Well this was originally my sisters bird and she went from a house to a apartment with 2 dogs so i told her i would take lil tito. Hes my first bird i actually owned so im just getting used to him and vice versa. We went from him attacking the food dishes when i gave him fresh food and water to him relaxing now but still on the mean side so i cant get pick him up yet. Ill have a flood of questions coming your way guys so keep your eyes open:). Ill shoot a few your way since im here though.


1. Ive been reading that seeds are not a good thing and im trying to find his pellets to switch him to but problem is there isnt a pet store near where i live. so right now im dependent on walmart:(. Any ideas on this one

2. I leave his cage open for him but he never leaves his cage. My sister didnt take him out of the cage or leave it open for him so is there a way to get him to come out? ive put a perch from his door leading out with a toy on it hoping that will help.

3. is his cage big enough for him. My sister had 2 cages she gave me so i put him in the bigger cage so he has more room(picture below).

4. What toys are best for a QP. right now i have a lil mirro some blocks with bells a swing(which he never uses.

5. if i goto pick him up not only do i get the biting but he attacks his toy. Is that a common thing\

6. As far as covering him up. I leave him uncovered but he has his own room he goes into before i leave for work( i work at night but its still daylight when i leave) Is that ok or should i cover him when i get home. I leave at 6pm and get home around 2-3 am

7. Last but not least he always puffing up which i take as a sign of aggresion like he is intimdated by me so i try and keep my distance.



Ok so im done now. ive said quite a mouthful already:)

It looks like a nice sized cage but it could be upgraded when you have the money to do so, but you HAVE to get more toys and perches. I only see one perch. It's great that you took him on like that. I suggest reading "Guide to the Quaker Parrots" book. Yes pellets are a better food source than seed, but if he has ate seed for a while it may be hard to switch him over to pellets. You could order the pellets off the internet. As for toys, KeeWee, my little boy, enjoys things with bells (not jingle bells, their toes can get caught) and maybe a boing (I posted a picture of one at the bottom of the post), and basically lots of different kinds of home made things too. Good luck!

Here is a boing I made...

well he has 2 perchs i just set 1 leading from inside his cage to the door trying to get him out side. But yeah im going to go pick up some toys today for him while im out. I just didnt want to overcrowd his cage with stuff . Is there any tips on cage layout design that i should stick to like perch levels and what not

I read this article a few days ago, it will help you out on how to set a cage up
http://www.quakerparrots.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=50922

My Lily loves almost anything she can chew, her "poppys" are her favorite.
Those are just popsicle sticks - we call them poppys

I'll attach a photo of what most popsicle or tongue depressor toys look like.
Qp's loves to chew them apart and shred them to pieces.

Does Tito play with the toys now?
I bet he would like rope perches too, they sell them at walmart for $5.58. That is where I bought all of Lily's, they are the same as the ones in petstores only in petstores you'll pay like $15 for 1.


As far as feeding, there is a post somewhere where a member gave a list of brands that send free samples out and that might be a good thing to do- to see what Tito likes best before you buy bags and bags of food. The breeder I got Lily from weaned her onto seed and getting her to eat something besides seed was hard but she liked a brand called "Roudybush" and took to it right away.
I'm sure another member can find it and send you the link to that post.

In this photo you can see the popsicle/tongue depressor toy
to the right of her and the rope perch she is on.
Click to view attachment

Lily loves to chew the pieces off the toy and shred them that way.
Click to view attachment

This is a cool site too, for making toys.
http://www.cheepparrottoysntips.com/toyind...tml#atomsboings

HOPE I HELPED

well i went to walmart and bird selection stuff there is really small.I did buy her another perch for her cage while i was there. She has her favorite to which is her bell that is near her top perch(looks like the one u have minus the poppys) but even though she had other perches she never wants to leave that top perch. Ive been reading up on the forums and have noticed a change in her behavior when i try things like i always call her good girl and she whistles back at me trying to say it so im sure in time she will pick it up. She still my lil pitbull parrot though...lol. Im going to try and make her some toys from the website. she is starting to say something like i love you. I think she just needs time to be around people more because my sister used to keep her in a spare bedroom all the time and she only got interaction when someone was on the computer or feeding her. now shes in a living room where she sees me all the time unless im sleeping. Im hoping that in time i can get her to come out of her cage but im patient on that for now. I want her to be happy and comfortable first and not rush her into things. but one question though when she puffs her feathers out when i talk to her is that a sign she is mad or is it just a parrot thing. And thank you for the advice.

I don't know too much about the puffing.

Lily will puff herself up and wag her tail when I pick her up or talk to her and that is a sign of happiness.Even with my parents quaker - whenever he puffs up it means he is happy.

So i'm going to guess it's a happy sign
other members should chime in soon and tell you for sure though.
because I know if she's puffed up the whole time it might be an illness.

The main thing here is be patient. When a bird is taken from familiar surroundings to a strange new place with new people, it frightens it half to death. A scared bird will bite you a lot quicker and harder than a mean one because he feels he is battling for survival.

Another thing. Be careful of Walmart toys. Make sure that any metal on a toy is stainless steel.
A bird likes to have 8 to 10 toys in a cage.

