GCC regurgitating?

[dancing_conure]

Hey guys!

I very recently acquired my new GCC from a pet store Unfortunately she has been regurgitating a lot. She first hits her perch with her beak several times and then proceeds to stretch out her neck and bob her head up and down with her mouth open. I'm sending her to the vet next week for a general checkup but should this behaviour be concerning? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[BirdyBee]

@Laurasea? @HeatherG?
I don't own a conure, but these people may know some info

 

[HeatherG]

That sounds like an adult conure behavior. I don’t know why they tap their beak on things, but they do sometimes when excited. It sounds like she’s then regurgitating or bringing food up.

She’s indicating that she really likes you and wants to feed you, I think. This is a normal adult behavior to a flock member or mate.

 

[Laurasea]

congratulations on your new conure! Love to see a picture.
While I can't know for sure the issue. It does from your description sound like a Hormonal behavior. Is the regurgitate creamy and white? That's typical for a regurgitate that would be Hormonal or practice feeding.
Mine can do this to me an object or each other as binding family thing, or a Hormonal thing.

But regurgitate/passive or vomiting can indicate a health issue as well. Iv seen it it 2 birds with yeast infection . And had to treat them with medicine from the vet.

How do poops look? Formed fecal part with creamy thick urates and I my small amount of liquid is a typical normal stool. Poop watching is one of our tools.

Also weight checks are another. A digital kitchen scale set to grams works great. Check in morning after first morning big poop as a standard. You can just set them on scale snd hover hand above them. Or zero out a sturdy dish with a few seeds and then set them on or in that.

Most sick birds will start dropping weight. As it takes 3x times ( on average ) Metabolic rate to be sick so even whenever eat still eat can drop. But sometimes bring sick has them eating less as well. It a valuable early indicator and tool . Has been vitally important in my flock life.

 

[dancing_conure]

congratulations on your new conure! Love to see a picture.
While I can't know for sure the issue. It does from your description sound like a Hormonal behavior. Is the regurgitate creamy and white? That's typical for a regurgitate that would be Hormonal or practice feeding.
Mine can do this to me an object or each other as binding family thing, or a Hormonal thing.

But regurgitate/passive or vomiting can indicate a health issue as well. Iv seen it it 2 birds with yeast infection . And had to treat them with medicine from the vet.

How do poops look? Formed fecal part with creamy thick urates and I my small amount of liquid is a typical normal stool. Poop watching is one of our tools.

Also weight checks are another. A digital kitchen scale set to grams works great. Check in morning after first morning big poop as a standard. You can just set them on scale snd hover hand above them. Or zero out a sturdy dish with a few seeds and then set them on or in that.

Most sick birds will start dropping weight. As it takes 3x times ( on average ) Metabolic rate to be sick so even whenever eat still eat can drop. But sometimes bring sick has them eating less as well. It a valuable early indicator and tool . Has been vitally important in my flock life.

I think the weird thing about her is that she will start the regurgitation process but then stop after a few seconds and nothing comes out. She normally does this again and again for 5 minutes a day. Is this a sign of illness?

 

[HeatherG]

My birds seem to bring food up into their beak and not spit it out or give it to me. I think it’s the beginning of the excited-regurgitation-sequence and if you encouraged this you might get barfed on.

I’m saying this because my Quaker brought up food only at first. I think then I learned to put her down if she was starting to bring food up. I only got food regurg on myself early in our years together.

(Quaker also did this for my roommate, who was one of her favorite people in the whole world. He was grossed out, but also flattered. He nicknamed her “fluff and gag.”)