Should you discourage regurgitation?

Darci

Darci

New member
Jun 12, 2014
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Alberta, Canada
Parrots
Shadow - Six year old Congo African Grey
This sounds like a weird question, but bird life is weird!

I have had my grey for a year and a half (she was five when I bought her a year ago) and she lets me handle her but does not like being petted. I have always been fine with this, she is who she is and I know that as a mature bird the bonding process could take some time. Some birds will never want that close contact and I get that. From almost the second month though, she tried regurgitating for me. I discouraged it because I am concerned that could lead to trying to lay an egg and I want to discourage the possibility of her becoming egg bound (if she is indeed female, I haven't had her DNA sexed yet). I kinda also just assumed this isn't a behavior that's usually encouraged among parrot owners. But I do know it's a sign of affection. It doesn't bother me really as long as she doesn't run up and puke on me, but I feel like it's good to discourage... anyone want to chime in on this?

Tonight, for the first time she let me pet under her wing. Is it possible that tolerating this for a second let her feel more comfortable with me? And if so,what parameters should I follow for her health and the comfort of my house guests?
 
You are seriously going to confuse your bird..... petting her under her wings could be indicating to her that you want to breed with her, so she regurgitates food for you, then you discourage it.


I remember when people felt elated and happy that their bird regurgitated for them because it meant that their bird "loved" them! At that point in time I never had birds regurgitating for me, and I never found the appeal of it, either... later did end up with two birds who attempted to regurgitate for me, and it was erhm...... NOPE! Not for me!



If you allow a bird to bond too closely to you and form a mate bond, this can lead to mate aggression (bird may defend you against strangers or even relatives or SO's), excess hormones, stress, plucking, mutilating, etc. Not healthy.


So I say no to allowing them to regurgitate for you and no to petting under the wings or anywhere other than the head!
 
I agree. Under the wings is definitely a trouble spot that could give your girl the wrong idea about what might be jumping off right then. Lol!

And I discourage regurgitation as well, though not in a hard-nosed kind of way or anything. I don't give them "the look" or a stern no or anything. I just treat it the same way I would a parrot who has gotten too wound up and excited with play. I put them down for a few moments to give them the chance to cool off and get themselves back to an even level. This has worked for Jolly and Maya both.

On a side note, it's good to see you on the forum again, Monica! You've been missed!
 
My Grey will occasionally attempt to regurgitate (no food comes up) when he gets really excited over something, so I can agree with treating it as any other behavior. He's not very affectionate but when he gets himself worked up into a frenzy over a toy or hearing the TV it'll set him off but I just ignore it.

My Amazon is the same way, when he gets super excited he'll start regurgitating. He wasn't hand raised like my Grey was, but I think it's a fairly natural response to overstimulation. Avoiding the triggers towards mating behavior (petting the lower back, under the wings, etc) and ignoring the regurgitation behavior is really all you need to do.

I do suggest you get the DNA sexing done just to be on the safe side anyway in case your bird is in fact female.
 
My Smokes was never a touchy bird..BUT she still regurgitated for me..go figure


Jim
 
ToMang07 said:
Thanks. *When* she does it, it's pretty consistent, frequently a lot harder than that, (like every few seconds to a minute) so I'm pretty sure it's dry heaving, but I could be wrong. Always makes me nervous tho, lol
Click to expand...

As far as I am aware, parrots do not "dry heave". They can regurgitate without spitting food out, but if a bird is puking, there's going to be food (or water) involved.


When a bird is yawning like that, they do it for a few reasons....

  1. Readdjusting the contents of their crop
  2. They're tired
  3. The air pressure in their ears changes (especially if scratching around their ears)
  4. They may have a sinus infection
 
I don't. Never have. Probably never will.
 
Birdman666 said:
I don't. Never have. Probably never will.
Click to expand...

Same. I read once it is there way to share something very precious with you. Food. How you can you say no ? I do not encourage it but would never tell him no. Sorry if anyone does not agree but its how it works for me and mine
 
Well my thought on this is

(1) it's a natural behavior... so you're probably not going to stop it anyway. You can really only reduce the frequency...

and

(2) that is very much a "bonding" behavior. Not so much you with your bird, but your bird with you. Rejecting that can sometimes be misinterpreted to mean... rejection. Period! (Hurt birdie feelings. Pouting. Anger/Pissey behavior in some extreme cases.)

