Preparing for Baby Essentials & Homecoming

#1- Cage

Many ask us what cages or sizes we would recommend. Not all cages are safe for your new baby. Bar spacing is different for different species appropriate cages. Bar spacing is very important because feet and head size. The correct spacing allows your Quakers to climb and grasp both safely and efficiently. It also helps prevent your Quaker from getting their wings, head, or other body part stuck in the bars. Myth, bigger is not better. Bar spacing already addressed, you are still adopting a baby and you don’t want a tall cage where long drop falls are possible. Broken bones and even the loss of pets have been the result of this. Another reason, birds fly horizontally and are also instinctively drawn to the top of their cage to avoid predators. If you have a narrow tall cage, the bottom half of that cage will likely be be unused and your bird is cramped in the top section. Below are some cages our customers or ourselves have used with appropriate dimensions.

Also, when considering buying used, research how to thoroughly and safely how to clean it. Avian disease are highly communicable and some affect humans. The chances are high of someone selling a bird cage without a bird is that that bird died. Of what, we can’t be sure of, but we don’t want your new baby infected. Also, inspect the cage for rust. Rust is toxic to your bird and will contribute to a slow and painful death caused by metal toxicity.

Lastly, rounded cages with no corners are not really Quaker, or many bird species appropriate. Please check out the examples of the common cages used by us and others by clicking the buttons below.

Our #1 go to with cages is the A&E Cage Company Elegant Style Flight Bird Cage in medium, although small is also sufficient for one medium bird. It is unrivaled in safety, durablility, bird preference, easy to clean, and has many amazing features. It’s square top middle section allows for a play-stand to be located on top. It’s coating is durable and keeps the toxic metal from being exposed where your bird can access it. It comes with secure doors for food and water access and stainless bowls, although I don’t use those food locations after they have learned to cage acclimate. See bowls section for further info on this. Also, if you don’t mind green or burgundy cages, they are much cheaper than the standard black ones. Black cages are extremely hard to keep clean. Even after cleaning they look chalk streaked no matter your effort. My current go to is the Platinum which looks more tan marbled.

A third style of cage we recommend is also great. The birds use all of the cage, as with the cages above, the trays slide out for easy cleaning. The important thing is not to get one with the front sliding doors and birds are way more intelligent than we give them credit for. (please see cages we don’t recommend)

For those with multiple birds, we highly recommend this space saving cage. It is an additional version of Cage #3, but it can be separated. Again, be sure to get one without the front sliding feeder doors. Birds naturally like to be high, so I highly suggest rotating the two birds on top and bottom or putting them side by side on a sturdy stand. One plus of rotating is that you significantly cut down on the possibility of cage aggression.

Cages we do not recommend for safety and escape reasons:

#2- Toys

Toys are a must for your new parrot for a variety of reasons. Your parrot needs appropriate stimulation. Quakers are definitely not sit in the cage forever birds and not be interacted with. In fact, when they want something, they are quite adamant about getting it and don’t give up easily. Toys provide stimulation and activity for those times you are at work or can’t have them out. Another things toys do is help to maintain proper beak health. The only Quakers we have ever had to take to the vet for beak trims were breeders in the past that their prior owner gave them zero toys.

When you are choosing toys, we want a large variety. They have very busy beaks. They shred their favorite toys and those intact they usually aren’t thrilled with. You’re going to want block and rope toys. These last a while. You also want things with charms and dangles. Lots of paper toys are great for shredding and simulation the preening behavior but they won’t last long. You do want to try to avoid or supervise Rattan balls to trim them as they unravel. These have caused injury and death in posts I’ve seen in bird groups.

Youre going to want to avoid buying the cheaper toy packages online. Many on Amazon are made in China and China doesn’t have the strict standards that we do with paint. So not only are a lot of their products painted with paint that is toxic to your birds, they also use metal that is not safe for your birds. The only safe metal is stainless steel. The cheap metals also rust with being washed and become even more of a danger. So, how do you know what’s safe? Ask in QLA group chat. Go to bird safe sites. Make homemade toys. There’s lots of safe healthy options.

Sleeping huts, tents, and boxes – NO! Birds look just adorable sleeping inside a fuzzy tent or box, plus, he likes it in there! He likes it because it feeds his hormones and will put him in the mood to breed. Pet owners should avoid the breeding mode by any means necessary. Any cosy enclosed space should not be accessible at any time. These products encourage cage aggression, excessive screaming, biting, excessive masturbation (yes, birds masturbate), egg laying in females which can lead to egg binding, and cloacal prolapse in both males and females. 

Do not add toys with mirrors in them to your birds cage. Your bird will literally bond with the bird in the mirror and begin to see it as a mate. This will cause your bird to become cage aggressive leading to lots of bites and less desire to come out and spend time with you.

Click the picture for a direct link to The Best Bird Toys. The owner is highly educated on birds and safety. They have many customized options, for example, bell or no bell, or no C Clip. She put together a section for Quaker toys recommended by us:) So keep stopping by and checking in to see what fun new stuff they have:) We will also be offering a discount code to each new adopter so you can stock up on all the fun toys you will need for your little one:)

Building your own toys is a super fun and rewarding experience that you and your kids may enjoy. Check out their kits!!!

#3- Perches

To avoid issues like bumble foot, you’re going to want a large variety of perches. Simply using the round dowel rods that come with your cage is not enough or healthy. Realistically, you’ll want a few wood branch perches in different sizes, a pedi perch- these are not created equal as some are just junk, and a rope perch or two. On the rope perches, if you notice snagging or threads, promptly trim them. These threads can easily get bound and stuck in our birds intestines and be fatal. Some examples of good perches are below, just click the button to be taken to the site.

