So would you want the EXACT same traits in a new bird that your bird has now?
I'd like to know if most people have problems or not...in general.
I have had several people ask me if I'd get another one. I am afraid I wouldn't because of what I read, although the bird I have I really love and if I thought I'd get one like him, I WOULD get another one, but there is alot of scary info out there on their behavior!
Thanks
Lori

i didn't want to answer the first 2 questions, but in order to answer the 3rd one, i had to. i don't know if i'd get another bird. i'll be devastated if something happens to any of my fids, and i don't know how i will deal with the grieving process. and i don't know if i'd get another green boogerbutt because he might remind me of louie and hurt too much. :: shrug :: all that being said, i don't ever, for one second, regret bringing any of my fids home. with all their traits, noises, behaviors, i still love them more than anything.

kris

For me Kiwi is pretty perfect. She is a total sweetheart, well just love about anyone that will love her, she sings and dances, talks all the time and is perfect. I don't think I would ever want another quaker if something happened to Kiwi because she is the best little qp in the world just ask Renee about Kiwi .

Hey!

Im about to get a new quaker baby and a first for me....I've been looking so forward to getting one....since finding this forum...now Im scared with all the unsafe toys...quakers getting lost....and getting ill etc etc. Arggh! Of course, I also have found lots of love for those cute quakers from all the owners - well most of them anyway!

The only reason I voted that I would not get another was because I had to make myself a promise. One of the ways I keep my MBS under control is that if ever anything happens to one of my pets, I will NOT replace it with the same species. There are just TOO many wonderfull birds out there that I want. I will instead get a similar sized bird, most likely a Caique or Pionus.

The second question I did NOT want to answer, as I believe my quaker to be nearly perfect, if a poor talker (she has to compete with 2 African Greys).

The third question is obvious, I would not recommend them as good first birds for people, as they are a bit difficult.

Herbie was my first quaker ( I had no idea what they were like) but I fell in love with him and his kind! I would get another male if something happened to him, and another female if something happened to Punkin. I love every feather of them, for good or bad. For those people thinking of getting one, or about to, don't believe every bird is bad or hard to deal with, they all have different personalities. Just love them for who they are!!

Well, I admit, Nikki can be a pain in the *** with her messes and her "neediness to get my attention" but she is perfect in my eyes.

If Nikki were to kick the bucket (God forbid) I don't think I would get another Quaker right away because of Sunny. You see Sunny and Nikki co habitate and to get another bird for Sunny might be a bad idea since she is neraly five now.

It would be hard for me to get another Quaker right away as I would have the same expectations which wouldn't be fair. I will not be getting another bird until both Nikki and Sunny pass (which will hopefully be at least 25 years). As for what that other bird would be, I have know clue yet. I am happy with my fiddos now and don't realy want to think about that.



Wow, Nikki, my QP, was my first bird. Unless you count my childhood budgies, but those were Mom's not mine.

I'd be devastated if anything happened to any of my 4 fids,even my mean,nasty Teil...But,once knowing and being loved by these little birds,I can't imagine life without one.Sweetie has brought endless joy and laughter into my home and life,and Journey is becoming more attached to me daily,and developing her/his own personality.My Sun I've had for 12 years,and although she can be moody,is very noisy and messy,I can't imagine not having her...If something happened to one of my birds,I might eventually get another,but not right away...it would take a while for me.

If something happened to Simon, I'd be devastated, but eventually I'd want to get another qp since I absolutely adore quakers. I honestly can't imagine life without my little feathered dudes! Simon was also my first parrot (other than budgies when I was a child), and I don't think they are a bad breed of parrot for first timers at all. Both my hubby and I fell in love with him right from the start, and other than he super loud jungle noise for about the first month we had him, we had no problem at all with him until a few months ago when he decided Mark was a bite magnet...lol. We've worked on that a lot, and he's gotten a lot better about it, but it's obvious that I'm still his favorite, and I wouldn't change that either...hehehe.

