Need help caring for my new Quail

[Immy Khodr]

Hey all!

My girlfriend and I bought a quail recently to care for, and we're quite concerned that we might not be giving him the best care.

I have a few questions regarding how to properly care for him but before that a bit of information and background.

-We bought him from a pet store and he was only ever kept with other bird species (finches I presume).
-The pet store obviously bought them off of a breeder, but he's now around 6 months old.
-He's a King quail, but he's only ever been kept alone, and the pet store told us it should be fine to keep them alone as they can be quite territorial anyway.
-We live in an apartment on the 11th floor, so we have to keep him indoors, he's currently in a rabbit cage as we wanted to give him a lot of floor space.
-His cage has a newspaper at the bottom, a bit of fabric in the corner which he seems to like to rest on, a bowl with water, lots of finch seeds (pet store recommended them) and a bit of treats we've given him (he LOVES apples).
-The first time we turned off the lights and left him alone, he let out a few big chirps till we came back. I'm not sure if it was because he was scared, lonely, or he wanted us to come back.

We have a lot of questions so far. But some of the biggest ones are:

1. Should we buy him a partner? If we don't will he be lonely?
2. What are the best things to feed him? Are there things we should avoid?
3. Can we give him any little toys to play with, how can we liven up his little home to make it better for him?
4. What are some general pointers for taking care of quail? (What to keep at the bottom of the cage, how to tame them, and general knowledge)

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

I'll post pictures of Peanut in the comments!

 

[blackoaktammy]

Welcome! I also have King Quail. They are more commonly called Button Quail. My first thought is he is sitting on the fabric more because the newspaper is slippery. Consider using a different bedding. I use corn cob bedding, it's what works for me. It keeps odor down, and my quail do well on it. You will get different views on bedding, I would suggest you try a few to see what works for you. If I'm understanding your cage correctly, I use similar cages for some of my quail. Buttons vary on their choice of cage mates. Some of mine I keep in colonies, some in pairs. In the wild, one pair stakes out a territory and chases other quail away. I've learned by trial and error which birds like which grouping. I give my adult birds game bird flight feed. They can live on finch seed, but try to limit it to a treat instead of the main meal. They like hiding spots and plants. I've seen tons of cool set ups. You can google to find ideas. I raise my quail in small batches and handle them daily until they are 6-8 weeks old. They are calmer than quail with minimal contact, but they are not hand tame. I have only heard of one button that was really tame, and I believe that one had been injured badly and was nursed back to health.

 

[DK newbie]

1) Yes, absolutely. But keep them separated for a couple of weeks - it's best if they are only separated by a single layer of wire so they can interact but not hurt each other. If he's been alone most of his life, he might not know how to properly interact with another button, so this separation is very important. Although you could be lucky and they'll both be fine even if you just pop the new bird in there. Try to get a female.

2) Game bird starter crumble or similar feed with a high protein content (19% or more - finch seed typically only has around 13% so it should only be used as a treat) and a small size so he can eat it.

3) Some people say their buttons will throw around balls if provided, but enrichment (a pile of dirt, a handful of grass, branches to hide behind and so on) is my preference.

4) Space is important. A rabbit cage should be good, except the bar size can be an issue - buttons can sometimes squeeze through the bars. The male might not, bur once you get a girlfriend for him she might be able to, or if they get chicks they might do it. For bedding I've used wood pellets (worked well but I don't think they are nice for the feet), sand (very natural, great for dust bathing, the birds loved it, you can remove the poops without changing all the bedding - but depending on cage size and humidity I've sometimes had issues with poo balls on their toes. I'd definitely try it though), shavings (the easy way to go, gets all over the place but otherwise works well) and peat bedding (intended for horses - looks nice and natural but not as easy to clean as sand and tends to end up outside the cage a lot).
Make sure he has places to hide. Some buttons will use houses, some won't. Fake or real plants, branches and such are great.
Don't waste your time trying to tame him. You might be able to get him to take treats from your hand, but don't expect more.

 

[Immy Khodr]

Thanks for the tip guys!
Hoping at the very least he warms up a bit more to his environment and stresses out a bit less.

Now that I know what a button quail is i can find him a partner a lot easier
Going out today so im gonna grab him some sand for a sand bath and everything else he needs.

