Ask Lafeber

How do I tame my Quaker parrot

Hi. I have a 6 months old Quaker parrot. I got him home for a few days. He was a hand fed bird but he is not hand friendly. He would bite anyone who put their hands in the cage or fly around inside the cage while screaming. He spent his days sitting on his stainless steal food dish and he would also scream when he can see me. So far, he never played with any of the toys I left in his cage. I think it’s because he never had any toys in his old home. I tried stick training him but he would walk up the perch and try to bite me. Is he just being territorial? Please give me advice and step to train my Quaker parrot.

Hi Shimi,

Quaker parrots can be great pets, but they can also be bullies. They go through a phase where they will test their owners and if not addressed the right way, the bird can end up like your new pet. And yes, they can be extremely territorial around their cage. But don’t give up hope on this little guy. You have a long road ahead of you, but with patience and time, you can end up with a great pet.

I am going to provide you with a link to articles that will help you work with him. It is important to have a professional trim his wings or he will be very hard to work with. As far as the stick training goes. always slant the stick slight upwards – birds prefer to climb up and he is less likely to run to your hand if he has to climb down to do so. Once he learns to get on the stick and not try to bite you, have the training sessions in another room, out of sight from his cage.

Please read all of these articles and again, give him time to get to know you and show him a lot of patience. When you are not making progress, stop the training session and try another day. Good luck with him!

Caring For Your Bird

Happy New Year!

Brenda