Information On Quakers/Conures?

Question

I would like information on small parrot breeds such as quakers and conures.Other breeds are ok to. I already have 10 birds, but the largest is are lovebirds. I am selling all of my birds except for my beautiful parrotlet. I would like to get a parrot, but dont have a buget of 1000's of dollars, so If I get a quaker, or conure, I would only spend a max of 300$ on the bird. I am not familiar with large birds and need as much information as possible. Please dont just say"google it" because I have and I have only found books, not sites. Thank you for your time. and i hope you can help me out.

Answer 1

One of the best websites on Quakers is Jon Marc Davey's website:

http://www.quakerville.com/
Another here:
http://www.petbirdpage.com/breed.asp?breed=quaker

Website on Conures for general information is here:
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/conures/ConuresProfile.htm

http://www.petbirdpage.com/breed.asp?breed=sun

There is general information on Parrots everywhere. Conures and Quakers are indeed parrots and the care and training of those species is nearly identical to that of the larger birds. Some of the best websites on parrots in general are here:

http://www.holisticbird.org/

http://www.birdsnways.com/

/http://www.avianweb.com/birdhealthcare.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/index.htm#toc

http://www.parrotsonline.homestead.com/Articles.html

http://www.parrottalk.com/index.html

http://www.quakerparrots.com/qtips/parrot_nutrition.htm

http://www.parrotparrot.com/birdhealth/

http://hometown.aol.com/gbirdinc/index.html

http://www.birdtalkmagazine.com/bt/home.aspx

http://www.naturalencounters.com/

I'm unsure what kind of information you want, so I gave you a wide variety of websites to look at. Did you want information on behavior and training? Nutrition? Basic care?
If you need more help, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'd be glad to help you.

Answer 2

I used to have a quaker and now have a sun conure. Quakers are wonderful birds and have great personalities. Sun conures are great too. Suns are the loudest of the conures so if you get one I hope you can handle noise. Might not be great if you are in an apartment. A good website for info is www.centralpets.com. Hope this helps!!

Answer 3

I'm in Ohio and have a quaker, they need 20x20x30 cage min. Most love frozen mixed veggies. Mine loves cereals to like Cheerios, Rice Crispies, Rice Chex. I only offer these as treats, but he/she loves them. They are average talkers and are not too loud if kept alone. They will however need lots of human contact to keep from being lonley and depressed. Most birds need some type of "friend" especially parrots. If you are located in Ohio, I would be interested in your Lovebird(s) if you wanted to trade for a Quaker, 6 months old, not hand raised. I have tamed one of his/her siblings with lots of patience and love. Have A Great Day!

Answer 4

Wand: 11", Elder, Phoenix feather Broomstick: Nimbus 2001, yet i do no longer play lots quidditch it replaced right into a present from my acquaintances puppy: An Owl, yet he's quite previous homestead: Ravenclaw year: 5th Patronus: An elephant generic instructor: Snape and McGonagall generic undertaking: protection, Transfiguration, Charms and Potions. little bit of a nerd :)

Answer 5

I have a sun conure,green cheek conure & a lovebird,& just bought a baby red scarlet ,I love my sun conure but she is very loud

Answer 6

Species: The Quaker parrot, also known as the Quaker parakeet, also known as the Monk parrot or parakeet. Scientifically known as Myiopsitta monachus.

Origin: South America, including parts of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay (am I missing any here?). Escaped, feral birds have also established themselves in parts of the US, particularly in Florida, but also in scattered cities as far north as Chicago and New York.

Size: Around 11"; weight range is 85-150 grams, but the "average" Quaker is about 90-120 grams. Quakers are about the size of a large cockatiel, but have a stockier build.

Life span: Barring accident or disease, a Quaker can be expected to live around 20-30 years.

Quaker legalities: While it seems hard to believe, Quakers are actually illegal in some areas! This is due to a fear that feral Quakers will harm native wildlife or become an agricultural pest. To some, this is a very legitimate fear, as non-native sparrows and starlings have certainly harmed native birds and become nation-wide pests, and Quakers in their native South America eat and damage crops. To others, both these fears are completely unfounded as Quakers are not likely to survive beyond the cities where they have established themselves, because they rely upon humans for food. Regardless, some states have outlawed Quakers, and others require a permit or have certain restrictions. Make sure to read up and research your local laws before beginning your search for a Quaker! There's an online list of state laws concerning Quakers at this page: "Are Quakers Legal in My State?". Some of the states Quakers are illegal in are California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Various other states have restrictions so stringent so as to basically outlaw them, or require a permit that is impossible to get.