I'd only ever had budgies in the house when I was a kid and hadn't had a bird for 30 years until Clyde turned up, so it's like having a first bird, and we're doing fine. If you're a critter person and know how to cope with animals and their quirks, a Quaker can be a fine first bird. For someone without much critter experience, probably not. But I've never been without a pet all my life so it wasn't that much of an adjustment and I did lots of research (much of it here!) once we had him, so I had plenty of information. I also had pigeons and chickens (PET chickens, not raised to eat, shudder!) when I was a kid, all of them very tame though they lived outside. I was no stranger to birds in general, though Quakers are unique.

God forbid something should happen to my green baby, but I would want another Quaker. Frankly, I want lots of other kinds, too, but the house is only so big ....

Oliver was my first bird, I think he is just great but I have been told by many experienced bird owners that he is not the typical quaker. Guess I just got lucky!

I couldnt answer the poll mostly because I know parrots like kids are never identical in personalitys and there are allot of variables that make birds behave the way they do.
I dont really have time for more birds right now and I fan only handle the three birds I have right now comfortably. I love the quaker breed. I have one. I just dont believe there in starter or beginner birds because all birds are a big responsibility and allot of work and commitment no matter which species you choose to bring home.
As far as personality goes I like the bad boys and I like birds that are a challange but thats just me.

My QPs are as different as night and day but I'd welcome another rescue or rehome in a heartbeat without batting an eyelash! I LOVE Quakers!

to answer your questions...

if something happened to the QP you have now...
i don't know if i would get another one. i LOVE cricket with all my heart and i think our personalities match perfectly. i'd be afraid i'd never find that again so i'd probably pick a different type of bird.


one thing I'd change is...
cricket is one messy bird. he throws food. he squirts his poop. he loves unshelling sunflower seeds so they pop all over the place. but i luv him anyway!

I think most QP's are...
noisy... but not necissarily a bad noisy. my budgies are constantly chattering. cricket is usually only loud in the evening and i think all birds get noisy in the evening. cricket isn't a screamer luckily but when he gets sleepy he gets crabby and when he's crabby, that's when the talking really starts.

i know people pray that their quaker talks... and i did too... but wow does cricket wear me out. he sings every song he knows and then asks over and over "am i a good boy? am i a good boy?" then its off to the next song. then he goes thru his entire vocabulary over an over. tonight i had to turn the tv off just to get him to be quiet and take a little nap!

i think QP's are a good "starter" bird. they're not too big and not too small. they're very smart, they are a reasonable price, they live a long time but not worrysome like a macaw or too short like a budgie.

Even though sometimes he drives me crazy, I would be devastated if anything happened to Shah. He's a whole lot of bird!!!! However, if anything did happen, I would not hesitate in getting another quaker. These birds are like nothing I have ever come across before - they are funny, your best friend when you need one, sit quietly with you when you are upset, make sure your face is always nicely groomed and they love you unconditionally even when you are in a bad mood. Sure, there are some negative things about them but the joy quakers bring into your life far outweigh the negatives. Besides, no-one is perfect! How nice it is at the end of a long working day to come home and be greeted with "hello - gotta kiss?"

We would be devestated if anything happened to any of our critters.
We luuuuuuuuuv Quakers.
We would get another at some time, not sure when though.

I would luv to have a macaw, we dont have the space nor the $$$ at the moment.
Maybe one day.

I still say...................You just cant beat a Quaker.

Tricia

I don't know what I would do if I lost Phoenix. He was my first and so far only bird, and I don't think he was too bad as a first parrot. Only think I would change about him is his noisiness. He can get fairly noisy at night(Around sundown), and whenever I leave the room which can be a bit annoying. If I were to (god forbid) lose him, I probably wouldn't get another Quaker right away, for the sole reason that I'm not sure where I'll end up working when I get out of college, and I'm afraid I could end up in a Quaker outlawed state.

