tone (same as his up tone and go to bed tone) be nice. no bite. and usually he gets it.

Just a word from me I have enjoyed reading this topic and its given me a few giggles ...NEVER take it personally when you get bitten ..like everyone has said you will get bitten ..Birds are not domesticated as dogs and cats are they are not far removed from the wild birds , yet they are dependant on us their human flock..Many wild bird traits will still be in your bird like flock calling of a morning and night , like hiding illness ,like building nests , regurgitating to their loved one or thing , when you notice you bird looks sick he has most likely been sick for quite some time so you MUST act very quickly in seeking the advice of an avian vet .. (in the wild birds do not show weakness/illness or they will be shunned away from the safely of their flock as a sick bird will attract preditors, its reall a cruel world but out there only the strong survive) When you get your bird take notice of every little thing get to know its mannerisms , the look of its poop , behavior how vocal it is , etc etc so you will be able to spot a change as early as possible..another thing sick birds will often go quite and stop vocalising , sitting fluffed up sleeping a lot through the day , staying at the bottom of the cage are all signs to watch for..

Just a few tips from a bird lover..Good Luck you will be fine...Don`t let your new bird intimidate or Bully you Quakers think they are soooooo tough, you need to be Top bird..

I have had my Thumper a year this month and he bit me yesterday and brought blood because I was making him get out of the recliner when we had company come over and he wasn't ready to move. haha yeah he was chillin in the recliner on a sheet while I was cleaning cages so he didn't harrass Fred & Ethel (my mating pair of quakers that have eggs....the three dont get along) while I was not in the room. Like everyone says it will happen. A lady at Petsmart told me when he bites put my thumb on his beak not hard just to keep it off and say no bite! and you will feel him relax and he will go back to your lil love bird...Thumper loves to lay close in my hand against my chest for me to love him. Fred & Ethel we bought about a month ago and they will not let me get them without gloves as they don't like red finger nails...but with gloves I can tell them UP and they will step up... I was a little leary as you were when I went to buy my female cockatiel because we had a male we had bought from a lady that had neglected for the 3 years she had and i had been bitten many times by him trying to work with him to tame him and had a hard time getting with the female and letting her climb my arm to sit on my shoulder but now she gets out of her cage climbs up the couch and jus sits on my shoulder when I am online...I have 4 birds total now (1 cockatiel and 3 quakers) and dispite the bits they are so wonderful to have and so entertaining! Good Luck!