One of the most important is probably its lifespan. After all, you want to make sure that your parrot receives the greatest amount of attention while it’s in your care.
And it’s not just a question of how long the parrot can live but what it needs to ensure it has a long and healthy life.
We find out how long a Quaker parrot can live and what factors can impact their lifespan
What’s A Quaker Parrot?
Also known as monk parakeets (Myiopsitta Monachus), these parrots tend to be very friendly towards humans and thus easier to handle. This makes them ideal for families with children.
Quaker parrots are known to be more intelligent than other parrot species.
Due to their intelligence, Quaker parrots are very easy to train. They learn quickly and will do almost anything if they’re motivated enough.
They can also be trained to perform tricks like playing musical instruments or dancing!
The Quaker parrot is one of the smallest parrot species. It usually weighs between 2-5 pounds.
They have a short tail which is often curled up when sitting
How Long Does A Wild Quaker Parrot Live?
The native habitat of the Quaker parrot is in South America, specifically in Brazil and neighboring countries.
They are very adaptable birds and have bred in the wild across many other places in the world.
Although they have been naturally breeding successfully in the wild, wild Quaker parrots do face significantly more dangers in their natural habitat than in captivity.
Monk parakeets build large nest houses in trees where they find shelter and protection. However, the surrounding scrubland where they usually live is inhabited by many predators.
While flocks in cities may be able to find more food, they are equally threatened by feathered predators such as hawks.
All these dangers mean that most wild Quaker parrots will only live for up to 15 years.
How Long Does A Quaker Parrot Live In Captivity?
Just like other birds, Quaker parrots will need some serious commitment and care from their human owners.
These birds love human company and crave attention.
As wild Quaker parrots face a range of different risks to their lives, the birds in captivity can live for longer.
The average life of a Quaker parrot in human captivity is around 22 years, although people have reported their birds to live up to 30 years.
There is no guarantee that the bird will live for as long as 30 years. There are a range of factors that influence how long your bird can live.
Often enough the wrong care can mean that Quakers don’t make it anywhere near their average age of 22 years.
That’s why, before you buy a long-lived bird, you need to ensure that you understand as much as possible about them and how to give them the best care possible, so they can live a long, healthy life.
What Affects The Lifespan Of A Quaker Parrot?
Now that you know the average age of a Quaker parrot, it’s time to see what you need to do to ensure your feathery friend lives a long life.
The three main key ingredients for this are diet, the genetic material of the bird, and creating a comfortable environment for your bird.
Genetics
One of the few factors that you, unfortunately, do not have any influence over is the bird’s genetics.
Just like with humans and other animals, some Quaker parrots can live a long life without much care and attention, while others die early because of a disease or genetic defect.
However, one thing you do to ensure your bird doesn’t have any genetic mutations or predispositions is to find a good breeder.
The right breeder will only use healthy birds without genetic diseases for breeding. This ensures that their offspring have no hereditary issues.
This is still not a guarantee to get a bird that lives beyond 22 years. In the end, whatever bird you pick, it’s going to be a genetic lottery.
Diet
A big factor that you have control over to improve the lifespan of your feather friend is the bird’s diet.
As food is such a large part of an animal’s life, this is also the part where many things can go wrong.
There are plenty of myths and rumors around what to feed a parrot. Indeed, many people still believe that birds only need seeds.
However, that’s not the case. Quaker parrots need much more than that.
Wild Quaker parrots eat pretty much anything they can get their beak on, and that in large amounts.
They wander around a lot and therefore need plenty of nutrition to keep their energy levels up.
In cities and some areas inhabited by people, they are seen as a pest because they raid the crops of farmers.
Wild Quaker parrots eat a healthy diet mix of fresh fruit, seeds, insects, leaf buds, grasses, blossoms, and even parts of trees.
They also enjoy the taste of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and other small seeds.
Myiopsitta monachus has been seen to eat typical garden vegetables like legumes or sweet potatoes. They also seem to have developed a taste for cereal crops, like maize, and even citrus crops.
All this shows very clearly that a simple seed-only diet is not enough for Quaker parrots. That’s why the magic ingredient of what is going to keep your bird healthy for longer is variety.
You should also remember that wild Quakers only need a lot of calories because they move around so much.
Birds in captivity don’t need plenty of high-calorie seeds.
That’s why a mix of fresh vegetables or fruit, high-quality seed mix, high-quality pellet food, and sprouted grains is best.
You should also ensure that your bird has access to freshwater as part of its daily diet.
Cage
While diet is an important part of a Quaker parrot’s life, another essential factor for a happy and healthy bird is its environment.
The right cage is where they spend most of their time, so you need to ensure that the cage is large enough and of good quality.
Time Outside The Cage
If you keep your birds in an aviary where they have a little more room to fly, you may not need to allow your birds outside the cage.
However, we do recommend giving your Quaker parrot some out-of-cage time every day.
This will help them stretch their wings and give them some exercise. This exercise prevents obesity and boredom.
Both of these add to the risk of your bird dying earlier than normal.
When you do give your bird some time outside its cage, you should ensure your room is bird-proof.
Make sure that there are no whirling ceiling fans or hot liquids around that could harm the bird.
Mental Stimulation
As we mentioned, Quaker parrots are very intelligent birds and they need ample opportunity to show this.
You should provide plenty of toys, foraging boxes, and climbing opportunities to keep your bird entertained.
Make sure that anything you give to your bird is safe.
A bird without proper mental stimulation does get bored and stressed which can lead to an early death.
Part of this stimulation is also you and your parrot spending time together. A Quaker parrot is a social bird and he loves hanging out with you.
Clean Air
This is often overlooked by most beginners but clean air is essential for all of us.
The lungs of birds are not only small but they are very sensitive too. So if the room where your bird lives is filled with cigarette smoke or perfume, then this can badly affect the parrot.
This is luckily easily preventable by opening the window and airing the room regularly and simply keeping any fumes away from your little feathered friend.
Find Out How Old Your Quaker Parrot Is
If you already own a Quaker parrot and you are not sure how old it is, then you may be able to contact the breeder to check when the clutch hatched.
However, if you got your parrot from a pet store or you adopted it from someone else, it can be difficult to find out exactly how old your bird is.
There is no way to tell past the baby stage how old your Quaker parrot is.
Baby parrots can be recognized because of their underdeveloped plumage and distinct behavior like head bobbing or flapping wings.
Final Thoughts
We hope that our guide on the lifespan of a Quaker parrot helped you understand how vital good bird care is.
The right diet and creating a comfortable environment for your bird can mean your Quaker parrot will be able to live a healthy and long life.
Harlan Derricks, nice to meet you. I created this online resource in the hopes of educating more people about the wonders of parrots, including their species, sizes, and more.
But I don’t just want to stop with parrots. I want to give every bird an opportunity to be marveled at and rescued by my education. If just one of my readers learned something valuable about budgies, cockatiels, or parakeets, then I’d be happy with my success.
