OK,
some of you know I am searching for another bird.
I have narrowed it down to a green cheek conure mutation (pineapple probably) or a blue quaker.
I am staying away from green as the green one I have has many issues, and I have a cousin who has one that has the same issues only MORE other issues I want to stay away from.
I have been told and read extensively that blues are calmer, smaller, and sweeter than greens.
Sounds PERFECT to me.
i have also been advised that 2 quakers may be more likely to share a playstand and interact better than a quaker and Green cheek,
although my reason for chosing a green cheek is because my Green QP is VERY timid, quiet and shy, and I do not want him intimidated. But I had hoped that a GC would not cause them to get too attached to each other.
So, any advice as to one over the other would be very helpful.
Thanks
Lori

Ive never heard that greens have more issues then blues. Didnt know there was a big difference.
I have a GCC and a Quaker, and most of the time they get along but sometimes they get into little squabbles. So they are friends but not bonded more to each other then me.
I would recommend a GCC to anyone. Mine is so sweet quiet and LOVES to cuddle NON STOP! I do not have a blue quaker so dont have any personal advice to give, but I think that woul be a good choice to.
Good luck on the decision

I love my little blue girl, but she is bossy and bites when I do something she doesn't approve of, like using the phone. She is smaller than most greens, only 94 grams. I also read that blues were calmer than greens, but the breeder said she could tell no difference between the two. My blue crown conure has a much calmer personality and has never bitten me. He also gets along great with Frost.Click to view attachment

You missed one very important option in your poll... RESCUE!!!!! *grins*

I have a green because that's what the rescue society had up for adoption. As much as she comes with her own brand of challenges, I wouldn't give her up for the world and I've only had her for three weeks. (today, actually)

Quakers end up at the rescue societies in greater numbers than most of the smaller conures because of that lovely price tag. It's like an upgraded cockatiel, with the added draw that they usually develop a clear speaking voice. They're marketed as the "poor man's parrot." Problem is, they're also one of the more intelligent parrots which means they're prone to all of the mental issues that larger parrots like greys are. They get dumped often because people think it's going to sit in the cage like an overgrown canary, spouting cute phrases and when it screams, plucks, or bites they scramble to get rid of them. The week I adopted Kiko they adopted out another little green named Alvin, both of the ladies I was in contact with had kept quakers themselves that had been handed over to the society, and while I was waiting for my paperwork to go through it turns out a friend of mine was taking in one that someone basically dumped on her doorstep and said that either she could take it or it could get hit by a bus because they no longer cared. Usually it's the greens - maybe blues get lucky because they're a little less common at this point and therefore have a higher price tag. They're not impulse buys as often as the more common greens.



You don't get the little squeaky brand-new-baby stage... that's true. Usually you also are lucky enough to completely miss the standard teenage maturing phase. Kiko's 5 years old herself. Yup, she came with a screaming problem... I've almost successfully got her whistling instead of screaming most of the time. We still have moments that aren't her regular flock call sessions but there are maybe a quarter of them compared to a week ago. Yup, they had her on nasty cheap seed... we're about half converted to pellets and still working on it. Yup, she's half naked... but when the rescue society got her she was ALL naked. Part of her may stay naked for the rest of her life, her tail might always look gnawed on, and you know what? I can honestly say I don't care. *grins* She is who she is who she is and we BOTH know that where she is now is different from where she came from. As we're learning to trust each other, she's showing me repeatedly how much she realizes how good she's got it now and what she's willing to do to keep it that way. Apparently she started life with a typical handfed baby Goddess complex... she's still a touch on the demanding side but she says "thank you" randomly when I give her treats and I get kisses every single time I fill her food dish.

I respect any breeder who's working hard to keep ANY species healthy and prosperous,but I personally have trouble not offering the open spot in my household to a rescue who desperately needs it.

I'll get off my soapbox now. And pictures when you do decide which way to go!!!!

Loriwoo, You've done a lot of home work, asked all the right questions, and narrowed your search to just a couple, out of hundreds.

A person can go to college for 20 years, studying a subject. Until they go out in the field, they really don't know what they've leaned.

