They're HATCHING!!!! (MORE pics added page 2)

[riftnreef]

OK...just how strong is the "quail smell"? We hatched a couple that came with some serama eggs and my daughter is planing on keeping them in her bedroom in a rabbit cage. If the cage is cleaned once a week, will we notice the smell, or should I be making other living arrangements for these guys?

 

[Bettacreek]

Quote:
I feel the same way! My son has been begging me for quail and there is just no way this time pf year. Besides, we live in a small old double wide trailer with 2 dogs, a bearded dragon, 2 budgies and an aquarium full of crickets! (Food for the beardie

)

I've had a number of reptiles over the years (veiled chameleons, iguanas, and a wonderful savannah monitor) and crickets are WAY more stinky and annoying than quail IMHO...you are brave to have so many crickets in the house!

I have to agree times a million. Crickets are far more stinky than quail!

 

[L&Schickens]

Quote:
I've had a number of reptiles over the years (veiled chameleons, iguanas, and a wonderful savannah monitor) and crickets are WAY more stinky and annoying than quail IMHO...you are brave to have so many crickets in the house!

Yes, And the crickets STINK!! They are nasty little things. I would much rather have quail in the house too, but I do not want to ADD more stinky animals to my tiny house then I already have.

I had no idea how much the bearded dragon was going to cost after the fact either. He costs more to feed and house with all his special lighting and special feeding requirements (and his food eats too,) then my horses do!!

 

[Bettacreek]

L&Schickens :

Quote:
I've had a number of reptiles over the years (veiled chameleons, iguanas, and a wonderful savannah monitor) and crickets are WAY more stinky and annoying than quail IMHO...you are brave to have so many crickets in the house!

Yes, And the crickets STINK!! They are nasty little things. I woula much rather have quail in the house too, but I do not want to ADD more stinky animals to my tiny house then I already have.

I had no idea how much the bearded dragon was going to cost after the fact either. He costs more to feed and house with all his special lighting then my horses do!!

Off-topic, but, if you're interested, there are many insects that you can culture that stink far less than crickets. You could culture some of the other insects and if you'd still like to feed crickets once in awhile, you could buy a dozen from the store every once in a blue moon. Most are much easier to culture than the crickets as well.

If you'd like any information on it, let me know, I used to culture many types of live foods (and will soon be restocking my cultures).

 

[Wifezilla]

OK...just how strong is the "quail smell"? We hatched a couple that came with some serama eggs and my daughter is planing on keeping them in her bedroom in a rabbit cage. If the cage is cleaned once a week, will we notice the smell, or should I be making other living arrangements for these guys?

I have 4 quail in a wire cage with a tray under the bottom wire. I put a little pine shaving layer in the tray. I have to change it EVERY DAY or it gets stinky. Of course, it takes me about a minute to dump the old shavings and put in new ones.

Rabbit cage? Wire bottom?​

 

[riftnreef]

something similar at any rate. I like that the rabbit cages have the "splash" guard about 6" tall around the side. The one I have my eye's on is 24"x24" with no wire bottom....so it should be OK...no slide out tray, so she will have to get them out to clean it...hhmmmm.

 

[ksukristin]

In addition to my main pen I do have a rabbit cage from the ace hardware outlet. it has a wire bottom and I have the corners set up on 2 x 4's over a metal pan that I can hose into my compost pile. When it's outside the pan can go a week without hosing off, but when I have it inside I clean the poo every day or it really stinks. My 16 new babies are doing their best to stink up my house right now...I am looking forward to getting them outdoors once they are feathered!

L&S- that is precisely why I have ceased raising reptiles for pets- their equipment costs and feed costs are monstrous and frankly their shorter life spans gave me a bit too much heartache. That reminds me that I still own a few cages and tanks that I should put up on craigslist!

Bettacreek- I wish I had known about the critters you could raise that stink less than crickets- my chameleons would go through 250 crickets a week! The crickets were the worst part of owning those reptiles IMO- and I should have looked for some cricket alternatives. Sounds like you might be able to offer some "stink reduction" advice!

riftnreef- If at all possible, keeping the quail outside (even if on a patio) will save you a ton of work in my ever so lazy and humble opinion. I had my birds inside for a month before I had my pen built and I was doing the happy dance once they were outside! I work long days and to come home and the first thing you smell when you come in the door is quail poo gets old REAL quick...I suppose it also depends on which type of quail eggs you have to hatch- because I'm not familiar enough with button quail to comment but from my reading it seems that a lot of people keep those inside. But I am happier with my Coturnix outdoors