Button Quail as Pets

[HouseSilkies]

Oh! Ok! So am I likely to lose one if it boots out the door?

 

[DK newbie]

Absolutely, yes. I had one fly over the roof of my parents' house once. I did find that one again, but only because there was only one place to hide near the place it landed - and even then it wasn't easy to see!

 

[HouseSilkies]

Oh no! That's nerve racking! (vows to be super careful opening the doors)

 

[HouseSilkies]

Would a 24x12x14 inch hamster cage with 1\2 inch bar spacing work?

 

[Fishkeeper]

It might, but they should really have more room, and it won't be anywhere near secure enough to keep them safe. I'd suggest looking at what people have built- it isn't hard, but you do want to be using strong materials. 1/4" hardware cloth (a type of wire mesh) is strong and will keep predators from reaching in. You'll also need to make sure they're well sheltered from the wind, and you'll need a separate enclosure for each quail pair.

The trouble with hatching is not knowing how many you'll get. If you incubate 10 eggs, how many babies will hatch? 10? 6? 3? There's no reliable way to predict it, though there are things you can do to increase your hatch rate. Shipped eggs have more like a 50% hatch rate, but can be higher.

Can you buy already sexed button quail in your area? You'll need to find out, if that's your plan for dealing with extras. They aren't commonly sold in most places because they aren't good for anything except keeping as a pet that you can't really handle. Not enough meat or eggs to be worth keeping for food.

 

[HouseSilkies]

I was thinking the hamster cage would be for winters in the garage! But yes,I've looked at building and it seems fun!

 

[Fishkeeper]

They don't like to be moved around. You're better off making them a suitable cage and keeping them there year-round.

Garages aren't very good places for birds, anyway. The exhaust fumes from running cars in the enclosed space, even briefly, can harm them. Especially tiny ones like button quail.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Oh! Ok! So am I likely to lose one if it boots out the door?

Absolutely!

It might, but they should really have more room, and it won't be anywhere near secure enough to keep them safe. I'd suggest looking at what people have built- it isn't hard, but you do want to be using strong materials. 1/4" hardware cloth (a type of wire mesh) is strong and will keep predators from reaching in. You'll also need to make sure they're well sheltered from the wind, and you'll need a separate enclosure for each quail pair.

The trouble with hatching is not knowing how many you'll get. If you incubate 10 eggs, how many babies will hatch? 10? 6? 3? There's no reliable way to predict it, though there are things you can do to increase your hatch rate. Shipped eggs have more like a 50% hatch rate, but can be higher.

Can you buy already sexed button quail in your area? You'll need to find out, if that's your plan for dealing with extras. They aren't commonly sold in most places because they aren't good for anything except keeping as a pet that you can't really handle. Not enough meat or eggs to be worth keeping for food.

X2!

They don't like to be moved around. You're better off making them a suitable cage and keeping them there year-round.

Garages aren't very good places for birds, anyway. The exhaust fumes from running cars in the enclosed space, even briefly, can harm them. Especially tiny ones like button quail.

oh.. I didn't think about that!

 

[HouseSilkies]

We don't keep cars in our garage. I'm beginning to think button quail aren't very suited for I want at the moment,but in the future I would like some as house pets for sure! Thanks for all your help everyone!

 

[CoturnixComplex]

~~~cooooottuuuuuurrnniiiiixxxx~~~

*runs away*