In regards to the cage, he can get his head out but thats about it, hes tried peeping out a few times to observe the apartment.

Ill make sure this young man lives a good life!

 

[blackoaktammy]

He's a handsome guy He's a silver, in case you were wondering. There are roughly a million color mutations. If you decide to get him a girl, you can pick either the same color or something different. He will be happy either way.

Enjoy! Buttons are tons of fun.

 

[Immy Khodr]

He's a handsome guy He's a silver, in case you were wondering. There are roughly a million color mutations. If you decide to get him a girl, you can pick either the same color or something different. He will be happy either way.

Enjoy! Buttons are tons of fun.

Hey there tammy!

Thanks! and perfect timing in fact. I went out to find him a female today but theres barely any females around my area being sold. (I live in Australia around Melbournes city.)

He's been chirping lots and making lots of crowing noises and when I played another quails call on youtube he responded to it. So im guessing his very lonely

Would it be okay if I got another Male or would it have to be a female? Would he still be lonely with another male?

Thanks!

 

[DK newbie]

They are rarely as happy in male pairs as they are in male/female pairs, but in my experience they are much happier than they would be alone.
Some will probably tell you that two males will fight constantly. There is a risk that they will, but I've kept many male pairs - and male groups - and very rarely do I have two that are incompatible. I don't consider the risk of two males being incompatible as significantly larger than the risk that a male and female will be. There will probably still be a fair amount of crowing with two males, but they will feel more secure together.

 

[blackoaktammy]

I keep bachelor groups as well. There can be some fighting at first, but they settle down. I've seen two males hate each other all day and then cuddle up together at night to sleep. Just in case you get another male, let me tell you how I introduce them. I put the original male in a box or carrier, then I remove everything from the cage, and spray the cage and everything else down with white vinegar. When the vinegar dries, I put everything back in the cage, but in a different arrangement (food and water bowls in separate areas, if you have decorations, put them in different places). It makes them think they are in a whole new place and neither male has a claim to the "territory". Right before lights out at night, put both males in the cage, and go to bed. It's hard not to check to see what they're doing! It may take some time for them to get adjusted, they may lose some feathers, but as long as they don't draw blood, they will accept each other.

 

[Immy Khodr]

Hey guys!

Thanks for the awesome tips. We managed to find a female for him and they seem to be getting along well! She does run away from the male when he tries to mate, but I heard that's natural?

In other the news the male is already eating apples out of our hands But the female is still very frightened.

We bought a cuttlefish bone and changed the nest quite a lot, putting wood shavings at the bottom and gave them a sandbath.

Poppy (the female) seems to know how to sand bathe but Peanut (the male) who has always been raised in a pet shop doesn't seem to know how to use it.

(He does offer her lots of treats though which is cute. And they cuddle up together when its bedtime in their little nests they dig out and make.)

One more question though, in terms of getting the female to lay eggs. How do we get her to do that? She still seems stressed when we approach the cage or open it to provide food or change stuff, and because we live in an apartment there only ever indoors (we turn off the lights at 11 and turn them back on at 6 to regulate their day/night cycle). Whats the best thing to feed her?

Thanks!

 

[DK newbie]

Great news!
She shouldn't be running away when he tries to mate her though - she should lay down and let him. Sometimes the females even invite the males by laying down, looking back up at the male and doing a peeping sound.
Hopefully she'll get over the running away and let him mate her - perhaps he's a little rough because he's inexperienced or he mates her too often because he has something he needs to get out of his system.

You get her to lay eggs by reducing stress. Right now she's stressed from the move and it's completely natural that she doesn't lay any eggs, but you can help her by providing cover so she doesn't feel she's constantly being watched by big two-legged predators. As mentioned before: Fake or real plants, branches and such are great. I've also used a branch with twigs in many directions, placed in a corner of the cage and covered with hay. Once the birds figured out they could actually hide inside this pile of hay (because the twigs create a cave under the hay), they loved it. Only issue is I haven't seen them for a couple of weeks now - I suspect the female is nesting under the hay so I don't want to disturb them. The male is apparently keeping her company, or he just hides whenever I enter the room.
Placing a blanket over one end of the cage might also work.
The best feed is the same as for the male - game bird starter. Though she also needs a calcium supplement. If she uses the cuttlebone that's fine, otherwise chick sized oyster shell grit should work.