Just a note of caution with multi branch perches, please make sure that the bend between where the branches meet the main perch are wide and more like an L shape versus V shape. Birds can get their legs stuck and not be able to free themselves.

#4- Bowls

We frequently use Lixit Lock It Crocks. Two 20 ounce bowls per cage. One for food and one for water. The water bowl doubles as a bath tub, and if you buy a bath tub, your water dish will be used regardless, haha. Most cages come with bowls. Not all bowls are worth keeping. Location of the bowls and the material is important. Birds like their dishes about mid to upper level in their cage. If it is not securely attached, expect wasted food and bowl throwing. We have had the experience of having bowls say they are stainless and rust within a few washes. Lock it crocks are dishwasher safe and last a long time.

#5- Cleaner & Cage Liner

One thing to note is to never use household cleaners including dish soap to clean your bird cages. There are many many bird cage cleaners. I will post a few links of the ones we like best. Spray your cage, let sit for a minute and wipe poop away without effort.

Cage liners. Some use pellet and other things. I’ve have personally not had good experience with pellet. We used newspaper for a long time. Yes, newspaper has ink in it. A good cage should have a barrier between the paper and cage, a grate, otherwise, I’d worry more about your bird eating the bacteria laden waste versus the ink. Recently however, we have started using puppy pad liners. They are so much easier to have around and to clean up without a big mess. Highly highly recommend!

#6- Cage Covers

At QLA, we do cover our birds at night. We usually use blankets honestly. They do sell specifically tailored cage covers for most cages. The double stack is trickier with blankets so below is a link for their cover.

#7- Gravel & Cuttle Bones

Quakers, and most of the other birds we adopt out do not need gravel. Please don’t give them gravel.

We also have discovered time and time again, that if you provide a cuddle bone, they will shred it like a toy and just waste them. Something we do for calcium is use a chicken egg shell. It is very important that after you have emptied the shell, make it a few pieces and microwave it for 30 second intervals until dry. This is done to kill any bacteria. The intervals are important because otherwise it will burn. Keep in mind even when dry, this shell will be very hot. Let it cool and take a rolling pin over it until it’s teeny tiny little bits. Then add these to your pellet bowls about once every two weeks. Mix it up. They will be curious and eat it.

Bringing Baby Home

We know you are very excited about your new feathered friend, but please remember the following things when it’s time to bring your baby home.  Like any new pet, your bird will need time to acclimate to its new home. While the majority of our babies step right up to their new owners, birds are especially sensitive to stress, being prey animals, so even a very tame hand-fed bird is likely to be skittish at first. Afterall, his/her whole world has just changed, and while you have spent these weeks falling in love with him through updates, he does not know you unless you’ve visited them frequently. For the first week, it is recommended to keep your new friend in a more quiet environment, and only have one person interact with him at a time. During this time please avoid taking your new pet in public, showing him off to company, and introducing him to household pets. As prey animals in the wild, birds are especially susceptible to stress-based illnesses, so during this time where so many things are changing, it is advisable to take things slow. Don’t worry, you will have many years to enjoy together, so you don’t need to rush. 

It is also important to remember that your baby needs time to acclimate itself to its new cage. While you are going to be all about cuddling him, he needs a few hours in his cage to acclimate and learn his way around before it’s dark and he can’t see to minimize fall and accident risks.

Young birds need to spend at least half their time in their cage so they have time to eat, and learn to play independently. Please resist the urge to literally keep your bird with you every minute. This creates problems down the line when you suddenly have to be gone for work for hours and your bird is used to being with you. Parrots in particular do not like to be alone, and can easily become quite distressed if they have not learned how to entertain themselves. This can lead to excessive flock calling, plucking, and physical mutilation. Newly weaned birds also need access to food to graze and fill their bellies throughout the day.

All birds bite. The question is not if he will, but when, how severely, and for what reason. Birds bite as a means of communication, and as an owner it will be your job to understand what your feathered companion is trying to communicate to you. Birds can not be trained not to bite like other animals, and do not understand the concept of punishment. They use their beak to explore their environment like a third foot, and will likely put their beak on everything. Young birds typically bite more often than older birds because they are still learning about the world. The puberty phase can be really bad for bites as well. Don’t worry, it will pass! The best way to ensure the least possible bites is to pay close attention to the body language so that you can see when they want to bite, and offer no reaction at all if you are bitten. Many birds find an excited reaction, such as yelling, flailing, and crying to be great entertainment, and will bite repeatedly simply because they know they can make you react. Also, young children and adults alike can actually teach the bird to bite accidentally. When putting your finger out to tell your bird to step up, they often use their beak as a third foot. This is not biting and will not hurt. However, if you pull your hand away when the bird reaches with its beak, the bird then thinks, oh no, I didn’t latch on fast enough and will try to grab faster and harder next time to get to you with zero intention on hurting you.

Appropriate Petting – touching your bird anywhere but the head, neck, and feet will be seen as sexual by an adult bird. In a parrot flock, friends will preen eachother on the head and neck, because the bird cannot reach it himself. His mate will preen the feathers of his chest, back, and under his wings. This is for bonded mates ONLY. Becoming your parrot’s mate may sound like a great relationship, but this can make birds aggressive to everyone else in your life. A bird sees others as a threat to your relationship, and will attack them if given the chance. If they cannot scare the intruder away, they will instead attack their chosen one in an effort to scare them away from the perceived danger. It is much healthier for everyone involved if your bird understands that you are just friends!

Don’t let your baby on your head. They fly there but it’s important to give a firm no and take them down. A bird at a higher level than you will assume dominance over you. This is never good!

Next Step

Now that we have discussed hazards, the right set up for your bird, and new environment norms. Let’s move onto their diet by clicking below.