tinysaurus-rex:

They’re basically like tiny chickens with a hint of pigeon. I’m currently feeding them chicken feed crumbles, fish feed, dried herbs, fresh greens, live dubia roaches, dried mealworms, and left over pigeon feed (usually sorghum and millet). They get oyster shell, grit, and a daily vitamin supplement in addition to their sun lamp.

They like to dust bathe a lot so I use equine wood pellets that have been soaked and fluffed as bedding mixed with some potting soil (doesn’t have any use except adding interest). People keep them in tiny cages but I think 5’ for length should be the MINIMUM. They’re very active and bouncy that use every inch of their space. I’ve been letting them out lately and they run all over my room without getting even a little tired.

They really like shelter. I find that they’re not a fan of actual hiding boxes so much as leaves and branches covering much of the enclosure. The fake ones designed for reptiles work well, as would (edible) real plants. I’m going to take out a rabbit hide I have in for them and get a nice big edible plant…probably parsley or basil. Something very leafy and fun. Try to copy a temperate forest floor. Ferns, hollow logs, rocks to jump on, plants to run through, plenty of cover to dash into when threatened.

Water is pretty important to Chinese painted quail, not just in the way it is for everything but also a key component to their natural environment. Naturally they would not venture far from streams and drink pretty frequently. Keep water always available, accessible, clean, and moving water is a big bonus! I’m going to use a tiny fish filter in a dish to keep water moving and clean (still working up to that, I really take my time with them since I don’t want to go backwards in my efforts to befriend them).

I would think that chicks who are imprinted on people and raised lovingly would require more attention and enrichment than unsocialized quail which is something to keep in mind.

Overall they’re fairly easy once you have everything set up. As for their sounds, pretty quiet. They whisper a lot, little beeps and squeaks that can’t be heard unless you’re listening closely. Both the hens and the cocks crow which is the loudest noise they make, there seem to be a few different crows that they do and they’re simply a joy. Just google button quail crow! It is pretty loud for a little bird (nothing like a parrot), but such a fun and pleasant noise that I don’t mind. They do it a few times a day, I’ve identified a few reasons; finished laying an egg, separated from one another, to let me know they’re out of food, and just because they’re happy I think. They have three notes, two notes, and the very rare four note crow. I can’t tell which means what yet.

Painted quail are best kept in pairs, one male to one female. One male to a couple of females is possible but can go bad. An enclosure 2 feet by 4-5 feet should be enough space for them.

Coturnix quail are slightly larger and a bit smellier, best kept outside in enclosures well reinforced against predators (no chicken wire! It’s useless, use 1/4″ hardware cloth) so they have enough space. They need to be kept in groups with one male to at least 4 females. Care is otherwise pretty much the same. They’ll do OK in the same size cage as painted quail, but really ought to have more space. I’d suggest nothing smaller than 4 by 4 feet. 

Both need to have padding on the top of their cage, inside, because they jump up when scared and can hurt their little heads if they have enough room to accelerate. If the cage is taller than 12″ but shorter than 6′, padding is needed. 

Coturnix tame much more easily than painted quail.