I am in eastern Virginia. I am sorry this is so long, I just want to explain about them, and the whole situation.

I have two beautiful quakers, both rehomes/rescues. Frank, (not DNA'd, but he came as a male, so I left him that way) and Lola, (also not DNA's, but she came as a female, and her behavior and build seem to back that up).

Frank was given to me after he matured, and developed somewhat severe behavior problems. I have worked with him a lot, and he has really improved! He has gone from not liking new things and new foods to happily playing with almost anything new, except for some perches, and not minding changes in the room. He also eats anything I give him now. He knows many tricks, and has too large a vocabulary for me to count. He will happily hold an entire conversation with you, and even picks up songs from CDs and the radio to sing along with. He does still bite often, in fact, even with all the practice he has given me avoiding bites, I still get them almost daily. Not to say he is not tame, far from it, he loves attention and love giving him that, but the biting continues. I do plenty of ABCs, and that has helped some, but Frank is definitely a confusing one!

Lola was brought into a Pet store on the shoulder of a woman, who proceeded to turn her over to one of the employees, saying she no longer could keep her. She did not come with a cage, food, or anything. She did say that Lola was around 10 years old, and that she was terrified of getting her hands bitten, and so she had never trained her to step-up. Instead, she asked her to get up on her shoulder. Personally, I would much rather have a bird I was worried about biting on my hand than on my shoulder! She had gotten Lola as a baby, and Lola was a not "biter". Lola did have a fear of hands, though, when I got her. She also had many health problems, including seizures, and was a plucker. Along with that, she has a very definite fear of men. All I can assume is that the husband of the lady was mean to Lola in some way. Since I got her, her health problems have improved greatly, with a better diet and liver support. Her feathers are almost fully grown in, though she still has a little bare skin showing.

Frank and Lola finally bonded. I wasn't expecting them to, as both were very people bonded, but eventually, they did. They now insist on sharing a flight cage, but still insist on getting attention from me every day. Having a bird friend really helped both of them. Frank finally learned some quaker calls, and also learned to weave after watching Lola. Overall, they are both are so much happier. They love being out (Lola was not active, obviously, when I got her, so it is wonderful to see her not only able to fly around and explore, but enjoying doing that!) and are always anxious to try and be friends with every bird here.

I have been considering finding them an aviary situation, with other quakers, for a while. I hate the thought of not having them with me, I am so bonded to them, but I really feel that they would probably be happier in one. If I can not find a situation like that for them, I will keep them, of course. It is hard to think about, but...... I guess, more than any other birds I have, they seem to really want to flock. And I want them to be as happy as they can be.

If you have an aviary, or know of one, or just have any advice, please contact me!

The first pic is of Frank, then Lola, and then the two of them.

Good luck finding them homes. Hopefully someone can help you out.

Hi there. There is an aviary in Frederick, MD that takes in rescues. I think they have most any type of bird you can imagine. The website is www.thefeatheredcoop.com

This is a closed aviary breeder, but does all sorts of rescues. She has many Quakers on premises. She has a few in cages (I guess they can be aggresive) but I'd say 95% are able to fly around as they wish.

Can I ask what makes you think they would want to flock or be in an avairy? I am not doubting you...just wondering what signs they show. I hope you find the best situation for them Whether it is with you or someone else...please make sure it is a forever home because it is not fair for these two little ones. Good luck

I've sent you a PM, Saving birds.

I have to ask the question though... are you SURE they would be happier in an aviary? They would have to deal with other birds, their schedule would be completely different, they wouldn't get one on one human interaction, and chances are they wouldn't get the careful care and love you give them now... like vet visits, balanced diet...


I'm not saying they WON'T be happier. Just consider everything first.

Good luck in your decision.

There isn't a way to be sure they would be happy in an aviary, which is why I am being so careful about this. It is rather hard to describe, but to anyone around them for long, it seems fairly evident. From a small cage and barely even playing, they both have become non-stop movers. I have them in a large flight cage, on a sun porch. I can not have them out all the time, and even with their cage stuffed with toys of all kinds, and plenty of foraging opportunities, they still tear through them all, and start chewing the bars and running in circles, until I can let them out to fly. I try to do all kinds of trick training everyday, foraging as I said, varying the food, and of course they fly all over the place when out, but still, they are no longer happy anytime they cannot be out. I do not mean they are "spoiled", like birds that are out of control, they simply want to be out, and I am not in the situation to have that.

I think the change in schedule would be fine, they are not at all picky about changes of that kind here. The diet is certainly something I am considering, and I am not going to place them in any situation where they are not getting as good a diet as here. A new home would, of course, be a big adjustment, but I think they would be ok after some time, and they might then be happier.

Human interaction is a big consideration of mine, as are all the things that have been brought up. As a person that is very attached to spending time with them, I would want them to always have human attention. But they are wild animals, birds that are meant to flock. So for them to have decided that is what they would prefer should not be unusual, though it often is. They are happy to get attention, but..... this is really hard to explain, and portray, over the internet. But in person, to watch them, especially compared to how the used to be, I don't know, it just seems they would really like that. As I said, they are always trying to be friends with every bird that comes in, and would rather try to play with them than me. Not to say, like I said, they aren't very happy to have attention, and be with me, but they really seem to prefer flocking.

Obviously, this is a touchy subject, and a hard decision for anyone to make. I just want them to be where they are happiest. Deciding that is with me could just as easily be me forcing my view, of wanting to keep them as "pet" birds, on them as deciding they would be happier in an aviary. So, I thought I would see what options were out there, and explore them carefully.

Thanks so much for all the advice!

The only Aviary I personally know of is Andie's Mom, Connie and I can vouch for her. You would be putting your birds in
"Great Hands"

It sounds like you've put tons of thought into this, which is by far the most important part! Good luck in your decision!

Thanks!

I really want know how things comes out for you and your babies....keep us posted please and Best of Lucky with your decision.....

Just looking to see if they found an aviary.