New Quaker parrot!

[Aloysius]

I just got a green Quaker Parrot a week and a half ago, along with a cage with no horizontal bars. Is this bad for the bird?

[KiwiMango]

Congratulations on your new quaker! I just brought home my quaker a week and a half ago too! He's just the sweetest little thing! A cage with no vertical bars isn't necessarily "bad" for your quaker, it just makes it really hard for him to climb the sides of the cage which quakers love to do. It would be ideal to have a cage with horizontal AND vertical bars for climbing. If you can't get that type of cage then maybe hang some ladders and ropes on the sides for climbing and I think it should be ok so long as you have the proper bar spacing so his head doesn't get stuck. Here's a link to a site that talks about bird cages... http://www.fluffies.org/cages.htm

[Aloysius]

OK, thank you very much!

[Mum2rory]

Congrats on your new quaker. What have you named him/her. Welcome to the forum

[liz]

Welcome to the forum.

Without horizontal perches how will he stand up?

[Aloysius]

I meant horizontal bars that the cage is made of, not perches. I named her Shiloh. I also have to hand feed her for about a week. Does anyone have comments about that? I have heard that it is sometimes bad, and that the bird will not bond to you as much afterwards.

[parrotsareyay]

they say it is bad because its like raising kids. They love you in the younger years, but once we become teenagers, we feel more comfortable with friends and cannot wait to leave the nest (mom, quit butting in my life). Parrots have an instinct to leave their parents and make a living with the flock.

In this case, your bird might become uninterested because of instinct. There are cases, however, when it is quite the contrary.

Whatever happens, i wish you the best of luck,

[GlassOnion]

Handfeeding your own bird is a tricky subject. But what I do know is that no reputable breeder would send his/her baby bird unweaned to an amateur. So many things can go wrong. I suggest you offer as MUCH variety in food as possible, as much socialization as possible, and also to harness train- all while she's still young and accepting. It's much harder to change habits in an older bird.

[Aloysius]

I have tried to offer my Quaker several kinds of vegetables including lettuce, carrots and bananas, but she doesn't seem to like any of them. Can anyone tell me some other fruits or veggies to feed her?

[laducockatiel]

I have tried to offer my Quaker several kinds of vegetables including lettuce, carrots and bananas, but she doesn't seem to like any of them. Can anyone tell me some other fruits or veggies to feed her?

Shiloh
Aloysius

All I can say is [b]Keep trying[b]. Some birds prefer mashed up veggies than cut up. You can put them in a food processor and serve them to your bird if he prefers that. If you do not have that, just dice the veggies finely and put them in his cage every day so he might just go and try them!