The Problem With Quakers

[featherjinxer]

It seems to me most of these problems come about with puberty- you have the sweetest quaker until they hit that 2 yr mark, or cockatoo until that 7-8 year mark, etc. Most babies- whether they are human or animal, are pretty easygoing. Once they are past that formualtive stage and the hormones kick in... then the owners can't deal, or don't know how. It's very sad.

[marg]

I am happy to find this forum. I thought I had done a lot of research on Quakers before we bought ours and don't recall finding anyone saying that they can be noisy. The seemed to be listed instead as quieter birds for parrots. I was glad to find your thread on how they can be noisy birds. That was one of the things that has surprised me the most as a new owner. Our bird is tame and very sweet but definitely can be noisy especially during the morning. She can remind me of a parakeet with the volume turned on high at times. I give her a lot of foot type toys to play with and that does keep her busy much of the day. I have read of people training birds to be quiet when going on too long with noise but wonder if that could hurt their ability to talk? Any thoughts on that?

[Birdmad Girl]

to Tailfeathers Marg.

How old is your quaker? What is her name? Do you have any photos you can share with us?

[marg]

My Quaker is just about 4 1/2 months old now. How do they tend to change as they age? Noise level, attitude, etc. She is fun to watch play with her toys and I am hoping for words eventually. She does seem to be working on sounds some though.

[Caique Crazy]

Heya! My Monty is around 4 months now and he is indeed starting to work with noises although he cant quite grasp anything yet

[melissajean]

when I was at the pet shop, the woman there said the good thing about quakers were that they were quiet but knew better, otherwise I probebly would have gotten one, they were so cute and cuddly. but I had done my research and knew better. thanks guys

[Towlie]

when people say a bird is quiet you have to ask compared to what. because compared to a macaw or a cockatoo they are very quiet hehehe

[robbyFL]

I too appreciate this post. My sully is about 7months old. She/He gets rather noisey in the morning if not let out to play. I have been working with her on that though. as she screams for no reason she gets a time out in which I put her back in the cage and cover it for about 10 minutes. she is catching on that that is not a good thing. she hasn't become a one person bird as of yet. She gets along great with me and my girlfriend. I was glad to see a post that just came out and stated the negative with Quakers since all you see in books and articles is the good and positive.
Thank you.

[Pharlane]

our quaker is mean and loud.he bits all the time we have a taz for about 4 years...

[Caique Crazy]

Must admit Monty is veryn loud but that just means that these are not for quite people

[nikki9093]

NO new posts...so Im gonna say a bit about my Quaker. I just got him, a resuce from a rescue...lol...he isn't loud as in screaming all the time, he is cage territorial, but I knew that all ready. He has mental health issues and is a plucker...nekkid as a fresh plucked chicken on his tummy and chest. I was aware of the problems that were in store for me, and took them on full steam ahead. He really isn't all too hard to deal with. I have 12 Tiels that are obnoxious and louder then he is. There are alot of things that make a bird the way they are, and Im sure that he has had a lot of stuff happen in the years he has been where ever he has been. I know that he likes being with us, and Im happy with that. He is spoiled rotten too, just like my obnoxious tiels...lol. Maybe we will fix his plucking or maybe not, but he has a loving home now and I count myself luck to have him here.

[tielguy]

Congrats on the new bird. But keep in mind if you 'just' got him it will take a couple of weeks at least before he settles in. You won't know how loud he is until you've had him for at least 3 weeks.

Good luck with your rescue bird.

[nikki9093]

Well, here I am again with an update on my Quaker. As now it is May and he has very much settled into the routine we have set up for him. He still is cage territorial, but we are working on that. Not really any louder then the Tiels that I have and loves attention. He got a new cage last month and loves it. I wasn't suprised about how he was. He does call for me if I dont move him to the bird room. (He sleeps in my room at night and is in the living room during the day) We have a strict routine that I established for him from the start and we stick to it like clockwork. He knows what to expect everyday. We rotate toys like we do with the tiels, just more often. His diet is very different from his last owner as we give him no sunflower seed and a very good seed/pellet choice. Different fruit and veggies, and he gets some human food too. He really likes rice, brown or white...lol...he dont care. As for his being loud...flock calling along with the others...lol...its amusing actually to hear them ALL yelling at each other and me...lol. I do know that if you really can not handle loud calling and having high maintainence bird, a Quaker is really not the way to go. They ARE easy to keep, and have a way about them. They are smart and funny, interesting and definatly have an attitude to boot. The way they are raised the environment they are in is a very big factor. Their personallity also is a factor. Some are very loving, some are just meant to be breeders, and not pets. I know too that my quaker Quiggly was in an abusive home and that Im his 3rd owner. The lady I got him from got him from someone else, and THEY yelled at him...ALOT. He does not get yelled at here. AND he will have no more owners other then me...so I still do count myself lucky that I have him. I have learned ALOT from doing...and from trying different things with him. I know what he likes and dont like...his moods and his attitude. They are not the kind of bird just for anyone...but that can be a comment for most parrots in general. Its just whatever you as a bird person are willing to deal with. Definatly high maintenence, but not something totally outragous that it cant be worked out...ya know?

[BirdMoMof4]

Gosh my Quakers are not that loud, I think it really depends on the situation and how much time is spent with them. When they flock call I just call back and say I am busy and will be back soon and they quiet down. I agree they are not for everyone. But as far as loving and intelligence they are far more fun then my Cockatiels. JMO

[Caique Crazy]

Monty has become a none stop squwaker and he is out of his cage all the time is given all the love in the world and has tons of toys etc etc ...Its just the way he is