Quaker vomiting

[Steven08]

Hello it's me again and reluctantly looking for expertise on this fourm again. The Quaker I found has been doing well, was getting more playful and comfortable...until last light.

Mr. Quaker vomots every time he eats or drinks within a 5-10 minute period. So I removed his bowl of seeds. Has anyone experienced this? Any tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

 

[painesgrey]

Vomiting, as in slinging his head from side to side? Not to be confused with regurgitation, when they bob their head and produce food from their crop.

Vomiting, especially when it's recurrent, warrants a vet visit ASAP.

 

[iamwhoiam]

If he is vomiting and not able to keep any food or liquid down then he needs to go to the vet. Hope everything will be OK.

 

[Steven08]

Vomiting, as in slinging his head from side to side? Not to be confused with regurgitation, when they bob their head and produce food from their crop.

Vomiting, especially when it's recurrent, warrants a vet visit ASAP.

He's definitely bobbing his head up and down. Unfortunately I'm at a financial crisis and I actually found this parrot during the rain, so vet is not an option for me.

I went out and bought some digestion aid. Thanks for the the support and insight

 

[iamwhoiam]

What is this digestion aid? Is this specifically for birds?
Do you have a scale to monitor the weight? If you see your bird's weight dropping because of the vomiting then you do want to get him/her to the vet. You might be able to set up something with the vet regarding payment or get Care Credit.
The way they move their heads is not always a definitive indicator of vomiting vs regurgitation, JMHO.

 

[painesgrey]

He's definitely bobbing his head up and down. Unfortunately I'm at a financial crisis and I actually found this parrot during the rain, so vet is not an option for me.

I went out and bought some digestion aid. Thanks for the the support and insight

Regurgitation can be an indicator of a few things. It can be a completely benign behavior associated with courtship and rearing young - typically this manifests as head bobbing to produce food, then swallowing the food back down or depositing it on whatever they're trying to feed.

It can also be a symptom of digestive issues. In this case, you'll see the typical bobbing behavior, but the food will come up and spill out of the beak.

The latter is a very worrying symptom that needs to be addressed by a vet. Like @iamwhoiam stated, you need to monitor body weight. A loss off 10% of the bird's overall body weight constitutes a medical emergency. If you cannot afford a vet, look into Care Credit, or try to find a local rescue that may be able to help you out.

 

[Steven08]

First and foremost I want to thank all who posted here, your post are invaluable to me.

Just want to post an update, my green feathery friend is doing a lot better it seems, I've bought him bird gravel and gave him lettuce, he didn't seem to vomit so I decided to buy him a new seed brand for digestion aid seems to be okay and happy. I'll give him smaller portions from now on since he eats like a pig

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Sorry for the possible bad orientation, but nevertheless we thank you!

If anyone in the future encounter similar problem I hope this thread can help you

 

[Steven08]

What is this digestion aid? Is this specifically for birds?
Do you have a scale to monitor the weight? If you see your bird's weight dropping because of the vomiting then you do want to get him/her to the vet. You might be able to set up something with the vet regarding payment or get Care Credit.
The way they move their heads is not always a definitive indicator of vomiting vs regurgitation, JMHO.

Ecotrition bird gravel is the name of digestion aid. He never seem sad when he puked and went back to eating and or drinking.
This problem occurred when he flew to my goffin Cockatoo's cage and started eating from her bowl.

 

[sunnysmom]

Is he vomiting or regurgitating? Regurgitating is like he's forcing something up from his throat and is usually normal. Vomiting is more side to side and head shaking. If it's vomiting he really needs to see a vet as it's often a sign of an infection. I've never heard of giving a digestion aid....

 

[iamwhoiam]

There is a controversy regarding bird gravel. You need to be very careful with that and many vets recommend against using it. It can cause impaction in the digestive system.
How is your bird doing now?

BTW, when you have a chance add some natural perches to his cage. They are much better than dowels.

 

[Feathered up]

It could well be that the Quaker was regurgitating for your cockatoo. Please don’t add grit to a parrot’s diet as it can cause serious harm if not administered properly or if the species is not one that actually uses grit.

You’ve diagnosed an illness or digestive problem that may not exist and treated it in a very controversial way that was likely not necessary. If I had a dime for every time Cabo hacked up food I’d be a billionaire.

I am always the first person to defend people who don’t have access to a vet. But I am also never on board with keeping animals you can’t afford to provide medical care for. I generally go easy on horse owners because people buy them without a clue of how fast they can need access to thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. But a couple hundred for a check up which many vets will allow payments on.....

I have been through times where getting an animal to the vet meant I ate ramen for a couple months and did without cable and Internet.

I honestly hope this thread is never referenced for how to handle regurgitation in a parrot.

 

[Feathered up]

BTW, when you have a chance add some natural perches to his cage. They are much better than dowels.

And maybe a larger cage with smaller bar spacing and some more toys that allow for foraging opportunity.