Cacophony, was very emphatic on rescue. I'm inclined to go that way. I Googled Parrot rescues in Ohio, this is what i got.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=p...rot+rescue+ohio

If you live near a border State, Google rescues for that State. Go out there, and see for yourself, what these Fids are all about. Who knows, you may go looking for a Blue, but while your looking, a Blue Cheek Conure may pick you.

You will find "The Right One", but I don't think you're gonna find find it in a computer. Go out there, look around, "The Right One" will find you. Go let your new friend pick you. GO, GO, GO!!!!!!!!!!!

"Who knows, you may go looking for a Blue, but while your looking, a Blue Cheek Conure may pick you.", said by Jaytee

Don't you mean a "GREEN" Cheek Conure!

Hey..... maybe that pumpkin headed conure!! Or that violet sided amazon! Have you SEEN some of the colour mutts within certain species branches!!! *grins* You might get picked by something COMPLETELY unexpected and end up with a sun conure or a macaw or something!

......... and this is why I make sure when I volunteer groom for the local shelter I do NOT walk the kennels while I happen to be there.



If I every buy anything with a good tract of land I will be officially hooped.... *wicked grin*

Blue Cheek, Blue Faced, Blue Crowned,.......... That wasn't my point.

Click to view attachment

Exactly! *hugs* It doesnt matter WHAT you end up bringing home necessarily.... as long as its the right bird for you. Rescue gets me all excited and your point was perfectly what I was trying to say. LOL Just a lot shorter. And more to the point. Because you rock and I just talk a lot.

Thank you, Jaytee.

I haven't heard that Blues are calmer...in fact, most people on this forum have mentioned that their Blues are a lot flightier then the Greens. More quickly to 'spaz' out. Plus, unless they come from good stock, they tend to have more health problems then the Greens.

I have both a Green Cheek Conure and a Quaker and I can say that my Green Cheek is WAY more of a spaz then my Quaker. But, she's also way more sociable. She loves every one that comes into my house to visit. She isn't a biter and she isn't a snuggler either, but she's very friendly and loves to be right up on your shoulder.

Personally, I think a lot of it has to do with the personality of the individual bird, not the species (or colour). Oh sure, some birds are known for certain qualities (ie: Cockatoos being love sponges), but there are exceptions to every rule.

i've heard a few times that the blues dont learn to talk as well as the greens other than that thats the only difference other than the price

That's really amazing and quite inspiring too.

Back on topic, I myself am getting a blue, only because my first encounter with a quaker was with a lovely little blue.
However if i was to get another one i wouldn't really mind what colour,
It's still the same bird underneath the feathers.

Good luck, be sure to post up pictures

I agree, individuals can be so different. My "calm" blue has the personality of Napoleon. And I have heard of BCCs that are difficult, even though Virgil is the sweetest guy ever.

I have a Blue and a Green.

Neville/Green: Calm. Doesn't talk (only tries to say his name). Does not bite unless I am making him do something he really does not want to, or has had enough of. Not very noisy, but does have screaming times like any normal parrot. Overall he is relaxed and kicks back. I call him my little stoner bird.

Quark/Blue: Hyper. Flies around quite often. Very vocal and already starting to say some words at only a few months old. Loads of energy. Very sweet. Touchable. Very demanding and wants to eat everything.

I don't think any of it has to do with the mutation. I have seen greens who are just like my Blue. My last QP (r.i.p.) was just as much energetic and vocal as my Blue. I think it's individual personality.

This is very interesting and extremely helpful.
Much of the information I got on Blue vs green came from this site on the home page, in Blue VS green...many of the questions I had were due to comments there, posts from real people like all of YOU!

I am a huge rescue fan. But here is my delimma.
With a blind dog, plus 2 others, a rescued cat, a rescued horse, and a 26 year old horse, 2 other horses, and my current rescued QP, I think I finally want to choose a YOUNG animal to mold into my family...

sigh,
maybe that sounds selfish, I hope not. I hope that the bird I choose will be a companion for me, (which would be easy for any bird to do in some capacity) but actaully help improve the life of my poor QP, who was bare legged and bare chested when I got him, and is now bare on his back and part of his wings. Yep, he's getting worse about plucking, although better about life in general.

I am hoping that a nefriend of the avian variety will help my rescued QP enjoy life more, and I know it would keep me from stressing about him so much.

