I recently rescued a QP from the local animal control office after he was found wandering around town. Since I brought him home, he has been either very very aggressive or shys away and hides his face. He holds his head very low when standing most of the time and avoids eye contact. I am worried that he was abused or is/was injured from the way he is holding his head. He does avoid being touched ot picked up when in his cage. He does bite most of the time. When I do manage to get him out of the cage he hides his head in my shirt or arm and avoids eye contact. he is a beautiful little guy and I want to give him a good home. ANY advice on how to win him over would be helpful

poor little feller. im glad that you could give him a loving home. someone will come on here soon and give better advice than me but bless you for rescueing him. and give thor a hug if u can.

Awe, what a lucky little fid (feathered kid) to have found such a thoughtful new parront!

You could pop him into an avian vet clinic for a checkup to ensure that the little guy isn't injured or ill, and if he checks out alright then he might just be feeling a little low from his time on the streets.

Little Thor can likely be won over with lots of treats and story telling. When your little fella is all tucked into his cage, sit close by and talk softly to him just like you would to a frightened child. Read stories, tell jokes, talk to him about how fine he's looking, whatever sounds soothing, yet exciting to you.
Next, if you'll grab up a few special ingredients from the grocery store: Great big red strawberries, a fine tomato, a banana, and some nice fresh veggies. Plus, band-aids and hydrogen peroxide. (those last two are for the bites, I mean kisses, he'll give you when he's feeling more settled -hehe) The fruits and veggies you can let him eat while you're chatting him up, so he begins to think of you as that real friendly food fella he's been needing in his life.

Hopefully, these ideas will help. Others will be along shortly to give you even more ideas and tips, so sit back and share a banana with your new little pal while you wait.

Ime Love and patience ..poor little guy I am so glad you have given him a loving home ..he will come around give him time ..(HUGS) to you both..

I would suggest getting him in to an avian vet for a checkup....

I'm glad you rescued him, poor baby! Good luck!

I would get him into a vet asap too. Then just go slow. Avoid eye contact(less threatening to a bird) and talk and move slow and gentle. He will come around.

Sounds like he is traumatized and has gone through heck. Right now, his poor little world and everything he has known has been turned upside down.

WELCOME to the forum.
Of course, the vet visit is important, but I think the rest is fairly normal.

Most QPs eventually get cage aggressive and do not want to be touched while inside their cage. They have the "THIS is MY territory. Don't come inside here" Quakertude.

In my opinion, burying his face in your shirt is snuggling with you. He is loving having someone to snuggle with that will let him do that. Sounds like he is thrilled to have someone he can trust. He probably need a friend more than anything else.

Instead of reaching for him in his cage, sit close to it with treats and talk very softly to him. Let him come out of the cage on his own and then either pick him up or just let him come to you. Act like you are eating the treats and they are so delicious. That should make him want to come after them.

It sounds like your concern is more for the bird than for yourself. Bless you for that. You are a good parront.

I agree that a vet visit is in order just to make sure he wasn't injured while on his great outside adventure.

Time, patience, and lots of love will be the key to winning him over. Play with some foot toys outside his cage and make a big deal out of it...Quietly at first so you don't scare him but when you have his attention then become more animated etc. Make it look like there's more fun on the outside than the inside, make him want to come out of his cage; and spend time with you...but for the first few days, just let him get used to his new home. Sit and read to him, talk to him, Share some fruit with him. Cut what ever you give him off don't bite it off to give to him. (Human Saliva can be deadly to birds) Share it with him handing it through the bars if need be. Keep your playing/training sessions short 10 - 15 minutes at a time to start and end on a positive note. Positive reinforcement works well...For a bird, negative reinforcement works only to encourage him to do what ever he was doing more... So ignore the unwanted stuff as best you can and praise and reward the good stuff.

Thank you for being considerate enough to take this little guy into your home and loving him no matter what.

My quaker was a stray also. When I first brought him home, the first several months, i would sit with him every night for at least 30 mins with a few good treats, and I would sing to him softly. Sometimes he would even snuggle in the crook of my arm and I would just rock him slowly like a baby and sing. This really seemed to help him get more comfortable with me. Also, be patient with coming out of the cage. Sometimes it helps to just leave the door open and just step back a few feet or sit in a chair near the cage, hold a good treat and wait for him to step out all by himself.

Good luck! And thank you for rescueing

I agree with everyone else.....just gibve him time and patience......

If you can have the cage beside you while you sleep I read somewhere that to do so is the ultimate sign of trust to a bird. If you sleep in front of him. I noticed it does help them not to be so scared.

A lot of Paitence and love.. Play a erscue game with him, not to the extent I Did but act like your resueing him..
But mainly time and love and he should come around

He's probably just confused and upset by everything that's happened to him and he doesn't know he's home now. For all he knows, you're another temporary stop on what's been a really traumatic journey. Singing is a wonderful way to calm and win over any critter, and they don't care if you're not a great singer. I even tamed my pet store mouse with the help of singing to him. Don't back off completely trying to handle him, but don't push him too hard, either. Offer petting and letting him sit on you, but leave the decision up to him as to whether he wants to, at first. He won't feel crowded and threatened that way. If you give him treats by hand, he'll see that your hand isn't a threat. And if you get something to eat, open his cage and sit nearby eating it, my bet is he'll come out and want to share eventually.