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Post by beccilouise on Nov 28, 2015 6:58:53 GMT -5
Hi all. This morning, Byron started regurgitating his egg. I read somewhere that this is to be taken as a compliment as it is gifting behavior that one bird normally displays to feed its mate. But Byron is barely 5 months old and I thought this behavior only manifested in adolescence. Is something wrong? Should I book vet's appointment?
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Post by wsteinhoff on Nov 28, 2015 18:12:49 GMT -5
Some of them do mature early, sometimes around 6 months. Is he doing it when you pet him? It is a compliment but it is probably something you shouldn't encourage. Bishop would do that when I pet him in a certain spot on his head a lot but after learning to watch for when he is about to do it so I can stop and ignoring it when he does it he has mostly stopped and hasn't done it in several weeks. It hasn't at all ruined our bond by ignoring it. If he isn't just doing I when he is around you, whom he is bonded to and may see as a potential mate, then you may want to take him to the vet but it is likely just him reaching sexual maturity.
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Post by beccilouise on Nov 28, 2015 18:37:27 GMT -5
Thanks. As far as I can tell, he is only doing it around me. He's been on my shoulder and I did stroke him just beforehand both times. I took him to the vet today, who said pretty much the same thing as you. He hasn't been put off his food and hasn't done it for the rest of the day. I'm going to keep an eye on our interactions for the next couple of days to work out what triggers it and then I can modify that interaction accordingly to try not to encourage him to do it. The vet couldn't see anything wrong with him and assured me it was likely just him beginning to mature.
Thanks for your reassurance though! Good to know I'm not doing anything to hurt him or make him sick.
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Post by aaron on Nov 28, 2015 22:28:33 GMT -5
Yeah, regurgitation, from what I understand, is often the first sign of maturing hormones and can show up a lot earlier than other sexual behaviors. When Cupcake attempts to regurgitate we immediately distract her with a noise or by putting her down. She is rarely successful. It's not something to worry about per se, but definitely something you want to avoid reinforcing. Definitely avoid stroking the back-- that is a major trigger for Cupcake. My Dad didn't realize this at first and used to stroke her back all the time and to this day she has an unhealthy obsession with him  |
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Post by beccilouise on Nov 29, 2015 10:59:23 GMT -5
Hahaha! Yeah, I've been told not to stroke below the head and only to pet the feathers his chest. I'm not sure what triggered it, maybe I accidentally stroked his neck or something. He's not done it at all today and I've been quite careful where I touch and pet him. I'm glad he's ok though  Thanks for the tip. I'll try toy or noise distraction next time it happens. |
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Post by aaron on Nov 29, 2015 18:28:12 GMT -5
Sometimes there really isn't much of an obvious trigger. Cupcake seems to simply have times that she is feeling really close to one or more of us and just wants to express herself. You may not have done anything |
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Thanks for the tip. I'll try toy or noise distraction next time it happens.