Several people have asked me how to care for their quaker so I decided to include some additional information here. However, I do recommend that you purchase one or more of the excellent books on quaker parrots.  They contain much more information than I am including here.  Also, there are many chat areas where you can discuss questions and ideas with other quaker owners.

Housing

Get your birds a home in which they will be happy.  Make sure the bar spacing is no larger than ¾ in. so they can’t get their heads through.  I make sure I arrange the perches so the birds can walk anywhere in the cage.  A recommended cage size is at least 20 in. wide X 20 in. deep.  Light colors don’t  show the poop as much. 

Full spectrum lighting is also important for your bird’s health. I have small Ott -lites attached to all my cages.

It is nice to have a separate play stands for your birds.  I am particularly fond of the grapevine stands.  I put a plastic chair pad under the stand to catch the droppings.  I also have a ladder attached to the stand so the birds can get back up when they fly down.  This is especially important when their wings are clipped.

Feeding

Give them clean water daily.  I recommend filtered water.  Keep pellets available always and daily feed them soft food. Remove uneaten soft food after several hours.

I use Harrison’s and Roudybush pellets.  For soft food I make up a recipe of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.  Because I have many birds, I make a large batch of soft food and I freeze it in ice cube trays.  This provides the perfect size for feeding the birds.

This is the recipe I use which was created by taking ideas from several other breeder’s recipes.  I recommend that you only consider this as a starting point.  Be creative. See what your birds like and read about diet and nutrition.  Remember that with veggies, cooking less is usually best.  And with all foods, fresher is better.

            ½ cup brown rice

            ½ cup barley

            ¼ cup pasta (I like Acine di Pepe. It’s the perfect size).

            1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)

            ½ cup broccoli (fresh or frozen)

½ cup carrots (fresh or frozen)

1 Bell pepper (I alternate between red and green).

1 cup fruit

While cooking the grains chop fresh fruits and vegetables into quaker size pieces.  Bring 6 cups of water to a boil add rice and barley and cook 17 minutes.  Add pasta to grains and cook 8 more minutes.  Turn off heat and let sit 15 minutes.   If some veggies are frozen add them during the last 5 minutes of the sitting time just long enough to separate them.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Add chopped fruits and vegetables.  Divide and freeze any food that won’t be used right away.  I provide 1-2 Tbs per bird per day.

For a calcium supplement my avian vet recommends brown organic egg shells.  I just use the eggs and save the shells. I break them into small pieces and add them to their food.  I only feed them to my female when she is laying because that is the only time she eats them.  If they need it they seem to eat it.  I suggest offering it periodically.

Since I don't feed my birds many seeds, (quakers are prone to fatty liver disease,) my vet suggested that I add red palm oil and a vitamin supplement to their diet. Red palm oil is an excellent  source of "good" oil and also vitamin A;  walnuts are an additional source.  The oil helps with dry skin.  You should also add leafy greens to their diet.   I found red palm oil and Hagen's Prime vitamin supplement at www.drsfostersmith.com.   

Red Palm oil - 1/8 tsp per bird per day mixed in with their soft food (My birds aren't real fond of this so I use less and alternate days)

Prime vitamin supplement - 1cc per day per bird sprinkled over their soft food

Grooming

I recommend keeping their wings and nails clipped.  Please learn the techniques from a qualified bird groomer or your avian vet.  Improper clipping can cause your bird to bleed to death.

For bathing I place a plastic cooking pan with about an inch of water (not too warm) in the bottom of their cage.  Mine seem to like to bathe about once per week.  More often if they are molting. 

Toys

Have a variety of toys and change them around regularly.  My birds are particularly fond of leather toys.

They also love the Tweety Twister and the soft perches.  Be sure to keep the frayed threads clipped so they don’t snag their nails.

Medical care

I recommend that you find a board certified avian vet.  Find one before you need one.  Your quakers should have an annual checkup.  Also, the vet can show you how to clip their wings and nails.

Keep some styptic powder around to stop accidental bleeding.