I read posts here and just YEARN to have either a bird that would say something back to me, or would cuddle with me and throw a toy over the table and say UH OH! or would whistle at me or something.

My main drawback is that green cheek conures of all varieties (I was told) do NOT talk, but then T-Bird makes NO sounds other than the occasional flock call, and a little clicking noise, and I still love him. SOme little bird tweets would be nice,,so I guess if I get a QP it might not talk anyway, but may be aggressive, where it is less likely that a conure would be aggressive to me or to my QP, and might work out well ESPECIALLY if I get a young one.

A man has some pineapple babies for $160., and although price is not my determining factor, it helps to have the price down for something that was one of my final 2 choices.

Now finally, I will say I OVERTHINK EVERYTHING, so that is why rescues work out so well for me, I just TAKE it and VOILA! It works out. So this is a wrenching decision for me to actaully purchase a bird,
then there is my age,,
I am in my early 50's and think maybe I should get a cockatiel, so I don't outlive the bird, although my daughter says she'll take anything should that happen.
oh woe is me,, so many worries.
I will check out the rescue link now.
Lori

That doesn't sound selfish, that sounds extremely well thought out! There's a lot of information in this post that wasn't in the first one and I didn't mean to make it sound like I thought less of new babies. *grins* Sometimes when you're trying to solve a problem you've got to take the best route and in your situation it DOES sound like a new baby might be easier to intigrate into the aviary and might have a better chance of acomplishing what you're hoping he/she will. While you'll hear repeatedly that there are never any guarantees two birds will get along, a young bird might have a better chance to both show T-Bird what life could be like now if he was interested and might have a better chance of slipping in under that territorial radar.

As for age... *snorts* You're not that old! My boyfriend's grandparents are in their 90's and have a 20-odd year old quaker. Family is starting to have to help look after Romeo now because they're starting to forget if they've fed him or not, but they forget if they've eaten themselves so it's a bigger issue in and of itself.

I don't think you're being selfish. I, too, have done quite a bit of rescue work -- nearly three hundred cats over about 20 years. I was drained from rescue and unfamiliar with birds, so I went with a babies from a good breeder. It worked out extremely well for me. I have two very happy birds. Given that you already have a bird with special needs, I think you have to go with what will give you the best chance of a happy outcome for everyone.

I don't think color matters. Some birds are just calmer than others. Then there are some that just are bossy. I would never generalize that all blues are clamer and that greens have more behavior issues. I have a green baby. My sister has a green as well and used to have two greens. All three of these green quakers are completely different. Nikki (not to sound biased) is the best behaved and smartest out of the three. The quaker my sister has now came from the same clutch that Nikki was in so both birds are siblings. However they couldn't be more different. Nikki is a social butterfly and yaps to everyone. She talks and she loves to provide commentary on everything. My sister's quaker is not as into people and just keeps to herself. Obivously this is due to the fact that Nikki (and Sunny) get showered in attention and are treated like royalty. I got people who are envious of them becuase they get treated so well.

The good qualities of a bird depend on two major things, diet and living envirnment. I am a firm believer of that. Birds pick up on everyting. They know when they are not liked. They know when peoplea are afraid of them and they just have the added sixth sense about things. Sunny was abused so she had a lot of issues with people in the beginning and it took me a year to gain that girls trust completely. So their prior history is also important.

I personally like green quakers just becuase that is their natural color in the wild and green is also my favorite color. I am a big fan of preserving the natural genetics of birds. I think blues are beautiful though. If I ever got another quaker it wouldn't matter what color he/she is.

Another thing is that not all quakers get along. My sister had two quakers and one attacked the other. It all depends on the individual birds.

Good luck with your new addition. You are asking a lot of good questions so I am sure that in the end you will make a wise choice.

Nothing wrong with that!!!! Babies need homes too and sometimes going with a younger bird is the best fit for the owner. No one should be ashamed or embarrased to want to take a younger bird over an older bird...especially a rescued bird (which often comes with baggage, as you've discovered). I can totally see where you want to experience the 'fun' side to Quakers and I think you should go with a baby.



