Quail crazily jumping and going insane

[bored]

Hi, recently my one of two quails that I made a post about because it began pecking the other, has started to try jump out of its box... The box is big enough for the two and the one quail that jumps had its behavior changed around 2 weeks ago, it used to be fine with me holding it and everything but suddenly, overnight it hated everyone; it would run for its life if we came next to it. The more well behaved quail had no change in behavior until recently it started to act a bit more wild, not as much as the other one though.

The jumps are so harsh that they wake me up during the night, one time it pushed the plastic cover on top of it with so much force that it actually escaped... I found it in one of the rooms downstairs probably a few hours after it jumped out. I now have covered the box with a safer option of netting so it does not hurt itself too badly as all its feathers on its head have gone due to its 'escaping'. I am stressed and need to know why this is happening. I don't know what it could possibly be scared of as we stay up till 10-11PM whilst the TV is on and it does nothing, one family member stays up later so when we sleep everything should be normal for it but its not. it would jump like a sequence near around the same time every day at like 12AM. Today it started to seem more scared and is trying to jump out (Not as harsh as at night though) It would be appreciated if anyone could help out on this issue.

Thanks

 

[Trisseh]

Are you sure the other is not picking on it? I would try to escape too, if that’s the case. Some just don’t get along (which I found out the hard way when most of mine turned out to be boys!) and can’t be housed together. My house quail seems to be pretty nocturnal so I don’t know that midnight activity is terribly abnormal. Lol. Escape behaviour means there is some stimulus to make them want out, whether that’s inter-quail issues or some other aspect that they’re trying to get out of/away from. (Too hot, boredom, learned behaviour once they escaped the first time...)

I’m no quail expert but I’ve learned a lot from mine over the past few months. I do find the boys to be the more active, spastic ones; my little guy hit about 4 weeks and became very territorial about his cage, growling and rushing my hands trying to peck me. That stopped pretty quickly but they can be right nasty when they want to be...

 

[Trisseh]

Im 99% sure they are both females and I have only encountered pecking once and that was solved about a month ago. Also with the pecking it was the one that's jumping right now that was pecking. The other one is gentle and so innocent, it loves being held.

Perhaps the tables have turned, and the picker is now the pickee.
There have been some posts on here from others with females that are more vicious than the males (to each other) so no guarantees there. Lol. I’ve just found my boys are the more aggressive, outgoing ones, that try to escape. Lol. My biggest reason for suggesting pecking/picking behaviour is that you said the feathers were missing from the head on the one. They don’t *usually* scalp themselves escaping, although not saying it’s impossible; but I would lean more toward the other being the culprit. Any chance of putting a camera on them at night to see what they’re actually getting up to in there? Can you temporarily separate their house so they can see each other but not necessarily access the other, in case it is an inter-bird issue?

 

[FloorCandy]

Are you sure the other is not picking on it? I would try to escape too, if that’s the case. Some just don’t get along (which I found out the hard way when most of mine turned out to be boys!) and can’t be housed together. My house quail seems to be pretty nocturnal so I don’t know that midnight activity is terribly abnormal. Lol. Escape behaviour means there is some stimulus to make them want out, whether that’s inter-quail issues or some other aspect that they’re trying to get out of/away from. (Too hot, boredom, learned behaviour once they escaped the first time...)

I’m no quail expert but I’ve learned a lot from mine over the past few months. I do find the boys to be the more active, spastic ones; my little guy hit about 4 weeks and became very territorial about his cage, growling and rushing my hands trying to peck me. That stopped pretty quickly but they can be right nasty when they want to be...

When a chick runs at me growling or attacking, I pick it up and teach it that behavior gets the opposite of what it wants.

 

[bored]

Hi, we figured out the problem recently and id like to share it to others who may be having the same problem... my quail was simply afraid of the dark.

 

[orloffer]

What is your quail set-up like? My coturnix are also terrified of humans.

 

[bored]

What is your quail set-up like? My coturnix are also terrified of humans.

It is a plastic box that we made higher with sticks, glue gun and net. We put wood shavings that fill like 75% of the box the rest is hay, we have two little huts that they can sleep in too and extra shade on top of that.

 

[Xouie]

The “axe-murderer” phase is normal with quail. The sweetest chicks suddenly act like you’re a psycho killer. Many outgrow it eventually. Just talk to them when you’re moving around— they instinctively know predators are silent.

The escape attempts can also be a common thing. Usually because they want more space, places to hide, a change of scene. Do you have places for them to hide? I use buckets lying down In big spaces and random cardboard boxes in smaller enclosures.

when we have somebody who’s a midnight spaz we play very quiet music at night. Recently Mozart for our week-old chicks is working like a charm (except the one who’s already convinced I’m Freddy Krueger and escaped the brooder at 3am this morning).

 

[bored]

The “axe-murderer” phase is normal with quail. The sweetest chicks suddenly act like you’re a psycho killer. Many outgrow it eventually. Just talk to them when you’re moving around— they instinctively know predators are silent.

The escape attempts can also be a common thing. Usually because they want more space, places to hide, a change of scene. Do you have places for them to hide? I use buckets lying down In big spaces and random cardboard boxes in smaller enclosures.

when we have somebody who’s a midnight spaz we play very quiet music at night. Recently Mozart for our week-old chicks is working like a charm (except the one who’s already convinced I’m Freddy Krueger and escaped the brooder at 3am this morning).

Yes a I have a cardboard box as a hut and another artificial bush hut, I am worried as you say it will 'out grow it' It has been doing this for around 2 weeks and every day i have held it, it only seems to be getting worse... When you say it wants a change of scene, every day we take it out into our garden so they can roam around for a bit. Also when you say it might want more space, we've kept it out once in the cage only to find out that it was bleeding in the morning, also because of jumping.

 

[bored]

Are you sure the other is not picking on it? I would try to escape too, if that’s the case. Some just don’t get along (which I found out the hard way when most of mine turned out to be boys!) and can’t be housed together. My house quail seems to be pretty nocturnal so I don’t know that midnight activity is terribly abnormal. Lol. Escape behaviour means there is some stimulus to make them want out, whether that’s inter-quail issues or some other aspect that they’re trying to get out of/away from. (Too hot, boredom, learned behaviour once they escaped the first time...)

I’m no quail expert but I’ve learned a lot from mine over the past few months. I do find the boys to be the more active, spastic ones; my little guy hit about 4 weeks and became very territorial about his cage, growling and rushing my hands trying to peck me. That stopped pretty quickly but they can be right nasty when they want to be...

Im 99% sure they are both females and I have only encountered pecking once and that was solved about a month ago. Also with the pecking it was the one that's jumping right now that was pecking. The other one is gentle and so innocent, it loves being held. I also don't think it is too hot because the other quail has not been affected, I haven't thought about boredom but again the other quail seems fine, and the learned behaviour cant be the issue as it made alot of harsh jumps before escaping the first time and also its behaviour started before it escaped... thanks for the quick replies