Well, I'm on page 15 of the back posts and the poor little bird I'm hopefully re-homing is going to go into shock. *blushes*

I realize he can't go from a tiny cockatiel cage with nothing but a couple of perches, an old bell with no clapper, and a mirror that's so old it's not reflective anymore into the Quaker equivelent of Candyland.... at least not without his poor head exploding from the stimulation. But there are SO MANY cool ideas here!!!!!

So here's the question: What would you consider the 3 most vital basics your quaker couldn't live without?

I'm sure you'll get a lot of different responses on this one!

Here's mine (aside from the obvious dishes)

1. a variety of perches in different materials and widths, rope, manzanita etc
2. foot toys in a basket or ceramic crock
3. one or two hanging toys to start ( this will take some experimenting to see what he likes)

You might get a big surprise and find that he adapts to new things very fast. He maybe so delighted to have more space and more stuff that he'll be fine. Or he could be a chicken... time will tell

i wouldn't know where to start, my babies are so spoiled it isn't funny! I would say something with a bell on it and naybe a swing for them and I wouldn't know a third one.
Untreated wood blocks with untreated cotton rope is a great toy LOL ...

My quaker and conure spend most of their time with foot toys. Whenever baskets go on sale at Michaels, I buy a bunch of the natural wicker ones (with no stain or other treatment). Bread baskets work especially well for foot toys, I just take two cable ties and attach them to the outside of the cage. The birds have as much fun munching the baskets as playing with the foot toys. I got a pound bag of leather strips and scraps, which they love (it will last them some time). They both like playing with sticks that I keep in a coffee mug on top of the cage. They also like their rope orb and rope boing. They love stainless steel bells. I ususlly attach a couple of toy parts to them and make them foot toys. Whoops, I think I've given you more than you wanted. My birds have a a very elaborate, frequently modified set-up. They play with everything, though, and are no longer afraid of new introductions.

It completely depends on the bird. I wouldn't dream of not having a bell for Jade, but Clyde doesn't care about bells. For him, an essential is a rope and bead toy. He must have a happy hut, but Jade likes her snuggly ring. She has a boing but he hates anything that moves with him so he only has stationary perches. Neither one cares for foot toys.

We don't want your birdy to freak at all the new stuff , but I don't know if you can streamline to three things until you know what he likes. So I'd say get several kinds of perches, maybe rope and a natural perch, and at least couple of different kinds of toys, completely different, say one with a bell and one that's just something to bang around and chew on, and try a Cozy Corner to see if he likes that. If he does, he'll probably like a Happy Hut. Don't bother with a mirror just yet -- some Quakers like them too much, and some don't like them at all. Neither of mine likes mirrors. My little Benjy would be a very unhappy budgie if he didn't have a mirror, though. He likes to argue with the bird in the mirror and Bonnie likes to admire herself but they're not obsessed with it. Clyde liked his (now Benjy's) for about two days and then ignored it, which is how the budgies ended up with it. Likewise, the budgies have a swing apiece and love their swings, but Clyde hates swings and Jade already has three, so she doesn't need another one. You really just have to try various things.

To start off with, I'd start with a new cage no smaller than 18 x 18 that's the bare minimum for a quaker.

I would make sure there are numerous perches of different textures and locations throught the cage.

I would also put the old toys in the new cage to start unless they've been used by some other bird. That way he will at least be familiar with something in the cage.
Feed it the same type of food that its currently on and then slowly convert him to a good type of pellet and start giving him a few different fruits and veggies as well. When he gets comfortable with his new surroundings then you can start making small changes.

Remember, that a bird no matter what species needs enough room in its cage to be able to spread its wings out fully inside the cage. So be choosey about where you hang the toys. I'd much rather see a cage with only a few toys inside and then allow the bird outside its cage and play with toys. You'll probably want to experiment with different toys to see what he is most interested in. Make sure you offer them lots of different textures of toys, wood, plastic, paper, leather etc .

Good luck. Welcome to the forum.