Button Quail - Seeking Info

[aticiabray]

Hello all.
I have been thinking about getting some button quail and not having a ton of luck finding care info.
I have some basic knowledge but my main question is how to house them indoors and if that is ok or not.
If it is ok to house them indoors, what kind of set up would I do?
I am planning on just a pair of them.
Pics of indoor sets up and advice on such is greatly appreciated.

 

[BantyChooks]

I house my buttons (also called Chinese painted quail) indoors, as they do not do well in temperatures under 50*F. I keep mine in pairs, in a pen of a couple square feet. I bed them on pine shavings, with a dust bathing area and some hay to dig around in. Buttons, as well as quail in general, like being able to hide, so some branches or similar things they can duck under will go a great way towards decreasing neurotic behaviours.

 

[Quailobsessed]

I house my king quails/button quails/chinese painted quails outside since it doesn't get very cold here, but many people on here house them inside. I've seen them kept in fish tanks or rabbit cages.

@Serin has a pretty good setup.

 

[Serin]

Hello all.
I have been thinking about getting some button quail and not having a ton of luck finding care info.
I have some basic knowledge but my main question is how to house them indoors and if that is ok or not.
If it is ok to house them indoors, what kind of set up would I do?
I am planning on just a pair of them.
Pics of indoor sets up and advice on such is greatly appreciated.

I have six pet buttons indoors, and have trialed a few ways of keeping them. I had a male/female pair and they had three sons and a daughter. I had finches hatch their eggs and raised in brooders. My original male recently attacked his mate and I have since split them all into same sex pairs (put him with a son and his mate w/ their daughter), which so far is very peaceful. Much more than the male/female pairs were. Your mileage may vary, they all have different temperaments.

My recommendations are either a 30 gallon bin with the front and back cut out and with hardware cloth or bird cage wire ziptied in or a 30 x 18 inch Petco or Prevue finch flight cage, with the base grate cut out. I do not recommend glass - my birds were stressed by their reflections.

I use pine pellets sold for rabbit or horse bedding and these are awesome at keeping the cage odorless, dry, and clean for a month. Mix it up a few times a week with your hand and it will look clean for weeks. Shavings work but they are dusty and fly all out of the cage as the birds run. Newspaper is bad, they walk in waste and get it caked on their toes. Hay is dusty and gets caked in poop fast. It can be sharp and cut the birds eyes as they forage, I had this happen.

Use a hamster water bottle, not a bowl, to keep water clean and bedding dry. All of mine are on bottles. You may need to pick them up and poke their beaks in the bottle at first to show them it has water but they will likely peck it anyway out of curiosity.

Pick up a bag of reptile calcisand at a pet shop for a sand bath, and they will eat it as well as grit and to get minerals. I keep a little enclosed cage bird bath with a few scoops of this sand in the cages at all times and they love to roll in the sand. Calcisand is better than other sand, less dust and good source of calcium for egg shells. Hens can lay 6 eggs a week!

Also I use large wooden hamster hides as shelter and a thing to climb up on.

Diet is game bird crumbles of 20 - 25% protein, there is a fine brand on Amazon you can order, manna pro game bird/show bird. A feed store may have it cheaper but for two birds a bag on amazon will last months. They enjoy romaine lettuce and boiled egg as a supplement, and live mealworms or crickets are a big hit. I throw some finch seed around as a treat a few times a week.

This bin cage houses two girls.

This 30 x 18 inch finch cage houses two boys, along with finches. Same footprint as the bin.

This cage is 20 x 20 inches at the base. It is a little small imo but also houses two males and a canary. No issues so far.

 

[JaeG]

Just be aware if you are keeping them inside that they will produce dander which can irritate some people. They are very active birds so the more space you can give them the better. They are escape artists and strong fliers so that will affect where you keep them as well. They are fascinating little things but best kept in pairs to avoid aggressive behaviour, and just be aware that some are fantastic parents, and some haven't got a clue.

 

[blackoaktammy]

I have over 100 quail in my house. I can testify to the dander/dust problem!

Rule of thumb is one square foot per bird. My quail are in a variety of setups, from guinea pig cages to a converted bookcase to custom built cages. My young quail (just hatched to fully feathered) are in aquariums to cut out drafts while they are delicate. I keep them in pairs, trios, bachelor groups, and larger groups. The two factors that are most important when putting groups together are enclosure size and the personalities of the birds. For example, one of my males is very aggressive. In a pair setup, he kills his hens. In a setup of two males to three hens, he does fantastic. It's all trial and error.

For bedding, I've tried so many different things. For me, shavings stink and pine pellets break down into fine shavings that end up in the feeders. The best by far that I have found is corn cob bedding for small animals. The birds love picking through it, playing in it, and bathing in it.

I feed Hubbard game bird feed. Since I switched to that brand, the difference in my birds is amazing. The young birds get game bird starter until they are mature at 6 to 8 weeks. Adult birds get game bird flight feed. I use chick feeders and waterers, with the waterer on a brick to keep it out of the bedding. I also give them calcium/grit for finches in a small separate bowl from the feed.

Another consideration is the noise. I don't mind them calling, but some people do. Visitors are not happy at 2 am when three or so birds decide to start calling like it's dawn

Button quail are cute little things, and they come in so many color/mutations. I've had so much fun with mine, and I hope you enjoy yours as much!

 

[Serin]

Corn cob bedding contains aspergillosus spores. It can kill birds if it gets damp.