Button Quail?

NDan · Post by **NDan** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 7:20 pm

Has anyone here added Button Quail to their aviary?
I've been reading about them today and they sound like a lot of fun. Good addition for the lower half of the cage.
Any comments?

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 6:59 am

i have had a pair for quite a while now and they are really comical and easy to keep,but they do need extra seed apart from the stuff that lands on the floor.you can buy chick starter crumbs especially mad for them but i usually keep a dish and water fountain on the floor especially for them as they cannot fly up tp hoppers or feeding stations.....they can fly but its a vertical nondirectional thing a sort of suck it and see flight! i feed mine mealworms but they eat most insects if you observe them stalking a spider it is really comical but i have seem them eat bees wasps moths crickets.the biggest problem is..if they have been raised in an incubater the chances of them rearing their own eggs is minimal as they usually just kick the eggs round the aviary instead of sitting them ,but i would certainly advise on getting some as they are easy to keep if your aviary is not covered they will need shelter from the rain though as they dont like getting wet as they bathe in sand

this is what mine are like

ken

zookeeper · Post by **zookeeper** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 8:02 am

I have a button quail in my aviary/flight cage. She is very entertaining, indeed!

I feed her "turkey crumble" + finch seed + mealworms and waxworms.

A quail taking a dustbath is a sight to see -- it looks like a grand mal seizure -- but once you realize the bird is not ailing but having FUN, it is great fun to watch.

NDan · Post by **NDan** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 9:33 am

I hadn't thought about the incubation versus raised by parents making a difference on nesting. hmm.
I would dearly love to see them hatch but it would be good if they were also parent raised. ah, such quandries.
I suspect I won't be able to find a source close enough to buy live birds so may just do the incubation this one time for fun.
They look absolutely darling.

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 10:27 am

hi ndan
i wouldnt let the incubator thing put you off as they are well worth buying just for the entertainment value alone.it also has been known for incubated birds to breed in the avairy...its just that there hasnt been that many once you seem them hatch into little bumble bee shaped birds you will not want to get rid of them.this is when they are at there optimum cuddling factor when they have just dried out and walking about with their overly massive feet and beaks but beware do not put them straight outside as they will walk straight through your aviary wire

ken

Post by **Hilary** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 1:13 am

Ok, I have to confess that I just brought my first three buttons home last weekend, and am in love - they are the funniest little guys!!

Hilary

zookeeper · Post by **zookeeper** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:18 pm

They are adorable and intriguing, aren't they?

Post by **Hilary** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:49 am

Too much so! After getting the 3 I read up on them, ordered an incubator, and ordered 25 eggs (hatch rate during the winter is about half, and I have at least one friend who wants some). I was sent FIFTY!
They're now in the incubator....

What the heck was I thinking.....

Hilary

zookeeper · Post by **zookeeper** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 8:21 am

OH MY GOODNESS. You will be up to your ARMPITS in fluffy-wuffy cuteness!

NDan · Post by **NDan** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:52 am

I tried to hatch 12 button quail eggs 2 different times. I had trouble with the incubator the first time and lost them all.
The second time, with everything as correct as I could get it, I had 1 out of 11 hatch. The 12th egg had a little hole in it.
He died in 4 days. Still not positive why but he was an unhappy chick all on his own.
So I am still quail-less. Now I am wondering if I can order some live ones or if I should wait till spring and try again.

Post by **Hilary** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:08 am

There are several sources for live ones, including Garrie at http://www.zebrafinch.com and http://www.singing-wings-aviary.com. Too bad you don't live near me, though of course I'm counting my chicks before they hatch! I found 3 had burst in the incubator - I'm hoping that they were cracked from the shipment and not that the thermostat is off.....

Hilary

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:16 am

are button quail the same thing as blue quail? If so our petstores often sell them. I've seen them a number of times in Petsmart, I wanted some because they're so cute, but my boyfriend pointed out that they're also bite sized for cats

Maybe you should call around to different pet stores to see if they can get some for you if you're unsuccessful hatching them yourself?

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:59 am

thalia

button quail are commonly known as chinese painted .the normal colour is really nice to look at and they always have a white moustache

ken

http://www.chinesepaintedquail.co.uk/

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 12:34 pm

well now I'm confused b/c the little guys I saw in the pet store looked like the ones in Kenny's pics, but not the ones on that website

Oh well, hopefully your egg hatching adventure turns out well for you!

TammyS · Post by **TammyS** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 1:35 pm

Just curious - is anyone keeping the button quail in an indoor aviary? Or are they strictly for outdoor aviaries?