Price: Quakers are relatively inexpensive; expect to pay around $100-$200 from a breeder depending on where you live and whom you buy from. Birds from pet shops average a little higher, from $250-$350.

Buying: Unless you have hand-feeding experiance, look for a fully weaned bird; it's a myth that an unweaned bird will bond to you better, and the price cut is useless if the bird ends up sick or dead because of your lack of inexperiance. The "right" breeder is one who spends a lot of time handling and socializing babies, and whose birds are healthy, well-adjusted, and not shy or aggressive. The "right" bird is a fully weaned youngster, ideally around 10-14 weeks, who is obviously friendly and not afraid of being picked up and cuddled even by complete strangers, and who is in good health. A breeder should offer a health guarantee that will allow you a certain number of days to get the bird checked out by a vet; if there is anything wrong, the breeder will refund the money or exchange the bird. I guess the number one clue is, buy a baby you like, from a breeder or pet store you feel comfortable with.

Diet: A base diet of pellets is ideal; there's various brands to choose from (Kaytee Exact, Pretty Bird, Roudybush, Harrison's, and Zupreem just to name a few), but it doesn't really matter, and young Quakers are not usually picky. Quakers will eat either a cockatiel sized pellet or a larger parrot sized pellet; some birds prefer one over the other. Besides pellets, a wide variety of other foods should be offered; fruits, vegetables, breads and grains, and some seeds as well, although seeds should not form a large part of the diet in my opinion. The more variety in the diet, the better; it's easier to say what not to feed than to try to include everything that should be fed. Never feed chocolate, caffiene, alcohol, or avacado, all of which are toxic to birds. Some things can be fed, but should only be fed in very small quantities; these include junk foods (you know what I'm talking about!), red meat, and dairy products. On the dairy products, birds are universally lactose intolerant, but low-lactose dairy products like skim milk, yogurt, and most cheeses can be fed in higher quantities.

Cages/Supplies: Quakers require relatively large cages, the larger the better of course. Preferably at least 18" x 18" x 24". Look for a sturdy, easy-to-clean cage that you have every reason to believe will last your bird's entire lifetime; be prepared to spend some money. Quakers have a tendancy to be territorial and nippy around "their" space, and this is usually their cage. To prevent this, try providing a "bedroom" area within the cage; a Happy Hut, sleeping box or similar product is ideal. The idea is to allow the bird to have their space to be territorial around, but not have that space be the entire cage. Quakers usually love toys, however many are not as rowdy and acrobatic with their toys as conures are - there are exceptions to this. Get your Quaker used to a variety of toys at a young age, or they're liable to be afraid of them later in life. A good playstand or playgym type thing equipped with food dishes and toy hooks is a wonderful thing; it's just someplace to keep your bird when he's not in his cage and you don't want him right on you, as well as additional space to explore and play in.

Grooming/Care: Your Quaker's wings should always be clipped, as should any pet bird's. Get your bird used to being handled "like a baseball" and having it's wings extended while it's young, and you shouldn't have to towel your bird for wing and nail trimming. My first pet Quaker tolerated the wing clipping, and actually seemed to enjoy the nail and beak filing! Ideally, have someone experianced in such things show you how to clip wings and nails before you attempt it yourself; otherwise, read up on the subject and make sure you know how to do it safely. Quakers are bath-loving birds as a species, and the Quaker that doesn't like bathes is the Quaker that wasn't socialized to them at a young age. Most Quakers prefer "bathtub-style" baths; fill a pie dish or similarly-sized container with about an inch to an inch and a half of water that's just slightly cool to the touch. Encourage your bird by shaking your hand in the water. Never place a bird in the water unless he's comfortable with that, and never hold your bird in the water when he wants to get out; this defeats the purpose by making the bath a thing to fear. Some Quakers prefer "shower-style" baths, involving a spray-bottle that has a "mist" setting. Spray the water over the bird, so that the mist floats down like rain; don't spray directly onto the bird, unless he seems to want you to (most dislike this). If he acts scared or avoids the spray, leave him alone; if he sits and ignores it, you might as well keep spraying. Some Quakers like to join their owners in the shower. Baths should be given as often as the bird wants them; sometimes as often as everyday, sometimes only once a week or less. Bathing is an essential, but often ignored part of bird care; it does wonders for a bird's feathers and skin, as well as providing entertainment, and can help to prevent or even cure feather plucking.

