Living with a Quaker Parrot

I've always loved birds but a few years ago we wanted to (okay so I wanted to) get a larger bird. We looked at various parrots including Macaws, African Greys, Cockatoos and Eclectus parrots but eventually wanted to start with something smaller that talked. We found the perfect little companion in a Quaker Parrot.

The Quaker is a small parrot, reaching 11 to 12 inches in length. As a comparison, the Quaker is a bird similar in length to a Cockatiel, but the Quaker's body is heavier and more substantial with an average weight of 90 to 120 grams.

The overall color of the Quaker is green, with pale grey on the forehead, cheeks, throat and extending down to the chest. On the chest, the grey feathers are white-tipped, giving a scalloped effect. Some blue can be found in the tail and flight feathers. The eyes are a dark brown, and the bill is horn colored. Young birds look much the same except the colors are not as bright as on adult Quakers. The sex of the bird cannot be determined by its physical appearance but only by DNA or surgical sexing. (www.quakerparrots.com)

Most Quakers start talking at 6 months or so, although many start even earlier than that. When we got ours, who we named Callie, he was already talking at the pet store and knew a few simple phrases. 5 years later he's still surprising us with putting together sentences and phrases. And yes, he curses as well. That comes from our many hours of playing video games and getting stuck. The first time he cursed it was hilarious. My husband had went to give him a piece of cheese and dropped it. Callie blurted out, "Fu*ker!!" We almost went into hysterics. Obviously, he has some meaning of the word.

Callie's favorite thing to do is talk and sing. When he sings, he makes this sneezing like noise unless he knows the words. The one song he knows partially by heart is the theme to Scooby Doo. Of course, all I get is, "Scooby Dooby Do, Where...." It's quite endearing. He also likes to talk to the dogs. He'll say "Hi Harley" and "Get Swan!" and what's really cute is when he'll say, "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Of course we get the obligatory hello and bye bye when we're leaving or coming home but it's funny because if we don't leave when he says bye bye he'll keep saying it until it gets very impatient. Sort of like, "Bye BYE!"

Some of his other sayings are: Whatcha doin, heyyyy, pretty girl, hey Mike (our other bird's name is Mike), fresh water, fresh food, want a pistachio, I got her belly, got your footie, take a nap, wake up, etc. He also likes to ramble and put all of his known words together all in one sentence, over and over. He screams, he whistles, he sings. He's quite a character. He'll also close his eyes near bedtime and chatter quietly to himself.

One thing he likes to do to scare me is to talk in this really low and deep whispery voice where he's saying God knows what. It usually scares the dickens out of me and I tend to think he's possessed at these moments. He will also freak out over certain things. If a bug gets in the house, a balloon or something in the sky, the salad shooter, opening the freezer. I have no clue why these things scare him but heck, the bugs scare me too so I'm thankful he gives me a warning that one is around and even more thankful that it doesn't happen too often.

A large cage is great to house your Quaker Parrot in and make sure they have tons of toys. Birds get bored fast and lots of toys really does help in keeping them occupied when you're not home. Quakers can eat people food as well as seeds but never feed them chocolate, alcohol or avocado. Callie also likes to take a bath in his water bowl, which is quite hilarious. He'll soak anything or anyone near him. Sometimes I take him with me when I take a bath. He likes to sit on top of the shower curtain rod and listen to me sing and he loves to get a spray bottle bath in the summertime.

Quakers are a lot of fun but keep in mind that they can be a lifelong companion. A Quaker Parrot can live 25 to 30 years and even longer in some instances. Quakers are also illegal in some states so check with your local pet shop or Game and Wildlife Commission.