Button Quail Care 2025 🐦 | Vet Guide by Dr Duncan Houston BVSc

Delightful and compact, button quails (King or Chinese painted quails) make engaging ground-dwelling companions! This detailed 2025 guide by Dr Duncan Houston BVSc offers veterinary insight to support their housing, diet, enrichment, breeding, grooming, health, and behavior needs. Let’s ensure your tiny quails thrive! 😊

1. 🐦 Getting to Know Button Quails

• Scientific name: Turnix spp., often called King or Chinese painted quails—not true quails :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}.
• Size & lifespan: Approximately 4–5″ long; weight ~1–4.6 oz (30–130 g). Life expectancy is 3–6 years, but with excellent care they can reach 15 years :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}.
• Sex differences: Males are vibrantly colored (gray-blue chests, rust underparts, facial bands); females are camouflaged brown :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}.
• Behavior: Ground-dwelling and shy; they flutter when startled but don't perch well :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}.

2. Housing & Enclosure Setup 🏠

2.1 Cage Size & Safety

• A rectangular aviary of at least 36″ × 24″ (6 sq ft) is minimum for a pair; increase by 4 sq ft per additional pair :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}.
• Height ≥24″ allows flight; overhead padding with netting prevents injury from jumps :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}.
• Avoid aquariums—lack ventilation and height stresses birds and robs air quality :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}.
• Use solid or natural-soil flooring; wire floors can cause bumblefoot if not paired with perches :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}.

2.2 Bedding & Environment

• Bedding can include pine shavings, paper, or organic soil; it supports natural dust-bathing behavior :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}.
• Add hiding spots—plant clumps, bark, low perches, small boxes—for security :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}.
• Maintain moderate temperatures, away from drafts and UV-protected sunlight; use heat lamps only if temps drop below ~40 °F :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}.
• Ensure predator-proofing when outdoors—secure fencing, covered tops, buried mesh :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}.

3. Nutrition & Feeding 🍽️

• Staple diet: Game bird starter or breeder crumble (60–70%), with 16% protein ideal :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}.
• Supplement: Sprouted seed mix, veggies, mealworms or scrambled egg—offered daily for variety and enrichment :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}.
• Grit & calcium: Provide grit for digestion and crushed oyster shell for egg layers :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}.
• Fresh water: Available at all times in a quail-appropriate waterer; change daily :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}.
• Clean up: Discard uneaten fresh foods after 2 hrs; seeds and crumbles refreshed thrice daily :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}.

4. Enrichment & Social Needs

• Provide dust bath areas with fine sand or soil—they love to scratch and forage :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20}.
• Scatter seeds or mealworms to encourage foraging behavior :contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21}.
• Include perches and low platforms to rest feet—small hookbills appreciate variety :contentReference[oaicite:22]{index=22}.
• Button quails are social; keep in pairs or trios; watch for aggression, especially in same-sex groups :contentReference[oaicite:23]{index=23}.

5. Breeding & Reproduction 🥚

• Reach breeding age at ~4–5 months; best results breeding at 1–2 years :contentReference[oaicite:24]{index=24}.
• Pairs thrive in separate enclosures within group settings; trios (1 male, 2 females) possible :contentReference[oaicite:25]{index=25}.
• Quails lay ~5 eggs weekly—incubation ~16 days; breeders can use incubators or natural methods :contentReference[oaicite:26]{index=26}.
• Quarantine new birds for 30 days before integrating to avoid disease :contentReference[oaicite:27]{index=27}.

6. Chick Rearing

• Chicks need brooders warmed to ~100 °F initially, reducing gradually :contentReference[oaicite:28]{index=28}.
• Provide fine crumble mixed with mashed egg or mealworm powder; use small waterers with marbles to prevent drowning :contentReference[oaicite:29]{index=29}.
• Separate aggressive individuals to prevent injury; ensure shelter and soft footing in brooder :contentReference[oaicite:30]{index=30}.

7. Health & Veterinary Care 🩺

• Common issues: ulcerative enteritis, coryza, respiratory infections, coccidiosis, parasitic worms—all treatable if caught early :contentReference[oaicite:31]{index=31}.
• Watch for symptoms: diarrhea, lethargy, fluffed appearance, respiratory noise, appetite loss.
• Practice strict hygiene: clean coops, quarantine new birds, control flies and moisture :contentReference[oaicite:32]{index=32}.
• Schedule vet visits for diagnostic support, especially during outbreaks.

8. Daily & Seasonal Care Checklist ✅

• ✔️ Provide fresh feed, water, and grit
• ✔️ Refresh fresh foods daily and remove leftovers
• ✔️ Spot-clean housing; deep clean weekly
• ✔️ Offer dust baths and enrichment weekly
• ✔️ Quarantine new birds for 30 days
• ✔️ Observe flock behavior and health daily
• ✔️ Vet check if illness suspected

9. Why Trust Ask A Vet?

Ask A Vet connects you to avian and exotic pet vets 24/7. Our team supports button quail owners with nutrition guidance, behavior advice, illness assessments, and emergency care. Download our app for expert care at your fingertips! 📱🩺

10. Final Thoughts

Button quails are fascinating, gentle, and efficient backyard companions. With thoughtful habitat design, feather-safe nutrition, social housing, safety protocols, and veterinary vigilance, these small wonders can thrive, offering years of quiet chirps and charm in your home or garden. 🧡

— Dr Duncan Houston BVSc

👉 Visit AskAVet.com or download the Ask A Vet app for tailored avian care support anytime! 🐦✨