"Thank you very much. But I'm full why don't you eat that... I love you too, bird! Go on back to your spot. I'll go wash my hands now." Really, in the grand scheme of things, is that too much to ask?!
 
Here is my personal take on it: I neither actively encourage it, nor forcibly discourage it. Heck, my Niko will start his pumping motion the minute I tell him 'Good Morning, my baby', without me even laying a hand on him. :54: I understand he's reached sexual maturity now, and I don't 'coddle' him where he would mistake me for his mate, however, both my big macs are true 'hands-on' birds. They both CRAVE to be held, tumbled, tucked under my arm and/or chin. They love when I help them preen, and they love preening my hair (even though I feel mighty tangled when they're done fixing me up). :30: Ignoring their pleas to be handled wouldn't result in happy big macs, I'm sure of it.

Now I have a sensitive stomach, and when Niko actually brings his stuff up and I can smell it - I gag. Sorry, can't help it. Not overly fond of the nutty, sticky blob that dribbles out his beak, while he's desperately attempting to shove it into my own mouth. So that's where I draw the line.

Neither Sam nor Hunter have ever regurgitated for me/on me. Hunter's tried it with my husband, but he put her back in her cage before she yacked any up. Hunter, OTOH WILL attempt (relentlessly) to use me as her 'pleasure stick' when she's hormonal. And THAT I discourage. :52:
 
Both of mine regurge into my hand. They've been trained to clean up (eat) their own messes...

I'm with you Wendy. I don't encourage it, but it's part of everyday life around here.

And I love you doesn't necessarily mean I want to mate with you. Tusk and Lila don't mate, but they feed each other all the time... they're just good friends.

The only birds that really ever used me for a pleasure stick were the conures...

That's what certain rope toys are for in this household...
 
Birdman666 said:
That's what certain rope toys are for in this household...
Click to expand...

Ummm, can you tell me if both males and females use the rope toys for that particular activity? I have a female parakeet who uses the rope toys in *that* way.... maybe she's not a female after all????
 
Yep.

Materbation is a universal truth... sex doesn't matter. Girls get horny too.... and become equally annoying when they do.
 
Birdman666 said:
The only birds that really ever used me for a pleasure stick were the conures...

That's what certain rope toys are for in this household...
Click to expand...

You're bringing back memories of my conure who had an obsession with every toy I put in her cage.
 
I WISH my conures had used their toys...

I remember one particular day when Py was poofed up and rubbing his little face against my cheek (while rubbing something else at the same time.) I had a non-bird person in the house, and she kept commenting about how "affectionate" my little bird was...

(Yeah, you have no idea just HOW affectionate he's being at the moment... ) I didn't tell her what was actually happening.

DEMITRE yeah, the same little stinker that put his beak CLEAN THROUGH my finger. The bird that decided to fly to the "choice" shower perch, and then clung to the tip of it by his beak when it "collapsed" on him...

THAT little bird.

FIRST he regurges for me... AND STUFFS IT INTO THE ONLY AVAILABLE ORIFICE - MY EAR HOLE... EVER TRY TO GET A BEAK FULL OF BIRD PUKE OUT OF YOUR EAR?!

WELL, IF THAT WASN'T BAD ENOUGH, HE THEN PROCEEDS TO "MOUNT" MY EAR, HANGING ON TO IT WITH BOTH HIS BEAK, AND BOTH FEET... WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STUFF "SOMETHING ELSE" INTO MY EAR... and fighting my hand trying to knock his little butt off my ear to the floor.

OH, SURE, SOME OF YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY... CUZ IT WASN'T YOU... Well, actually, if it wasn't me, I'd probably be rolling too...

But it WAS me!!!
 
My thoughts.....

If "allowing" the bird to display hormonal type behavior results in the bird becoming aggressive towards you and/or other people (or pets), or even results in an excess of hormones (thus a sexually frustrated bird, chronic egg laying hen, excess masturbation, excess regurgitation, stress, plucking, mutilating, cloacal prolapses, etc), then the behavior should be discouraged by distracting the bird and making sure one is not setting the bird up for hormones.
 
Big Bird regurge on my hand. Or wrist. Its rare anything will actually come out on my hand but if it does he picks it up so gentle I can't even feel it. No I did not teach him this he did it from day one . I don't encourage it . You know your bird better than anyone or I hope you do. So seems to me what might be good for one might not work for another. Just a thought. Need more coffee

I think the key word is excess
 
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