I am a new quaker owner. I was told my quaker was about 6 weeks old when I got him. He should now be 7 1/2 weeks old. I have been giving him Kaytee Exact, cheerios and millet. Recently he has just been throwing the Kaytee rather than eating any of it. Is this normal? It's got me thinking about his actual age and whether the previous owner was not sure. Also, he is full flight. Can anyone give me any assistance on what to do? (I've owned conures and macaws in the past but this is my first quaker.

Thanks,

Lauren

he may not be fully weaned , or may be regressing due to the change, hang on some more knowing members should be along shortly,

canyou contact hte breeder and ask when he was weaned ??

The lady I got him from was not the breeder. She went to a bird expo and purchased the bird.

The average age I've seen in the backposts and from people who handfeed/bred on here is an average of 12 weeks hand feeding... Most people getting babies from breeders who abundance wean seem to be having to wait until the quaker is 12-14 weeks. If you're comfortable with hand feeding, maybe putting in a morning and evening mash wouldn't hurt?

My quaker was already hand-fed when I got him. I hand-fed for the first week and a half, but now he seems to be playing more than eating. He has become very attached to me in this short amount of time and I'm loving every minute of it!!!! I just don't want to do something wrong. Thanks for the information!!!

my mater wasn't fully weined till he was almost 9 weeks old.. like the others more experienced ones will be around soon...
But if it is only 7 1/2 weeks I wouldn't think he was fully weined...

I think there are a lot of things you could try. In the past I have softened pellets in a little warm water and then mixed them with a bit of organic (no sugar added) apple sauce. Since your bird WAS eating Katee he must be pretty near weaned, if not fully. Maybe softened and augmented pellets would be good for a while. After a while you can progress to regular dry pellets - sometimes it can take a while to find a pellet food your bird likes. Meanwhile you can try giving him some chopped fruit and veggies. I give Sweet Pea and Beanie (my Green Cheek) chopped apple and pear in the AM, pellets all day with an occasional treat of a few pumpkin seeds, Avi Cakes, or jalapeno pepper. At night I give them a mash (mix) of beans, rice, corn and other grains that I buy premixed (dried) at my bird store and prepare at home. I add a few soybeans. Both my Quaker and Green Cheek like this variety of fresh and dry food. If you do a search on the forum you can find recipes for "birdie bread" that a lot of people make... most often it's a variation of corn bread that has seeds, grains, dried fruit and veggies baked in - birds love it.

Well, this might be way more than you were asking about and it might be stuff you already know, but good luck. Whatever you feed your bird through the day there should always be pellets out for him.

Thanks everyone for all the great information!!!! I found a recipe for "birdy bread" and I'm going to try it.

How many hand feedings are you giving him a day? Have you been offering some fresh foods, like fruits, veggies, grains etc. to get him used to trying new things?

Some babies wean as early as 8 weeks but some take much longer (10-15 weeks).

He was taking 2 feedings a day but now is down to 1. I have start to introduce fruits, veggies, grains and weaning pellets to his diet. He is slowly progressing towards his "new" foods. Thanks for all the help.

You say he is throwing up? Has he stopped doing that yet?

No, he isn't throwing up. I would be in a state of panic if he were!!! I said he throws the weaning formula instead of eating it. I now have him on one feeding of it per day and I'm starting to introduce fruits, veggies, grains and softened pellets to his diet.

oh my bad. Lol...I was tired last night when I read that.