Hi there! As of yesterday evening, I am a first-time Quaker mom and SO excited because of it! My new little Quaker (as yet unnamed- I'm really searching for the right one) is a 3 month-old DNA-sexed male who is blue in color. He's already such a little clown!

I'd been looking into Quakers for several years and finally decided that I had the time to give a Quaker the love and attention that it deserves. Also, I have an older cockatiel that I adopted from a neglectful situation and I thought that a little Quaker buddy would be beneficial for him as well. Thus far, they're both a little cautious of one another. I'm carefully watching their interactions, though, and thankfully I haven't seen any aggressive behavior.

Because I'm new to Quaker ownership, I would gratefully welcome any advice that other members could give me. Any advice, from what to expect to tips on favorite foods and toys, would be much appreciated. I've definitely done my research but nothing beats hearing from real-life owners.

I'm excited to see how my little guy develops and also excited to be a part of this forum. I'm happy to be here and looking forward to "meeting" you all!

-Katie

Welcome Katie, there's nothing like being owned by a quaker, I have to say. They are great little birds. Not with out their own set of trials and what not. The biggest hint I can give you , IMO is to spend only the amount of time now with the bird as you think you're going to be able to for the next 25-30 years.
Don't lavish him with attention every waking moment now and then stop later when the situations in your life change. Think ahead, think outside of the box. Do you have children? How are their schedules in the future going to effect the time you have to spend with your little blue baby? Its important to do this because if you spend lots and lots of time with him now, he will get used to that amount of attention and figure that he needs that much ALL the time. When he doesn't receive it, it can lead to screaming, and even plucking or mutilation down the road.

Teach him to play by himself with little toys and what not teach him to forage for his food by putting things in little easy open containers, (they make special toys for this purpose, but you can make your own as well) It will keep him busy through out the day and then he won't be as apt to be so needy. You teach him that this is how the dynamics of your flock works from the get go and as things change it won't be such a stressful situation for him when changes do happen.

Quakers are very intelligent and they can be taught time relationship etc. So you might explore that idea as well. Keeping him challenged is a big key to a happy bird. Just like a child, learning how to play ball or ride a bike, they have to win sometimes easily to realize that they can do things and that there is a reward of some type.

Good luck, and again welcome to the forum.

Connie gave great advise so all I have to do is say Welcome To The Flock!!!

Hello and Welcome!

hi and welcome to the forum!

what part of ohio do you live in? I am in cincinnati......

you will find this forum to be a real lifesaver! I know i have and i enjoy it very much....

WELCOME

Welcome to the forum. You will just love being a QUaker mama. its the best thing in the world i think so. Quakers sure can steal your heart.

Welcome! Congrats on your new baby Q! Please don't hesitate to ask any questions!

Andie's Mom,
Wow, what great advice! Thanks! The whole not showering the bird with too much attention thing makes complete sense but I had never thought of that before. As a graduate student, I have a lot of free time now, so it's tempting to always be around my little guy. However hard it is, I'm going to make an effort to limit my direct interaction to certain times. That way, I know he's getting the amount of fun time that I'll be able to give him throughout the rest of his life. Thanks again for the advice!