Hi Quaker lovers,

I joined late last week after our bird vet talked to us about the possibility of adopting a Quaker that is recovering from surgical repair of a badly broken leg. His current owners do not want to resume care for him once he recovers.

We were at the vet's on Thursday with our elderly lovebird Gabby who had taken a bad turn. Gabby had been suffering from liver problems for some time and they finally were catching up with him. Our wonderful vet kept him overnight in an effort to get him stable enough to come home with us for a bit before he died. We picked him up late Friday afternoon and headed home (90 min drive). I think he quit fighting to stay alive once he was back with us, and he began having non-stop seizures accompanied by vomiting and probably had aspirated some of the fluid he was throwing up. Instead of going on home, we headed for the emergency vet service that our vet uses for after-hours emergencies. We managed to talk to our vet and she agreed that we should have Gabby put to sleep. Everyone was so helpful and kind and supportive but our lives were pretty shattered. The loss is still overwhelming but I'm beginning to pull it together a bit better.

I joined the forum to learn more about Quakers. We both are committed to adopting a bird in need. However, after owning two lovebirds, both of whom died around age 16, we aren't sure about what we will do: take in the Quaker, adopt a lovebird, or both. We've been 'introduced' to the Quaker, who has had a very rough time. His leg had to bound to his body for healing but seems to have healed well in that he can walk (with a bit of a limp) and use the foot (which came as a surprise to the vet). At the moment, he is recovering from feather and skin plucking which the vet thinks was partly a stress reaction to the pain that they were not able to suppress completely. Our vet says he was very loving when he was admitted to the clinic but has been poked and prodded and stuck so much while at the clinic that he pretty much hates everyone there--a response she characterized as perfectly normal, under the circumstances.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has time to enlighten me about Quakers and their care or wants to share experiences with me. Have any of you taken in a Quaker under similar circumstances? Does anyone have any advice for us as we try to decide what to do?

Thanks to everyone for welcoming me to the forum.

Folly

welcome to the forum.

Awwwwwwwwwww I am so sorry for your loss, it hurts to loose a loved fid (feathered kid)..
That would be a wonderful thing to do to take that little Quaker and give him lots of love , there are so many unwanted critters in the world I am sure with time and care he would warm to people once again ...
There maybe more experienced members that can give you more help I just wanted to say WELCOME to the group, check out the other forums and don`t be shy join in ask questions in the Quaker Parrot Talk more members may see it , some time we forget to look in the introductions every day ..

Good luck once again WELCOME and hugs for the loss of your little lovie being sent across the miles from me and the boys downunder..

Hi and welcome to the forum, I too am sorry for your loss.

In answer to your question has anyone ever take a quaker under those circumstances. I've adopted many quakers both injured and not. Depending on the treatment he received from his previouus family will determine how quickly he will respond to you and bond with you. After having been at the vets he's probably not happy with them because of the poking and prodding but given a chance to settle in to a new location where he feels safe and love I'm quite sure he'll become a very good pet. If you can tolerate love birds, a Quaker in my opinion is a piece of cake.

You just have to show them that you're going to continue to love them no matter how cranky they get. Don't be surprised though if he chooses a favorite person and it might not be you...just keep showing him positive attention and loving him anyway.

I also had a small amazon who was attacked through the cage by my dog...(I no longer have that dog) and the birds leg was severely broken as well as skinned from being pulled through the bars. We took him to the vet and the vet pinned his leg using a hypodermic needle and then put a cast on around it and he wore that cast for about 6 or 8 weeks, He regained full use of his leg, foot and toes and continued to be one of the sweetest birds I have ever had, until his death. So it is possible for a bird to totally recover. Even if he has a slight limp he will still be able to live a long life.

Something important for you to know is Quakers are prone to fatty liver disease, so its important that they have a diet that doesn't contain a lot of high fat content foods such as seeds, a few seeds as a treat once in a while is fine, but a diet of only seed will shorten a quakers life drastically.

I honestly feel you really can't go wrong bringing this guy home...I've had and have many species of birds, and I absolutely love my quakers, that's probably the reason I started a small sanctuary for quakers in an outdoor flight in my back yard.

If you haven't already, I suggest you purchase the book "A guide to Quaker Parrots" by Mattie Sue Athons, its full of great information pertaining to quakers but also will give insight to other birds as well. Its a great resource.

Good luck with your decision, and again; welcome to the forum.

Andie's Mom,

Thanks for all the good advice and support. Our vet told us that the little Quaker guy probably likes men better than women, so I am prepared for the possibility that he will gravitate to my husband. But, that's OK. We just want him to be happy and will love him no matter what. We also are considering adopting one or more lovebirds. We miss the controlled chaos of life with birds.

I've been reading up on Quakers and had come across other warnings about fatty liver disease. Our lovies got seeds as a treat but Harrison's pellets were their main food (along with fresh fruits and veggies, birdy bread, etc.).

One big question at this point is how he will do over the next couple of weeks. He had to be in a collar for a long time while the incision healed and either stopped eating or could not manage it effectively and has been tube fed. He has begun eating a bit on his own recently. He also is wearing a sort of jacket so that the broken skin on his breast can heal. The vet staff think that he won't resume feather or skin plucking once his skin heals, but he'll remain in the jacket until the scabs drop off. When we saw him, he was engaged in a concerted effort to chew off the adhesive tape that holds the jacket in place (the tape is on the jacket, not on him). However, he did stop briefly when we talked to him. So, I guess he isn't totally out of the woods yet but is well on his way. He is about 10. His first family decided that they could not give him the attention he needed after they had kids so they gave him to some friends where he was attacked by the dog. I don't know how long he was with his second family.

Thanks, again, for the reply. I'm new to the world of online forums and am still trying to figure out how everything works so I hope folks will cut me some slack when I make mistakes (like inadvertantly reposting a post that was made in reply to my post).

Folly

Welcome to the forum! Sounds like you have been given great advice.......