A green quaker?

[PentePenguin]

Hi everyone,
It looks like I won't be getting a turtle after all, they seem so difficult to take care of! I'm so used to my dogs, cat, and hamster that seeing something with so many requirements has me floored!

I've had a cockatiel and two parakeets, none of them liked me very much. Shania (the tiel) LOVED my parents but never let me touch her and my parakeets would rather have eachother than any human on earth! Are Quakers that way or do they like people? It'll probably be a few months before I buy one, but I want to actually research a pet for once instead of "impulse buying". :) Thanks ya'll,
Dawn

['too crazy]

What kind of turtle were you looking for? My daughter found a baby one outside and we have it in a huge tank and it's really easy to care for.

As far as quakers, I have one of them too. I think they are by far one of the coolest birds you can have. A green cheeks is also another good bird. Birds will bond to people if they are alone in the cage but if you have a pair, they will bond to each other. Also birds sometimes can bond to one person more than another which sounds like what happened to your tiel. I paid the most attention to my quaker so he loves me the best, however my daughter is starting to pay him more attention so he likes her now too. But I'm still #1. :D

[PentePenguin]

I looked up every kind of turtle there is (or so it seems). I did the same thing you did when I was little and I mentioned that on a reptile forum, they went nuts! Everyone's like, "You can't do that! They get sick, it throws the eco-system out of whack..." :rolls eyes: I was going to pick up a turtle off the road this spring when there's at least one a day getting run over. I thought that would be helpful, but noo...:( How long have you had yours? Now that I think about it, my friend had two wild turtles from this area. Probably pet store turtles that are a pain, you know? :)
Thank you for the info!
Dawn

['too crazy]

I'm pretty sure she got it around May. She went to a nature center and there was one in the road so she stuck it in her purse. :eek: As far as I know the eco-system is still ok. lol We have him in a 40 gal. tank with a heat lamp and a place for him to climb up on to get out of the water. We feed him something called 'can-of-worms' and that's what they are...worms. Thanks God their not alive. I hate watching something eat something else when it's alive. My guess is that it's a painter turtle. I think you should get a turtle AND a bird! :D

[krazy4birds]

Sounds like to me you had your heart set on a turtle....When my kids were all home they would find what is known in Mo. as box turtles. Their dad built them a big cage out of that really small square shaped coated wire. They would take the cage with the turtles in it and set it outside in the grass in a shaded area. They ate grass and I think small insects. They were very easy to keep. We always put potatoe peelings, lettuce, the tops off vegetables like carrots and radishes. They liked vegetables too but only raw. They kept these turtles for a long time but they all passed away one by one. The kids loved them.
I have to put in a plug for Quakers too...I have a green one and they are fun birds to have. They talk pretty good and are great big show offs. I also have a Green Cheek Conure and he is a little bundle of love. Either one of these 2 birds I can verify on being good picks. Good luck!

[Magnum]

Turtles are really cool! I had one for years that I found upside down on the road. Took him about a week of TLC and he was cruising the garden for his daily picks of strawberries and cherry tomatoes. Hey 'too crazy, have you fed your turtle veggies and fruit? Higgins loved them real ripe, and he also craved worms too.

Good luck Dawn on your pet quest. Either or both are great companions. :D

[PentePenguin]

Wow! Maybe turtles aren't as hard as everyone makes them out to be. I do have a question, how do you change the dirt? I guess a shovel could work, huh?

Hmm, don't know if hubby would let me have both, I think the cost of animal food would be too expensive. :) Although, my dog and hamster don't eeat much (20lbs of food lasts Bubby 2 months) so he might. Plus I think he wants a lizard. :eek: Maybe we shouldn't get our own place, I'm seeing a petting zoo in our future!
Thank you for all of your help!
Dawn

['too crazy]

PentePenguin my turtle is in an aquarium full of water. There are land turtles and aquatic turtles so you'd have to decide which one you wanted. My tank is all set up with a filter and heater and I just change the filter which is nothing. Feeding them is cheap too. Tha can-of-worms is only $3.29 and last a long time.