In order to vote I had to answer all 3.....LOL

No I wouldn't get another bird, for one reason......I am 56 yrs old and am already wondering where my birds would go if anything should happen to me...second reason is Kiwi was a godsend after the loss of my Son and no two birds are alike.

#2 question
Right now I wish Kiwi was not so messy, not necessarily with his food just his poo, but after 9 yrs, I am quite use to it....

#3 question
definitely not a first bird for anyone, in my opinion.....and Yep, Kiwi is perfect

This is mommy my 3 are quakers are Shamorock, Tiki and Quakey Last June of 2008 all of a sudden our beloved Kiwi passed-on just don't know why it's a tragic loss of course and someone I'm friends with sells birds of all kinds at the Flea Market Me and the birds go to here every weekend time well anyway when she heard about our loss of our beloved Kiwi she said to me would you like to replace him with amother quaker here whole bunch of baby quakers if so I'm to just pick one out nd sure enough we got little baby Shamrock that we love very much and it's funny at first Quakey didn't care either way She accepts another bird she doesn't mine and all but at 1st Tiki didn't want that and then that night Tiki became the best of friends with Shamorock they share everything now and with Quakey to as well the change like that with Tiki was just amazing in itself these little guys (quakers) re simply amazing I can tell the 3 of mine apart by their personalities all so amazing and cute and Shamorock just has those baby eye look I love the 3 of mine with all my heart here in life forever and always

I really appreciate your input, from all of you, no matter what you said you would or wouldnt' do.
As a horse and dog person, I realize that a variety within a species has its unique personalities, but there are similarities as well. This is why people choose certain varieties of dogs, say poodles, or horses, say Arabians. They have intellegence levels, stubborness levels, activity levels and inherent characteristics that help with training, etc.

I appreciate all of your input. Not one person said they were unfriendly or flighty, no one said they they were mean or DIFFICULT, and that is basically what I was searching for.
I do however, wonder about the comparison between them and the Cockatiel, which is very similar in size, but much more colorful from individual to individual.

Your comments would be welcomed on the comparison between the two,,,
I hope my Qp, T-Bird is with me for a long time, but someday if something happens to him, I find myself drawn to the colorful Cockatiels...the hand raised ones seem very friendly and personable,and I guess they are ALL going to be messy, but then, so are Human Children!
Lori

The only cockatiel I have experience with wasn't a pleasant one. It was my old roomate's bird, and he was very mean, and would hiss and attack anyone(including the owner) that would get near him. While he did have very very pretty colors(even for a cockatiel), he wasn't very enjoyable to have around. I'm sure most aren't like that, but this is the one I've had experience with.

The poll did not include anything about plucking/mutilating which I believe is an issue that alot of us QP owners must address. I answered I WOULD get another quaker-no doubt about it, but I would wish that the next would not pluck or mutilate.

My QP is a rescue and I would most definately get another rescue, see I am 57 but I believe I can get older birds as rescues/rehomes and still have them till i pass, I'll just choose older and older ones with shorter life expectancies-LOL.

I have 4 tiels and they are my babies, I started with tiels, I adore them- they are sweeter than the day with long, beautiful and loyal. But I wanted something larger, more challenging so i started with rescues. I now have a QP and 2 conures. My QP, even though she plucks and mutilates is my favorite bird. She is soooo smart, she is quiet as a church mouse compared to the conures and I believe all birds are messy-you should see the tiel room!!!!!

