Can i train a quail?

[quaileelover]

So i have a 4 week old quail, she was hatched by herself from a test batch of eggs (None of the others hatched) so i raised her alone. i decided that i would keep her as an inside pet because she had gotten so attached to me, she squawks when shes alone unless she has her mirror and loves being held. she snuggles right on my shoulder and sits on my lap. (Shes currently sitting on my lap as i write this xD) but i was wondering if i could teach her some simple commands so it would be easier keeping her inside? Ive reasearched for ages and have found almost nothing on the subject and the few things i did find were not helpful. I did see a video of someone "calling" (Whistling) and their quail ran to them, so im assuming it is possible. How would i do so? I just want to teach her to like, "Come" and maybe "Up" (Get on my hand). Would whistling in certain tones be easier to train them or would saying the word be easier? If anyone knows anything or has any tips, i would appreciate them very much!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

What fun! Not at all an expert on quail or birds, so take this with a pound of salt. My area of experience was with dogs. But my instinct suggests that you can use any kind of a cue, as long as you are consistent. Training dogs with clickers is all the rage, although dogs don't click to communicate; dolphins do, and the whole clicker training thing started with Karen Pryor, a dolphin trainer. You can clap, snap your fingers, cough, sing, talk, whatever, even scrape your chair back consistently and animals will pick up on those things. My dog knows when I put my "outside boots" on, we're going for a walk, lol! Sounds like fun, keep us posted of your progress!

 

[le_bwah]

Quail might be food-motivated enough to train with treats. Simple things, like coming when you make a specific sound, or jumping into your hand, could be good places start. Good luck, and keep us updated!

 

[Green Bean Quail]

My quail won’t necessarily “listen” to me, but they for sure recognize patterns, because Speckles is very food motivated and will hop up into the feed area when I start whistling(I do before feed so they know I’m opening the hutch so they don’t startle). It’s pretty cute, but she’s the only one that does it.

 

[Quailobsessed]

General rule is, if they take food from you (are food motivated), you can train them.

You can train chickens, you can even train goldfish. I have even trained my bearded dragon.

I would assume you can train quail.