Personality: I love Quakers' looks, I love their talking potential, I love their colors, their price is nice and their size is perfect, but it's one thing and one thing only that makes Quakers my favorites, and that's their personality! Quakers have a kind of self-assured, "loud" personality that I adore. They're the kind of bird that will always let you know what they're thinking. They aren't quite as playful and cuddly as the conures, or quite as gentle and sweet as the Poicephalus (Senegals, Meyers etc.) but in my mind they have all of those characteristics in one package, along with the talking ability and the "I know what I want" attitude of a miniature Amazon. Quakers can be stubborn, and rather exasperating birds. Mine always seem to have exceptional memories and use that to my disadvantage. They're extremely smart in a clever sort of way, and have a definate sense of humor. They can be nippy and downright mean if they're not properly socialized and/or have decided they don't want people near "their" space or talking/touching/looking at "their" human(s). They have definate opinions on all subjects and will willingly let you know what they think, whether you care to hear or not. At the same time, Quakers are exceptionally loyal birds and love their "chosen" with all their heart; they are big sweethearts and always want to be near you, loving you, cuddling you (well, except when they're not in the mood...). They're adventuresome but always ready to run back to mommy should things take a scary turn. They're bullies with birds smaller than themselves but usually scared of or perfectly accepting of birds their size or larger. Properly socialized, Quakers get along with a variety of people, and make good kids' pets (with lots of supervision); not properly socialized, they may hate everyone but "their" person. In the end, everything said here is a generalization and each Quaker has his/her own personality (did I mention that they're very individual birds?), but it's a good generalization, I think, and I love Quakers for it!

Noise leval: Quakers can be very noisy birds. I qualify this statement by saying that the noisiest Quakers I've ever heard, still don't reach the volume and "screechiness" of a Sun or Nanday conure. They can, however, be very loud. Quakers love noise; that's what makes them good talkers. But not all of their noise is talking, and they will make a variety of louder noises, some of which can be quite annoying. If you or your close neighbors are very noise-sensitive, a Quaker may not be for you. However, most Quakers are not as loud as they *can* be. A single pet Quaker will be much quieter than a pair of Quakers, because a single pet Quaker will talk back and forth with you, whereas a pair will YELL back and forth to each other. If your Quaker is being particularly noisy, talk to him in an excited but low-volume voice and encourage him to talk instead of screech; in most cases they will want to "go with the flock" and mimic you. On the other hand, daily "screech fests" during periods of the day when it won't bother family or neighbors, will allow your bird to express himself the way nature intended!

Talking ability: Quakers are probably the best talkers among the mid-sized birds, although there's a few others that come close, including Indian Ringnecks and certain individual conures. But, there's few birds that can be counted on to talk like a Quaker; it's very rare to hear of a Quaker that doesn't speak at least one or two words. Some become very good, and most will say their words in context ("hi" when you come in, "good night" when you cover the cage etc.), just so long as that's the way it was taught to them.

In general: Quakers, in my opinion, make some of the best "all-around" pet birds out there. They usually do best in homes that have at least some bird experiance, with people that know how to prevent certain behavior problems, but with research they also make great first-time birds. They can be loud, but still do well in many apartments; avoid them if you have particularly thin walls and/or particularly sensitive neighbors. Their talking ability is great, and if you're looking for a mid-sized, relatively inexpensive bird with great talking potential, Quakers will almost certainly be on the top of your list. Quakers can be very good family birds, and while they can be nippy on occasion, their nipping is usually very predictable (only when you reach into the cage, for instance), and they simply don't have the beak strength of Poicephalus or most conures. Quakers don't require enormous cages and aren't horribly expensive to feed; they're not as destructive to their toys as many birds. Their main downside is that, like most pet birds, they require a lot of time and dedication; if you're looking for a nice little caged pet, Quakers are NOT for you. If, however, you have the dedication it would take for a pet dog, plus you fully realize this is a 20-30 year commitment, that vet bills will not be cheap, that behavior problems develop when birds are neglected (and sometimes when they're not), and that this is not so much a "pet" as a "future member of the family", than perhaps Quakers would fit into your household well!