quaker parakeets

Question
Hello I am considering getting a quaker parakeet as a pet but have a few questions...

How big of a cage will I need?

Will it bother my other birds when I let them out(budgies,cockatiel & ring neck dove)?

Will a half pelleted half seed diet with treats & vegtables on the side work for a quaker?

Are handfed newly weaned babys tame & trusting?

Can quakers mimic?

Thank you for any help in advance.

Answer
HI,

Here are the bare basic answers to the questions you've listed above... but at the end of my response, I've also included links to articles online that will give you more in-depth information about proper bird care and about quakers in particular.

1) I personally would recommend a minimum cage size of 22 to 24 inches wide, 22 inches deep and 24 inches high for a quaker parakeet.

2) Quaker parakeets do tend to be fairly aggressive towards other birds. However, if your birds' wings are trimmed and they have seperate playpens... it will not be a problem.

3) As far as diet goes... the wider the variety the better. If you give your bird a mixture of seed and pellets, make sure to only give your bird enough so that s/he will eat it ALL within 24 hours.  If you give your bird a lot of the pellet/seed mix, then he can pick through the pellets and only eat seeds.  As far as treats go... they should not exceed 5 to 10% of the diet. And veggies are excellent!! :)

4) As a general rule, any handfed parrot will be tame a trusting. But this is assuming that the breeder takes time with each and every baby and socializes them properly.  Some breeders (to save time/money) will feed older babies inside their cages and will not take them out for the recommended minimum of 2 hours daily. Babies raised without this love and one-on-one attention aren't always trusting of new people or situations.

However, a bird doesn't necessarily need early human attention (and hand-feedings) to make a tame pet. Virtually any bird (even an older, wild caught) bird can be tamed down if given enough time, attention and love. So consider adopting an older bird as well. Many times quakers (who are perfectly tame) are given up because of natural quaker (or parrot) behaviors; Such as noise, chewing or biting. Quaker parakeets can be prone to being "pests" if they are not given proper guidelines to follow. They are like human children and they need to be taught what kind of behavior is acceptable and what isn't.

5) Quakers can learn to mimic human speech.

Here are some articles that you should find helpful as well:

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww12eiv.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww66eiii.htm

http://www.quakerville.com/qic/bud.asp

http://www.quakerville.com/qic/terrorists.asp

http://www.quakerville.com/qic/love-hate.asp

http://www.forthebirdsdvm.com/birdcare.htm

http://www.forthebirdsdvm.com/billofrights.htm

http://www.quakerville.com/qic/q_speech.asp

I hope this all helps!! :) :)

-Maggie