Also
known as: Monk Parakeet
Description:
Quakers
are approximately 12 inches in length. For normal green Quakers, the top of
the head, back, wings, and tail are green. Cheeks, forehead, and chest are
grey. Tips of flight feathers and tail are blue.
Blue Quakers
are blue on the head, back, wings, and tail. Cinnamon (also known as Pallid)
Quakers are a beautiful lime green in color; and Cinnamon-Blue Quakers are
a stunning light ice-blue color.
New
Quaker mutations (colors) are being developed all the time by breeders. There
are also a few breeders now producing an all yellow Quaker, and one breeder
has just produced the first all-white Quaker.
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Natural
Habitat:
Wild
Quakers are distributed from the Rio Grande do Sol, extreme southeast Brazil;
Uruguay, northeast Argentina in provinces of Entre Rios, Sante Fe, Cordoba
and Buenos Aires.
Natural
diet:
Fruits,
seeds, berries, buds, flowers, insects and their larvae; also orchard fruit,
maize and grain in cultivated areas.
Housing
Requirements
As
a general rule of thumb, you should purchase the biggest cage you can afford
and have room for in your house for your Quaker. By the time you fit all
the food and treat bowls, perches, and toys in the cage, it will greatly
reduce the space available for your Quaker.
The minimum
size cage for your Quaker should be no smaller than 18"x18"x24". Bar spacing
should be 1/2" or 5/8", any larger and your Quaker could get out, or worse
yet, get its head stuck between the bars which could be fatal!
Please be sure the material your cage is made out of is birdie safe; some
cages are made with wire, which contains zinc, which is toxic to birds.
The
cage should be equipped with perches of several diameters; natural wood
perches such as manzanita are recommended. You should also include a pedicure
perch in your cage to keep your Quaker's nails trimmed.
You
will want at least three food dishes, one for fresh water, one for the seed/pellet
mix, and one for fresh fruits and veggies or special treats. Bowls should
be made of bird-safe ceramic, stainless steel, or plastic.
Do not
use aluminum bowls, as they can oxidize in the water and contaminate it.
Some people prefer to use a water bottle or tube for their bird's water
supply. They do this because birds frequently soil their water with droppings
or by dunking their food (or anything else!) into their water bowls.
However, we do not use water bottles as we have seen how much our Quakers
enjoy their daily baths and they do get much pleasure from dunking their
food. The added chore of changing water bowls daily (sometimes twice or
more per day depending on each pair) is worth it to us to be able to provide
the birds with their daily pleasures.
A
Quaker should have several toys to play with, with new ones added frequently
to prevent boredom. Please be careful with rope toys, check to be sure there
are no fraying ends, which your Quaker could get a foot caught in.
Proper
Diet for your Quaker
There
is much debate over what the "ideal" Quaker diet should be. But most experts
do agree that a quality pellet should comprise a major portion of a Quaker's
diet, approximately 60%.
There are many different pellet varieties to choose from. Whichever pellet
you chose, be sure that it is a quality product, and make sure you buy the
correct size of pellet for your Quaker.
In addition
to pellets, you will want to provide some high quality seed. Buy seed that
does not contain sunflower seeds, as they are very high in fat, and Quakers
are prone to fatty liver disease. Seeds should amount to approximately 20%
of your Quaker's diet.
You will
also want to provide your Quaker with fresh fruits and veggies each day.
Some of our Quakers favorites are corn (both on the cob and off), peas,
green beans, lima beans, broccoli, carrots, apples, grapes, and pears.
They will also eat kale, squash, oranges, bananas, etc. Along with our Quaker's
veggies each day we mix in cooked pasta, an assorted bean mixture, and long-grain
brown rice.
You
can also treat your Quaker to a tidbit or two of HEALTHY people food. Generally,
if what you are eating is healthy, you can share a *little* with your Quaker.
Some definite
NO-NO's on a Quaker's menu are: chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, and avocados.
These are all extremely toxic to your Quaker, or any bird for that matter.
Before
making the lifelong commitment of adopting your first bird. You should read
the information on the main page or you can click the links below here.