I want some opinions on the 'head bob'

[RissaLynn]

I took my caique,Ziki,to a vet just to make sure all is well,plus I thought his beak was too long(I was wrong,he is perfect,according to the vet.Yay!).When discussing him I did bring it up just to be sure it was alright that he does it,and she said it is positive but to avoid it since it is behavior she doesnt like encouraged.He doesnt ACTUALLY regurgitate,he just does the head movement,and Im wondering...Is the vet correct that it isnt something to encourage? Does this do anything to his body? Or is it mostly an issue if he actually gets something up and does it too frequently?

I want to be sure my baby boy is healthy,but I DO also love the gesture of seeing how happy he is with me.I just dont see any NEGATIVE aspect of it,and want to know if Im missing something with this..

 

[Agapornis]

I would like to know the answer to this too. My Sundance does it a lot, way more than Fiji. No regurgitation, just the bobbing. Doesn't it just mean that they like you? Where's the harm?

 

[andrea.b]

Im no expert, but I think I read on here somewhere that birds tend to regurgitate for their mates. So by encouraging it or copying the head bobbing you may be communicating to your bird that you are potentially their mate. For a bird this can become extremely frustrating because obviously you're not their mate. Frustration can lead to behaviour problems like plucking feathers, biting, or becoming protective of one particular person and attacking others. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Also just a note that I don't have a Caique so maybe its different with them.

 

[dskidd]

Based on my (admittedly limited!) knowledge, I agree with your vet and Andrea.

Barbara Heidenreich has written some (in my opinion) excellent books on parrot behavior. One point she makes is that gaining an understanding of how birds behave in the wild is a great key to understanding why companion birds act the way they do.

On this particular issue, my takeaway from it is that a bird's life is pretty much based on day-to-day survival--they often end their day hungry, for example. Thus, food is the most precious resource they have. And so they regurgitate for their mates, and young ones...giving them the most important item they possess, in other words.

To take my own case, Eliza and Henry will occasionally regurgitate (or "head-bob," if you like), but it's not constant, or even all that often. Generally, it will happen when I've been away from the house for longer than they're accustomed to me being gone. I don't bob my head in return...often I'll just say "I love you too" (which they're pretty much used to hearing from me anyway!).

So I don't worry about it too much; however, I'm very well aware that if they start doing it excessively, I've got some potential behavior problems to worry about. (Actually, I think that probably applies to most parrot behaviors: if they do anything excessively, it's worth investigating what it might mean.)

In short, as your vet says, it's a positive...but even too much of something positive isn't a necessarily a good thing.

And--though it hardly needs to be said--if your bird DOES regurgitate something, get him/her to the vet right away! Ask Henry!

 

[Jowelbg]

Derek, you've got some great reading material. I have to ask, though. Does your home include a parrot library with wall to wall books on parrot behavior? If so, can we call it the parrotorium?

 

[dskidd]

Derek, you've got some great reading material. I have to ask, though. Does your home include a parrot library with wall to wall books on parrot behavior? If so, can we call it the parrotorium?

You certainly may! I should also mention the parrotorium serves as yet another indication of how cunningly intelligent caiques are.

I had read some of the books before I got Eliza, and the rest afterwards. My coffee table has a shelf underneath it, where I usually have magazines and catalogs. I thought it would be a good idea to keep the books there, so they'd be close at hand for immediate reference if needed.

Sometime after Henry arrived, I was working in the office. Normally, E&H are in their cages when I'm working. This time they were out, but I just closed the door, thinking I wouldn't be in there long. However, I took longer than I thought.

When I came out, the living room looked like someone had thrown a bomb into a paper mill. The magazines and catalogs were perfectly intact. But E&H sure did a number on the parrot books.

Clearly, they don't want me knowing too much...

 

[bluecrownmama]

I also read recently that this was something to be discouraged and I was really dismayed because we actually trained our blue crown to bob when you say "dance dance". He'll also do this if you're dancing around to music, or trying to bounce/sooth a crying baby. Our blue crown seems to dislike everyone but me, and yet "dance" is the only command anyone can give him and he will do. So while on one hand I agree with what everyone else said and read, I don't think my bird takes it as regurgitation. I could be totally wrong. It has made me watch him more closely. Also, I can remember one time maybe a year ago where he did a noticeably Different looking head bob, and while nothing was regurgitated, looking back I feel like that's the kind of action to discourage.

 

[punkindave]

Only when we're gone for the day, one just "bounces" in place and one will do the "head bob"!! The others just cheer!
It's funny, the head bob almost seems to be an involuntary motion for him! He's also the one that "pants" constantly when he's content. I was concerned about it but it doesn't seem to happen when he's flying or doing any strenuous activity, only when he's still and sitting on my shoulder or nearby.. Vet never saw it before but since it didn't seem to be a breathing problem we just keep an eye out for changes. He's done it since he was a fledgling.