Coturnix or Button Quail, which are better pets?

[Northwest_Wannabe]

I don't know about Coturnix, but button quail I do. They stay skittish. They often jump high and bump their heads on the ceiling of the enclosure. When they jump up, they can go almost 5 feet up. Had one break her neck doing that. They also can jump at the angle of your arm to gain freedom when you are changing out the water and adding feed . Cleaning the enclosure requires I remove the button quail- stressful for us both. I have had one or two get away from me and then had to go on a treasure hunt- they can hide in small places and even get under doors if there is a gap. I don't recommend them for casual pet owners. They are cute and I love the way each enclosure calls to the others, but it does take some time and energy to care for them.

^^^ this! no matter how we raised the different batches of buttons we had, they stay skittish. We had ONE exception, Link was very friendly and loved to be out but not held, he'd just sit next to my computer or on the arm of my chair to just 'hang out' but not really be held, snuggled or anything. He was a really cool companion, a really good dad too but even the chicks he hatched turned super skittish. I know some people have friendly buttons but I've never experienced had that :')

 

[KenjiQuacker]

I think 3 would do perfectly for your situation, 3 hens don't be afraid to hatch extra, quail fertility in eggs I think is generally lower than chickens? (I think) but most people are generally willing to buy quail (for pets, eggs or meat) on Craigslist so I can't imagine too much difficulty getting extra, however nowhere near me sells baby quail, so getting more depending on where you are could be harder than getting rid of extra! Just be weary ; D

Thank you! I hadn't considered selling extra if we hatch too many, but I think that's a great idea. There are lots of places near me that sell baby quail and quail eggs, so it shouldn't be too hard getting extra. Thanks for the tips!

 

[KenjiQuacker]

I don't know about Coturnix, but button quail I do. They stay skittish. They often jump high and bump their heads on the ceiling of the enclosure. When they jump up, they can go almost 5 feet up. Had one break her neck doing that. They also can jump at the angle of your arm to gain freedom when you are changing out the water and adding feed . Cleaning the enclosure requires I remove the button quail- stressful for us both. I have had one or two get away from me and then had to go on a treasure hunt- they can hide in small places and even get under doors if there is a gap. I don't recommend them for casual pet owners. They are cute and I love the way each enclosure calls to the others, but it does take some time and energy to care for them.

Ok thank you, I think I'm going with coturnix from what people have said on here. They seem like they could be tamed (I think?) at least enough to be calm when handled. Thanks for the information!

 

[KenjiQuacker]

^^^ this! no matter how we raised the different batches of buttons we had, they stay skittish. We had ONE exception, Link was very friendly and loved to be out but not held, he'd just sit next to my computer or on the arm of my chair to just 'hang out' but not really be held, snuggled or anything. He was a really cool companion, a really good dad too but even the chicks he hatched turned super skittish. I know some people have friendly buttons but I've never experienced had that :')

Oh, I'm sorry that you haven't had many experiences with friendly button quail. Thanks for taking you time to write out this info though, it seems like Coturnix may be a better choice. Thank you :3

 

[KenjiQuacker]

Oh, I'm sorry that you haven't had many experiences with friendly button quail. Thanks for taking you time to write out this info though, it seems like Coturnix may be a better choice. Thank you :3

^^^ this! no matter how we raised the different batches of buttons we had, they stay skittish. We had ONE exception, Link was very friendly and loved to be out but not held, he'd just sit next to my computer or on the arm of my chair to just 'hang out' but not really be held, snuggled or anything. He was a really cool companion, a really good dad too but even the chicks he hatched turned super skittish. I know some people have friendly buttons but I've never experienced had that :')

Oh and Link is an adorable name! (I may name one of my quail link hehe)

 

[KenjiQuacker]

Thanks for your help everyone!