Getting a pair of Button Quail .. have some questions!

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

What do I need to care for a pair of Button Quail? I'm getting them next Thursday. I already have a pen, feeder & a waterer. Our feed stores don't carry gamebird crumbles, but I'm going to ask them if they can order me some. Can they eat parakeet food and parakeet grit? What about bedding? Just shavings? Anything else I need? Thanks

 

[shelleyd2008]

They can't eat parakeet food as a staple diet, but I feed mine parakeet seed as a treat. It is basically white and red millet, and is much less expensive than getting them millet sprays

They don't have to have game bird feed, if you can find a high protein chick starter that would work. My buttons eat a 20% flock raiser, this works fine for them. You can buy some gamebird feed in smaller quantities from private sellers online, maybe even on here? I think my flock raiser averages out to $.26 a pound, and would be happy to sell some to you. A bag of gamebird feed probably comes in 50#, which would last a pair of buttons a whole year probably! It wouldn't be much good after the first couple months

But chick starter would be fine for them, just make sure you have a calcium supplement (I use a parakeet cuttle bone) in the cage

I use regular pine shavings for the bedding in my button cages. You would benefit from some type of nest, a tissue box or whatever, they aren't picky

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Thanks, so how big of a bag of shaving should I buy?
I am getting Them thursday and Friday I am going to town, but won't be back until Sunday. So my mom will have to take care of them while I'm gone. I have some chick start right now, just give them some of that in a chick feeder? What kind of treats can I give them?
Will they have cuttle bones at Wal -Mart? What kind of parakeet food should I get, and what kind of grit? How much would you sale your feed for? Just asking in case my feed store doesn't and can't get me any? Do they need to dust bath? I have a really small card board box, will that work for a nest if I cut a hole in it? What does a parakeet cuttle bone look like? Do they like Toys?

 

[shelleyd2008]

I don't know about toys, I've not given mine any. Treats you can give are millet (like the parakeet seed), meal worms, boiled eggs, grasses, pretty much anything. They might not like it at first, just keep trying. The seeds and worms are always a big hit

Personally, I'd get shavings from the feed store, they are usually cheaper. You don't use any for your chicks? They do sell small bags of bedding at walmart, I think it's aspen. Probably costs the same as the big bags at the feed store, but you can use that too. If you give them boiled eggs with the shell, you can just feed them the chick starter, that won't hurt them a bit. Cuttle bones are in the pet department of pretty much any store that sells pet supplies, hard to explain how they look

For grit, I just use sand in their dust pans, that's enough 'grit' for them. Or you can get a bag of chick grit from your local TSC, that would work as well. Make sure it is for chicks under 10 weeks so it's small enough.
The box should work fine for a nest, I'm sure the girl will love it, anything that makes her feel secure

Like I said, the flock raiser I get averages to $.26 a pound, but shipping would get a bit silly I'm sure. Where are you located? You could post in your state thread and see if anyone has some you could get from them? Otherwise, I'd just stick to the chick starter

Buttons aren't like other gamebirds, they do grow fast, but they don't get very big. If yours are full grown, the 16-24% chick starters that are available would be fine

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I am useing hay for my chicks at the moment. I've only nought shavings once ...

They are full grown, the hen is laying.

Do they sale parakeet grit? Will that work for them? I feed my chicks boiled eggs and scrambled eggs just about everyday. So feeding the hen boiled eggs won't be a problem. What about scrambled eggs?

 

[shelleyd2008]

They do sell parakeet grit, and that would be fine. I've used it as dust bath material when I"ve run out of sand, that's basically all parakeet grit is...sand

Get a bag of play sand from Walmart or Lowe's and use that for them, they can bathe in it and eat it for grit

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Um, question: Do they need a lamp? I know they aren't chicks, but does the hen need one of any reason?
So what kind of parakeet food do I get? Any brand I Should or Shouldn't get?
What about a sandbox? What do I use? Are they very loud? They're going to be in my room ... so I don't want anything just too loud.

 

[CoopCrazy]

If they are fully featehred they done require a heat source .. You can add ground up cat food to layer feed to get a high enough protien .. They arent very loud they will make cute lil calls and the males make a lil croeing sound but nothing major.. one large bag of shavings will lasst a few weeks atleast.. as far a s sandbox I just used a milk carton cut a hole in side large enough for them to jump in but high enough they done kick it all out and just used sand form the yard.. also they like lots of foilage and hiding places.. i used fake flowers hung upside down and bcut some small wicker baskets in half for hides

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

We have cats. but we don't buy them catfood. We just feed them dogfood because they KILL my chickens!!! AH!
The only thing is my pen is kind of limited on space.

Do I have to have the sandbox in there 24/7 ??? Or just once or twice a week? How offten do I need to change their bedding? How is the best way to get buttons friendly? I don't know how tame they're so I'll just have to wait and see.

 

[CoopCrazy]

They love the sandbox so as much time as possible... How large is their enclosure? They are not very tame birds .. Mine hated to be handled and would flip out everytime i opened thier enclosure.. theya re much happier with as lil human contact as possible.. IMHO...