Good Morning!

I'm looking to set up a cage for a 20 year old quaker who's been in his cage almost exclusively for the last couple of years. Hopefully he will be re-homing with me (Grandma owns him right now but they've been having difficulty taking care of him). I've been reading posts for two days so hopefully this isn't a repeat of something I just haven't gotten to yet. =)

He's displaying clear signs of cage dominance and territorial possesiveness in his current cage. I'll be moving him into a larger cage (still borderline for minimum size but it's what I could get my hands on immediately) and I was reading about quakers nesting and that they're naturally territorial. Would providing him a breeder box "bedroom" be recommended - both to give him a little more room and to give him a hidey where he can adjust to coming from being alone in the sun room at Grandma's house to my three-kids-small-zoo one? I plan on starting his cage in a back corner close to the action but not in the thick of things anyway... And I was skimming posts on making tents and jolly balls and pvc pipe beds for snuggly places. He has NOTHING like this in his current cage and I'm not sure he'd know what to do with it, but I wanted to have things set up as successfully as possible by the time we sit down and hopefully convince Grandma that Romeo needs a shift of environments. He is not breeding, I have no plan on putting the old guy with anyone else, I was just thinking it might be a convenient add-on to his quarters.

Bumpity, bump bump... =) Still looking for some advice!

I'm thinking if he is cage aggressive then providing a breeder box will only intensify the aggression. Since his environment is going to be so different maybe you could drape a cover over the back half of the cage to provide a bit of a refuge while he gets used to his new home and noisier surroundings.

I have to agree. Stick with using a happy hut type deal and gradually introduce him to it. For the first few weeks, you can keep the back half of his cage covered with a sheet, as this will give him some added security.

A lot of birds, not just Quakers, are cage territorial and there isn't anything wrong with that. Personally, it's not a trait I try to get my birds out of. If they are willing to come out of their cage on their own and step up from the cage door, then I'm a happy camper

Is this bird handable outside of the cage?

He's handable-ish.... sort of. He WAS hand tamed at one point in his life but he hasn't been worked with in a very long time. Right know he doesn't know me from Eve so I'm not in any rush as long as he settles in and gets comfortable enough that I can at least start talking to him to ease him back into the swing of a routine. His body language was promising when I gave him a few minutes, didn't make any move to grab him, and kept my voice low. =) Thanks for the advice!!

I agree with the others...I wouldn't give him the extra nest box. The theory of doing that is so that his "territory" is made smaller so he'll be less aggressive in the rest of it. From my experience that doesn't hold true, they still maintain their outer perimeters, but seem to be even more protective of the "nest".

And a lot of times giving them a nest box will also cause hormones to be tripped and the bird can become even more agressive trying to protect its nest. I know females are pretty much that way that I've had. Right now, with my indoor pet quakers one has a happy hut that came with her and one doesn't have any type of enclosure she prefers a high perch.

I agree with Carrie~Anne about using a blanket over part of the cage to help him settle in. I also wouldn't be in too big of hurry to change out his cage etc until he has a chance to settle in with you...just moving from someplace he's been for the last 20 years is going to be a stressfull enough change and him having to deal with a new cage and new toys etc could really stress him out. I'd give him a couple of weeks in what he has if you have that option and then slowly start changing things around. If you have the room for both cages, you could set up the new cage right next to the old one and allow him to get used to that cage with its new toys etc, but leave room in it for a few of his old toys...I'd even go so far as to let him take his time in going into it. Offer food and water in both cages and slowly start leaving less and less food in his old cage but make sure there's plenty in his new cage hopefully he'll spend more time over in the new cage eating and he will become more accustomed to it and when you notice that he's spending more time in it then you can remove the old cage or use it as a sleep cage. Many people have two cages one for daytime use and the other is their sleeping cage that is place in a quieter area of the house away from all the goings on.

Just go slow with him at 20 yrs of age, he's pretty set in his ways and even the slightest little change could set him off and stress him out to where he might start plucking etc.

Good luck convincing Grandma

I totally agree with Carrie-Anne and Connie (and by the way Andrea, they are two of the most knowledgeable people on the site!). NO breeder box, but the bed you made looks wonderful!

I, like Carrie, don't think it is a bad thing for our fids to be cage territorial. If a huge hand came through MY front door, telling ME to "Step Up," I think I would be a little aggressive in protecting MY home, too! I also open the door, and invite the birds out. Sometimes they come immediately, and sometimes not. I figure if they want to come be with me, they will. Otherwise, they know what they have to do to get to be with me and the rest of the flock. I can not see the purpose in FORCING a bird to come out if he/she really does not want to!

I was going to suggest the same thing Connie did - put, if you can, his old cage and his new cage side by side and give him the option of where he wants to be in. I am guessing it won't take long before his curiosity gets him into the new one to see what wonders it holds!

Have you told us when he can come live with you?