Yep Magnum I do feed veggies but I never thought about fruit. I have some peaches that aren't going to last to much longer, can they have them?

[Magnum]

I have some peaches that aren't going to last to much longer, can they have them?

Yikes, I would hate to say yes on an aquatic species. Mine was a desert tortoise. Now this is in California: Many of the tortoises were being found deseased with very thin shells. They attributed this to the lack of calcium in their diet from humans invading their natural habitats and destroying their source of calcium. I have seen desert tortoises literally chewing on the bones of an animal that had died out in the desert in order to get calcium. Very sad :( I did rescue out in the desert and worked closely with the BLM. There were support groups trying to help the desert tortoise by bringing in calcium supplements and dispersing them all over the desert where the tortoises were sighted. Happy to say their efforts have been successful. ;)

There is a great site that has info on both aquatic and land species. http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/bcwaterturtles.htm

[PentePenguin]

All we have around here are box turtles, which are really neat. I was reading that all they need is fruit and veggies, it's supposed to be better for them than just feeding pellet food. I don't know if that's true, but *shrugs* who knows.

From what I read, any type of fruit or vegetable we eat is good for them, as long as you don't over do it on the acidic stuff. Oh, and iceberg lettuce isn't all that good for them. I even saw a pic in a book of a box turtle eating a handful of sliced tomatoes!

Maybe we will get a Quaker, too. I can get one of them sooner, as long as it would be okay in a travel trailer. What's the differance between a male and female (other than the "birds and bees" stuff. :) )?
Thank you,
Dawn

[Gems]

Tortoises(land turtles) are not difficult to care for, but the aquatic ones can be a nightmare. They are very messy, and you have to have some amazing water quality skills to keep them for long.
You can find all kinds of tortoises to choose from in varying sizes. I'd love to have one that lived in my backyard, but not right now, cuz I'd have to have a pen for winter.
Quakers are a fantastic choice for a first bird.

['too crazy]

Wow guys, our turtle is thriving and growing and I don't do anything special with the tank. Similar to having a fish tank. I'm starting to wonder if I'm doing something wrong it's so easy. But he's still alive and active. Gems might be able to tell you if there's a difference between male and female quakers. I have a male and all I know is he's a riot!

[PentePenguin]

It seems like male birds talk more, is that true? I think that would be what I'd want, I think it would be so funny to hear him mimicking my hamster wheel or something. :) Now, can anyone recommend a breeder? I like looking at web pages and such so bring 'em on! :)
Take care,
Dawn

['too crazy]

I don't know if males talk more than females but here's something to think about. Not all birds that can talk, do. I have 2 cockatoo's. One talks up a storm but the other doesn't say a word. So you want to make sure your going to want to keep the bird even if it doesn't talk. Also, My quaker mimic's what I say but he doesn't mimic things like a doorbell, or a phone etc. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I doubt yours will mimic the hamster wheel.

[Gems]

I don't think sex matters much with quakers.
What part of the country do you live in Pente?

[PentePenguin]

I would never give up a bird just because it couldn't talk. :( I had a 'tiel when I was younger and she never said a word. She did whistle to "Sittin' on go" by Bryan White and did a birdie version of a line dance when I played any kind of music. She died from being egg bound while my parents and I were at PetSmart shopping for a new cage. :( I live in northern Virginia.
Take care,
Dawn

[krazy4birds]

We were told Oliver was a male but we are not 100% sure of that. He likes to mimic me on the phone and I must be pretty predictable because I will hear him say.... "hmm ok bye bye" and he does this very precise "click" that sounds just like our phone when you turn it off...it is hilarious. He loves to talk just to hear himself sometimes. hahahaha

[Magnum]

Let us know what you end up getting....and you have to post pics when you do. :D

[PentePenguin]

Oh, I will definately post tons of pics when I am able to pick up my little birdy. :) I'm almost positive that we're going to get a Quaker, probably from the Mom & Pop store here because they're hand-tamed, healthy, and reasonable as far as price. Hubby and I sat and talked to the babies for a few minutes and they really seemed to enjoy it. They're between 5 and 6 months old, is that a good age?
Take care,
Dawn