A cage should be at least 18 inches wide and 18 inches deep for a QP.

Give your bird time to trust you, then to feel comfortable with you, then to enjoy you, THEN, to love you. Don't try to MAKE him do anything at this point. It will take time, but all will be well and patience pays! Best wishes

Yeah i wheel him out in the living room with me so he can just see me and ill talk to him and he will whistle or talk back depending on the phrase( he started to say i love you almost today. than when i leave for work ill wheel him to his lil room(it like a storage room thats empty but it has a window) so he has his privacy and i dont wake him when i get home late at night. Amazing i went from relaxing to all of the sudden having a child...lol. The perch i bought him was like a wooden stick so im hoping thats ok for him if not than out it goes. next stop for me is petsmart so i can get him some more toys because i didnt like what walmart had or really trust it either. Geez my cat and dog were so much easier to take care of:)

Just a quick note she really puffs p when i talk to her or say she is a good girl. So im pretty sure its a happiness if urs does the same thing. Just had me a lil worried cause i thought it was a sign aof aggression.

The puffing up CAN be a sign of fear or aggression OR a sign of happiness. Right now, I'm thinking he's scared, everything in his life has changed and he can't understand what to do, what will EAT him, what will hurt him. Give him time. It sounds like you are doing things nice and slow right now, which is a good thing. Sit by his cage, talk to him, let him know he's safe, they understand more than you think Keep his cage open when you are there so he can come out on his own, dont try to force him out (how would you like it if someone came in and dragged you out of YOUR house?), praise him A LOT if he does come out, move slow, talk softly, praise often

As for the pellets - give these companies a call ... they will usually send samples so you can find something your new fid (feathered kid) will take to ... some things they just don't like, but there are a variety of different things that may take Tito's fancy ...

Hagen (Tropican pellets and Gourmet mix)
-- 1-800-225-2700
Harrisons (pellets)
-- 1-800-346-0269
Lafeber (Nutriberries and AviCakes)
-- 1-800-842-6445
Pretty Bird International Inc. (pellets)
-- 1-800-356-5020
Roudybush Feed (pellets)
-- 1-800-326-1726
Ziegler Brothers Inc. (pellets)
-- 1-800-841-6800


Don't forget the fresh veggies and a little fresh fruit as well. There is a list of safe foods pinned at the top of the Diet and Health section Healthy Foods Topic Try different things, offered a variety of ways, cooked, raw, chunks, shredded, mashed, cold, warm, and don't think just because he doesnt like something once, he wont try it if its offered in a different form. Just like us, some people like carrots cooked, others like them raw, others like them shredded (in lime green jello ), others don't like them at all...

Perches - a variety of textures and sizes is always nice, exercises their little footies by having different sizes/diameters/textures Just as you standing on a concrete floor all day would hurt your feet, perching on a single style of perch will tire their feet out.

Covering - thats a personal choice. It sounds like you put him in a quiet room when you leave for work, which is fine. As it gets dark outside, his room will darken as well and he'll settle down when it's nite time. As long as when you come home at 3 am he isn't startled awake by a bright light, he'll be fine uncovered in a separate room.

Toys - a lot of quakers CHEW so things he can chew up are good. Little wooden baby blocks, plain (or naturally colored) popsicle sticks, plain wooden clothespins (without the metal spring), many love to shred paper so kleenex tissue or paper towels are good, as is plain black/white newspaper (not the colored or glossy pages). You can also use the plain newspaper as a liner for the bottom on her cage to ease in clean up. Do NOT use 'litter' or cob bedding in the bottom of her cage Bedding Article Newspaper is a natural bacterial barrier and its CHEAP .. a way to recycle Again, not the glossy pages. A lot of birds like bells, some dont, I wouldn't give him a mirror tho....sometimes they bond with the 'bird in the mirror' and think that is their friend then they don't 'need' you

I hope Tito warms up to you soon. It sounds like he will, just give him some time. You will have up to 30 years to love him!

Once he starts coming out of his cage and interacting with you without fear, you will want to work on 'Step ups' with him. You can take him away from his cage (out of sight) to work with him 10 to 15 minutes at a time a couple times a day is usually plenty. I used to take my IRN into the bathroom to work with her. Closed the door and toilet and it was a small enclosed space so she didnt have much choice but to work with me....it STILL took me almost 6 months to tame her down, so don't try to rush it. If you love him, he'll pick up on it and he'll get there with you.

Good luck with your new friend. Keep posting and let us know how it's going with you and Tito. We LOVE pictures and stories of others' fids, so post/brag/ask away!!

thanks for the help. Ill have to pick up some veggies tommorow for him and some phone calls. I leave the door open for now but his wings arent clipped so im carefully watching him to make sure he doesnt go flying all over the room. I want to clip them but i figured i would give him time to adjust to the new surroundings before i do that so as to minimize the drama already going on with him.. But thank you for the answers and ill be sure to use them towards him. right now is his time to adjust and ill be sure to post some pics when he steps outside the cage in his new home.Also im hoping that when i find the food he likes it can be ordered online since around here there isnt a pet store that sells pellets.