So I say loudly yes to getting another quaker, but I would choose a male as I believe the females are worse to pluck, but other than that I would want them to be just as sweet and smart as my Paulie!!!!!! Bren

I'd get another in a heartbeat. I'd wish it were not as bitey as Kiwi is when she is NOT in a cuddling mood.
Kiwi was a rescue too. The lady that had her (it makes me cringe to say repeat her words) said she got "a better bird". She got a baby Grey and no longer wanted Kiwi. I wanted so badly to give her a few words of my own when she asked me if I wanted her parrot and then told me why. I'll NEVER forget that!
After 8 years, I still look at Kiwi and think how she was once an "unwanted and unloved child", because that's what she reminded me of when I first saw her and brought her home, scared and unloved.
PS: she was only unloved long enough to get her and her cage into my car! She didn't realize it, but she was loved again before I even got her out of their driveway! I adore my little green baby chicken. Her little fat cheeks will always look like a baby chicken to me and I will ALWAYS love her. I think she's a doll.

I would definitely get another QP because my Baby is so neat. But I have to agree that Quakers are not for first time owners. I started with a cockatiel, which I highly recommend. Baby can be loud at times, and certainly messy, but I figure the mess is just part of having a pet! I have 3 birds, so much of my time is spent feeding and cleaning up, but well worth it!! I have to say, too, though, that I would also look at different species, such as a conure or caique. A friend of mine has a conure that is very cool.

If something happened to Amigo, I would want another Quaker, but it would depend on what happened to him, and if I had the funding to buy another Quaker. I would never expect another bird to be the same - I have six kids, and no two are anything alike. I would expect some traits to be common - two quakers should be more alike than if they are two different types.
Amigo was really neat when I first brought him home in July. As time progresses, he gets messier and messier. At first, his water dish was completely clean every day. Now, there is food in it every day. I put food and water on opposite sides of his cage, so he is carrying it accross and dropping it in. He didn't used to poop on the side of the cage, but he does routinely now.
On the other hand, now he snuggles into my neck, and loves his scritches. He was friendly in the beginning, but nothing like he is now. He is flighted, and at first, the spent several minutes when I let him out of the cage flying around the room. He doesn't do that now, and he just wants to be where I am. His desire to please is growing, and he is the sweetest bird I've ever known. (I haven't known any that well, but a babysitter years ago had a number of cockatiels and one African Gray, and her birds were NOT friendly. Amigo loves to have people visit him, and has no fear of strangers. He is friendly with everyone.)

In the future, I would consider a rescue. I didn't this time, because I wanted to start with a bird, newly weaned and hand-fed, knowing that I would be likely to have fewer problems. A rescue would be harder when you don't have experience with parrots. Now, I know how great Amigo is, and I would seriously consider a rescue. It depends on what is nearby, and their requirements though.

There is a fairly large bird rescue less than an hour from my home, but for any of the larger parrots, they require you to own you own home, and be experienced with large parrots before you can adopt one from them. I have a landlord who doesn't care how many pets I have or what kind they are, but I don't meet either of those requirements. (I will say, Amigo has a very big heart, and in that sense, he is a big parrot ).

I would get another QP whether something happened to Darwin or not. I do not chose which birds will come to me, I just take the ones who need homes. I am fond of quakers, but what ever happens happens. And if I did get another QP, which might happen soon actually, I would never want him/her to be anything other than him/herself. Although I love Darwin and his personality and our relationship, I wouldn't want another bird to be exactly like him. I would want him/her to have their own personalities. I also don't think QP's are good birds for first time bird owners; that's not to say that they don't make great first birds, but maybe for people who have had lots of experience with birds through volunteering and through research and preparation.

We plan on getting another bird one day so I think if Kiwi were to pass.. god forbid that would quicken our plans.. we want a TAG But.. Kiwi is perfect.. that being said he requires a lot of work that i think is necessary for any committment to a pet thats dependant on us ..

Kiwi was my first parrot (aside form a budgie) and I think he was great for a first time bird.. but new and prospective owners i think do much better with quakers if 1.) being around them a bit and hearing their noises.. we went to a local breeder that didn't have any available to sell but lots of ifo and birds to rattle our ears... and

2.) tons of research on how to "mold" behaviours and try to help our new fids to become cherished and friendly members of our family