I'm giving a review in hopes this helps other beginner button quail owners.
Pro
Small- Can easily fit into any home. More importantly, can have more than two!
Quiet- They make soft noises, except for Jazz, most of the time it's hard to even hear them. Sometimes they have on loud call, and they use that call when lost and looking for their mate, or for a mate.
You need 2- I consider this a plus. This gave me an excuse to get more than one. They need to be in pairs, either male x female or female x female. Males may fight each other.
Super cute- Especially if they just hatched! My cold dead heart melted that day, and has barely frozen over since then! (lol) The adults are all super cute too! Their antics make me smile at least once a day. See if you can catch them dust bathing it's funny.
Aviary bird- They can be kept in an aviary with certain birds. They clean up the leftover seeds, but they still need their own food!
Con
Can't hold them- I was able to hold Jazz when he was a chick until one day he decided that I was a scary monster now. They lose feathers when scared to slip away from a predators grasp.
Smell- This might just be my bird, Latte, but after sitting on her eggs for a while when she gets up to poop she lets out a real stinker! I have no idea if this is normal. Otherwise cleaning it once a week for two birds and spot checking seems to work on smell. An open window on warm days helps as well.
Fragile young- Be very careful, I had 3 die from either sickness or the cold.
Poor parenting skills- Don't expect to see broodiness to last, if at all in your buttons. Don't expect good parenting either. My latte only raised one chick to adulthood after letting her nest 4 times. 3 out of 4 nest attempts had chicks. She left the nest too soon every time so a chick failed to fully hatch each time. When she leaves with the first chicks go and check if she left any still hatching. Then go to this website and ask for help. REMOVE the male if you see any signs of aggression towards the chicks. He will not get better. He gets to go to "bird jail" until the chicks are grown up. ("Bird jail" is just a temporary separate home.) If the mother is aggressive then just brood them yourself.
Boink factor- When they freak out they fly straight up. This can be remedied by putting a soft top of their enclosure. I use a netting from an arts and craft store with binder clips to cover the top.
Pro
Small- Can easily fit into any home. More importantly, can have more than two!
Quiet- They make soft noises, except for Jazz, most of the time it's hard to even hear them. Sometimes they have on loud call, and they use that call when lost and looking for their mate, or for a mate.
You need 2- I consider this a plus. This gave me an excuse to get more than one. They need to be in pairs, either male x female or female x female. Males may fight each other.
Super cute- Especially if they just hatched! My cold dead heart melted that day, and has barely frozen over since then! (lol) The adults are all super cute too! Their antics make me smile at least once a day. See if you can catch them dust bathing it's funny.
Aviary bird- They can be kept in an aviary with certain birds. They clean up the leftover seeds, but they still need their own food!
Con
Can't hold them- I was able to hold Jazz when he was a chick until one day he decided that I was a scary monster now. They lose feathers when scared to slip away from a predators grasp.
Smell- This might just be my bird, Latte, but after sitting on her eggs for a while when she gets up to poop she lets out a real stinker! I have no idea if this is normal. Otherwise cleaning it once a week for two birds and spot checking seems to work on smell. An open window on warm days helps as well.
Fragile young- Be very careful, I had 3 die from either sickness or the cold.
Poor parenting skills- Don't expect to see broodiness to last, if at all in your buttons. Don't expect good parenting either. My latte only raised one chick to adulthood after letting her nest 4 times. 3 out of 4 nest attempts had chicks. She left the nest too soon every time so a chick failed to fully hatch each time. When she leaves with the first chicks go and check if she left any still hatching. Then go to this website and ask for help. REMOVE the male if you see any signs of aggression towards the chicks. He will not get better. He gets to go to "bird jail" until the chicks are grown up. ("Bird jail" is just a temporary separate home.) If the mother is aggressive then just brood them yourself.
Boink factor- When they freak out they fly straight up. This can be remedied by putting a soft top of their enclosure. I use a netting from an arts and craft store with binder clips to cover the top.
