Whats going on!!!!

[newz]

Hi there. We need some help in understanding why 'Billie' our Indian red neck is sicking up on his rattle and then eating it again. He is healthy and not sick he is 3 and 1/2 years now. His rattle is the world to him hes :11: beside himself when we take it out of cage to clean and he also seems to be doing a funny dance head bobbing to the rattle of late too. We brought him last year he came with the rattle, so we've had him 9 months. Does he think its his chick or mate ??? Thanks

 

[Aussie Ben]

To me it sounds like he is in 'in love' with the rattle lol. The 'sick' that you describe sounds like regurgitation (basically trying to feed the rattle). From my knowledge, some forms of head bobbing are also part of a mating dance. Is it causing any real problems for him, is he obsessive about it?

Oh just realised this is your first post, Welcome to the forum

 

[antoinette]

Hi there newz, welcome hope you enjoy your stay
Browse around, many interesting posts to learn from.
Members are absolutely fantastic, always willing to assist and share.
Aussie Ben has given great advise, I reckon Billy is "totally" in love with the rattle.
We love sharing ic:

 

[Bobby34231]

I'm inclined to agree with Ben, regurgatation is usually a sign of affection or bonding towards other birds or their favorite human, it is not uncommon to also exibit this behavior towards inanimate objects such as toys or mirriors ect., the herky jerky chicken necking dance they do is a normal part of the regurgatating ritual.........

 

[Bobby34231]

BTW welcome to the forum newz, enjoy your stay.............

 

[Spiritbird]

Happy to have you here. No need to add to anything here except to welcome you.

 

[Birdamor]

Ben is correct. He needs a companion so badly that he has chosen the rattle as his mate, the poor thing.

 

[brookysmom]

Birdamor no offence but getting a bird a companion Just because it "feeds" its inanimate love is Not a great idea

One they will lose their pet bond in most cases
2 there is NO real insurance that the new bird and established one will in fact even like one another let alone fall in love
3 the addition of a new bird to the flock should NEVER be done Just to have a companion for a bird It should be because the owner wants and can provide time attention feed toys etc etc to it.

I have seen FAR too many in rescue because they were given this same advice.


Also birds can be quite happy in love with inanimate objects
i have a rescued budgie and while I would NEVER give a bird a mirror this bird had 3 in his cage I attempted to get rid of them and after quarantine introduce him to others over the past few years he continues to seek out the mirrors and I gave them back and he will feed and well do adult bird things with it (crazy bird) but he has never shown interest in any of the fostered budgies

Just keep it clean and as long as he is happy well let him do his thing

 

[HRH Di]

Welcome to the forum! That's all I have...no additional advice.

 

[brookysmom]

Hi and Thank you I am guessing that was meant for me since I ma newest here :0)

 

[natalie]

My macaw does this with my hand as well as with her little food hider toy.... she loves to feed it in return because she loves it. She also bobs her head at it.

 

[Birdamor]

Birdamor no offence but getting a bird a companion Just because it "feeds" its inanimate love is Not a great idea

One they will lose their pet bond in most cases
2 there is NO real insurance that the new bird and established one will in fact even like one another let alone fall in love
3 the addition of a new bird to the flock should NEVER be done Just to have a companion for a bird It should be because the owner wants and can provide time attention feed toys etc etc to it.

I have seen FAR too many in rescue because they were given this same advice.


Also birds can be quite happy in love with inanimate objects
i have a rescued budgie and while I would NEVER give a bird a mirror this bird had 3 in his cage I attempted to get rid of them and after quarantine introduce him to others over the past few years he continues to seek out the mirrors and I gave them back and he will feed and well do adult bird things with it (crazy bird) but he has never shown interest in any of the fostered budgies

Just keep it clean and as long as he is happy well let him do his thing

No offense taken and I thank you for the opportunity to expand my posting.

1. It's not true that birds will lose their 'pet' bond when they get a mate of their own. Practically all my birds are in pairs and they are as affectionate with me as they ever were -even the ones that were breeding pairs.

2. Adding a bird because your bird needs a companion should actually be standard procedure for all bird guardians for the simple reason that social birds (and all parrots are highly social birds) are healthier and happier when they have them. Mind you, this is not my personal opinion, it's what nature ordained.

3. It is true that parrots like to choose their mates and that this would be the ideal situation but it's not as hard to do as most people think. I've had many (and I do mean MANY) pairs that have come to me as breeding birds who have split up and chosen a different bird once they had the opportunity but, before they came to me and when they had only the one bird as companion, they still got all the benefits of having a mate. Furthermore, I've had to separate pairs because one of them becomes handicapped and needs to be caged for the rest of its life while the mate is healthy and left to fly free and both the handicapped and the healthy one have picked new mates on the next breeding season. It's kind of like 'if you can't have the one you love, love the one you are with' -LOL

4. As to birds ending up in rescue because they were added as a companion to the original bird, I have about 100 birds, all rescues and none of them came to me because of this reason. I am not saying this cannot happen but, if it does, it's because the owner did not know how to 'do' it right.

5. Re:your budgie who prefers a mirror instead of a real mate, well... even you must realize that this is not normal. I am not saying it's your fault, mind you, but it's still not normal. It's like a man preferring an inflatable doll instead of a real woman - I am sure there are men out there like this but I think we will all agree that this is not the way it should be.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

I think this was well addressed by the early posts.

Regurgitation, along with the head bobbing, is a sign of affection. A bird showing affection to a rattle may be new, but I don't see it as all that different from a kid having a 'blankie'. Over time as your relationship grows and you build a stronger bond with your bird he may redirect his affection towards you and 'grow out' of the rattle. If not that's not so bad either: his behavior shows he is content and happy. It sounds like you're doing a wonderful job with him.

Now, regurgitation in humans is a common side effect of reading some forum posts from people who think a bit to highly of themselves.

 

[HRH Di]

AD - we love you.

 

[antoinette]

Now, regurgitation in humans is a common side effect of reading some forum posts from people who think a bit to highly of themselves.

I have never heard of regurgitation is humans, but come to think of it :11poke:

 

[Spiritbird]

April You have very good suggestion in response to this posting.

 

[Mel]

Now, regurgitation in humans is a common side effect of reading some forum posts from people who think a bit to highly of themselves.

Oh I have really wanted to use this smile - thanks AD

:vomit-smi:vomit-smi:vomit-smi

 

[antoinette]

Probably in the near future we will communicate with smiley's only

:smile038: :25_coolgu

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Thousands of years of development and learning, yet were on the verge of regressing to pictograms for language.

 

[Birdamor]

I think this was well addressed by the early posts.

Regurgitation, along with the head bobbing, is a sign of affection. A bird showing affection to a rattle may be new, but I don't see it as all that different from a kid having a 'blankie'. Over time as your relationship grows and you build a stronger bond with your bird he may redirect his affection towards you and 'grow out' of the rattle. If not that's not so bad either: his behavior shows he is content and happy. It sounds like you're doing a wonderful job with him.
QUOTE]


Actually, AD, in this case, regurgitation is not a sign of affection, it's a courtship behavior of a male in breeding condition. Birds love one another or humans without regurgitation been involved at all, ever. And a bird regurgitating on an object cannot be compared to a kid with a blankie. The security blanket is just a coping mechanism for diminishing anxiety, it has absolutely nothing to do with sex. But the regurgitation of a bird on an object is an unnatural behavior only seen in captive birds and only done by birds that are sexually frustrated, something that it's terribly uncomfortable and unhealthy for a bird.