Regurgitating Food

[xjessicar9]

I was wondering if it's normal behavior for my bird to keep regurgitating food. She does it at least once a day when I'm around, and I didn't know if it means anything at all. It looked at first like head bobbing, but then I realized she was bringing food back up to eat again gag: lol). Does anyone else's bird do this often? I notice it usually looks mushy like it's her food pellets instead of a seed or something, so is this just a way for her to digest it better? Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

[Ember-Tiel]

My conure also regurgitates. As long as your bird isn't vomiting food out or showing any signs of sickness, I think it should be fine.

 

[KitKatPlus]

So when bird's regurgitate, they are bringing back up what's in their crop, not in their stomach. That's why its mushy but not yet digested fully!

Your bird is doing this because it sees you as it's mate. It might seem silly or sweet at first, but unfortunately it is quite sad and gross. Your bird wants to have sex with you, and obviously you can't give the bird what it wants. This sexually frustrates the bird, and can lead to aggression in the future (even if it doesn't, its just not very nice for the bird!)

What a Hormonal Bird Looks Like

Hormones are very apparent in our pet parrots in the spring and the fall, and it's not usually fun for anyone. If you need help dealing with your parrot's hormones; determining the triggers, etc... check out our Hormones Course. In the meantime while you wait for that course to download, you can...

birdtricksstore.com

Here's a website and video on what a hormonal bird looks like and ways to combat it. Two main ways are remembering to only pet your bird on the head and neck, and to steer clear of warm, mushy foods (that mimic the regurgitation!)

 

[Zara]

You may find that your bird will choose a ¨special¨ toy/boing/perch, and start regurgitating for it, which is ok, but just keep an eye on it to be sure that you are keeping that item clean (as they will deposit onto the item then eat it up again), and also that if your bird is depositing the food be sure they are eating enough (weigh your bird frequently - a diary or calendar helps).

When my Sydney was little he would sometimes try to regurgitate while on my hand, which I did not allow. I would put him down on the nearest bird safe surface when I saw the head bobbing start. He quickly learned that I was not interested in his gifts.

My youngest can´t seem to get his loyalties straight and has been regurgitating for a few different toys and items in his cage, so I am constantly checking everything is clean as to not allow bacteria growth.