Is it normal for a Conure to have saliva? HELP

[greencheekconure101]

hello guys i am in desperate need of answers because i read online somewhere it had said that conures cant really taste peppers and spicy peppers like ceyenne peppers simply because they dont have saliva. This is the first time i am noticing my bird have saliva because as i was on my phone texting she was licking my hand and i felt something wet. It was a drop or 2 of saliva. i couldnt believe it so i let her lick me more and it was still wet. Is this bad? What does this mean? Does anyone elses conures have saliva? does this mean she is sick? is it okay to touch her saliva? i just need answers as you can see. For those of you that can please help me. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

 

[Selestine]

Birds have salivary glands. They don't produce a ton of saliva, but they do have it. From what I understand birds receptor cells are mostly immune to capsaicin. I actually believe scientists did an experiment fairly recently where they modified the protein or something in the capsaicin and were able to make it spicy to birds. I didn't read it myself, but my husband was telling me about it a few days ago. Usually I tune him out when he's being sciency.

 

[weco]

Hello GCC101.....welcome to the forums, hope you enjoy your stay around here.....

I'll have to agree with Selestine's reply, and offer this link about birds & salivary glands:

Exercise 22: Avian Digestive Organs

(for anyone questioning the author's credentials, he is/was with the Dept. of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0442)


and this link for her husband, when she tuned him out:

Fire-Eaters - The New Yorker

Selestine, you might have learned something new if you hadn't tuned him out ! ! !

 

[Selestine]

I try.. I really do.. but when he starts droning it is an involuntary response! He'd be a professional lecturer if the position were offered to him. A person can only take so much lecturing on a daily basis!

 

[weco]

I try.. I really do.. but when he starts droning it is an involuntary response! He'd be a professional lecturer if the position were offered to him. A person can only take so much lecturing on a daily basis!

OK, I'll say sorry, but I wrote the response based on what you said.....

Maybe I should trail my response with an exaggerated smiley, like I often do in a couple of my newsgroups, but think them to be sort of banal, so don't use them on any of the online forums I post to..... ))

 

[OneHorseRanch]

I try.. I really do.. but when he starts droning it is an involuntary response! He'd be a professional lecturer if the position were offered to him. A person can only take so much lecturing on a daily basis!

I will have to agree with you. On any subject...if it goes on and on and on and on. you get the point. I try to pick out key words that I may need to start listening. THis bird stuff is always interesting. My daughter was wondering if ice cubes would stick to the birds tongue. I told her no, because I thought they didnt have saliva..guess i was wrong.

 

[Selestine]

I try.. I really do.. but when he starts droning it is an involuntary response! He'd be a professional lecturer if the position were offered to him. A person can only take so much lecturing on a daily basis!

OK, I'll say sorry, but I wrote the response based on what you said.....

Maybe I should trail my response with an exaggerated smiley, like I often do in a couple of my newsgroups, but think them to be sort of banal, so don't use them on any of the online forums I post to..... ))

You don't have to apologize -- I knew you were teasing. I'm sorry you didn't realize I was teasing back.

He's just one of those kinds of guys who loves to talk. It makes him happy. He knows I'm not really listening when he's talking like that -- he isn't expecting a response. Just some company while he relaxes I'm the only one he knows, afterall, who will listen to him for an hour while he talks about servers and databases and other stuff that sounds like Greek.

That's an interesting point about the ice... I wonder if it WOULD stick to their tongues...