I think my Green Cheek would have several words to say to that! LOL She does talk and knows about 8 or 10 words. She doesn't speak as clearly as my Quaker, but she certainly has a nice vocabulary...night night, good bird, pretty bird, love you, kisses, etc.



Cockatiels can live as long as Quakers and the Conures, so don't worry about the age thing...you should be fine (50 isn't old at all!!!).

Green Cheeks most definately can talk! My little baby picked up on giving me kisses with in a week of having her She is working on some words but they arent very clear yet.

Good Luck wth the decision and as the others said the right bird will pick YOU!

On a side note since Cosmo's first phrase he has been spouting off words out of the blue So fun!

lori, i think what you are doing is wonderful, regardless of whether you choose a baby or a rescue. you are getting another bird because you want one, not because you think it would be good for t-bird. that's the right reason. you will love him or her unconditionally. that's the right answer. you've done a lot of researching, both online and asking for personal experiences. i can't really add anything to what's already been said. interact with different birds and you will end up with the right one for you and your family.

now, as far as the generalities. zuzu is definitely the spazzier of my 2 as far as body movements. either of my 2 will freak out if goof spooks and flies off his stand, but who wouldn't? but when on my shoulder, zuzu moves a lot differently than lou - he snakes his head a lot and dips it down, rubs his beak on my shirt, etc. but he's also typically more docile on my shoulder than pushy louie is. louie is assertive and zuzu is more submissive, to a point. either of them can and will bite, but i trust zuzu more to not bite me than i do lou. i believe that can be due to genetics (individual personality) but i also believe how they are raised is a big part of that too. louie is definitely the talker in the family and not afraid to say stuff in front of people, but zuzu chatters up a STORM when he thinks no one is listening. he actually has a pretty large vocab when he wants to talk.

as far as what would i get in the future if given the opportunity, well, i don't know. i don't see any more birds in my family in the near future. a caique is a bird i think i would LOVE to have, but having never really hung out with any in real life, i'm not sure. i guess i'd be completely open to any species that fit with my lifestyle. except a 'too. they have a bad rep, in large part due to improper parronting i'm positive, but a bad rep nonetheless. no offense to the 'too parronts, of course.

good luck with your decision. i'm looking forward to the announcement and pics of your new baby.

kris

The poll has one problem. It's missing a none of the above button in the last question. Having only a single green I can't answer the question correctly because I'd have to guess or lie. It won't allow me to skip the question, so I can't answer any of the questions.

Maybe an "I have only one color button?"

My little guys are still pretty young, but so far I have definitely noticed a difference between the two birds. The blue one is a bigger baby, definitely more needy! It is kind of funny actually, because he is a little bit older than the green one and acts a lot younger. LOL! The green bird is more bold, brave and not nearly as needy. Not nearly as noisy. He says more and is more interactive. The blue one certainly loves to be the center of attention, and the green one in my little learner and quite a little character. They are BOTH ADORABLE in their own way, just like kids ya know. They each have their own quarks.....

Well, thanks again for all of your responses. I will go look at a breeders tomorrow, he breeds green cheek conures of mutation colors.
If I dont' find one that adopts ME, I will go again next week, looking at a bird fair.
But I kind of think one of these babies sounds like exactly what I want, it is 14 weeks old and already gets in your hand then flips upside down to be petted and kissed! I just have to SEE that!
I'll let you know,,thanks so much, I have not ruled out another quaker but am going to see these first.
You are all given big hugs for your support and assitance! You are all so NICE HERE!
Lori

well,,,,
I came home with a little yellow sided green cheek girl!
I was so sure that I was NOT going to get a bird, and I was really surprised at how little they were! They are a LOT littler than T-Bird, so I felt good about that because if there is too much trouble, she can easily be moved to another room, cause her cage doesn't have to be 1/2 as big as T-Birds.
SHE picked me, I guess, as she let me pet her and roll her over in my hand and didn't fly off my arm like the others, even the really SUPER pretty one, I passed on him because he was too nervous.
SOOO,
Guess I'll be posting some stuff on the bird board for my new bird, but thanks again for all your help.
T-Bird has no worries, cause he is so much bigger than C.C., he'll not feel threatened by her at all and that was my top concern!
Lori

PICTURES!!! *grins* Where are the PICTURES!?!?

Please?