Button quail care, help please !

[ESEMSIA]

I just got my button quail 3 days ago, I have him in an aquarium covered with cloth so he does not jump. He has water, food, and hiding places inside (still need to sort out a sandbox). He managed to jump out of there this morning after I had a nearly sleepless night because of his attempts to jump inside it. He does not do it day time and I covered his cage already for the night as I read they might be attracted to the steer light outside. It's happening less tonight but he still jumps sometimes. Is he just unhappy ? And also he's very scared of me and I'm not sure how to get him to get used to me, how long does it usually take for a button quail to let itself be touched at least. Please help I adore him but don't understand his behaviour much, do I just need to give him more time ?

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You'll want to post in the Quail forum about what to do with your pet https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/48/quail good luck with him.

 

[Frindizzle]

Welcome to BYC! As Kelsie said, you should post in the "Quail" section. Good luck!

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to BYC, I think he is looking for companions. I don't think people raise quail solo. If he keeps jumping out, he is liable to fall and be injured.

 

[ESEMSIA]

Oh thank you I didn't know xD

 

[N F C]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

I've been reading about quail lately (don't have any currently) and I think @drumstick diva is correct about your little one being lonesome. Can you get a couple more quail for companionship?

Good luck, nice to have you here!

 

[ESEMSIA]

My quail has 2ft squared for himself, I cannot afford anything bigger I'm afraid so I'm scared that if I get him a mate there would be too little space or would it still be ok ?

 

[N F C]

Here's a link to one of the Learning Center articles about quail...the button quail info is down a bit. Hope that helps with your housing question:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/housing-and-feeding-your-quail

 

[DK newbie]

I think 2ft squared would be okay for just him and one hen. Some roos can be aggressive and in that case it is not much room, but if they are properly bonded and he proves to be a nice roo, it should be fine.

Regarding getting him tame, hand feeding with live insects is probably the way to go. He might still not want to be touched, but it should be possible to get him to be calm around you. However, having him in an aquarium forces you to approach him from above all the time. This might be part of the reason he is scared of you, it makes you very predator-like in the eyes of a button.

Good luck with him!

 

[ESEMSIA]

Thank you so much for that information that is so useful ! I'm thinking about making a better cage for him with my father so hopefully I can make his life a little bit better