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Post by marthag on May 24, 2016 5:45:39 GMT -5
Hi, Charlie, my quaker, is nine years old and I've had him since he was 8-10 weeks old. He's spoiled rotten. I've responded all wrong to his screeching. But he has a new behavior that puzzles me. When I'm holding him, he repeatedly taps me with his beak and seems to be regurgitating. White "stuff' bulges out of both sides of his beak, then he swallows it back down. He doesn't leave it on me. Is this some sort of attempt to feed me? He's a great bird. He's bonded with me. He talks a lot, although I don't think he's learned any new words in a while.
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Post by aaron on May 24, 2016 12:41:41 GMT -5
Greetings Marthag and Charlie!
That sounds like regurgitation, although I've never seen a bird swallow it back down, so perhaps the others have more insight about that one. Has he been known to regurgitate in the past and has only recently begun to swallow it rather than leave it on you? Or is regurgitation a new behavior altogether? It's a bit surprising to think that regurgitating would start out of the blue at nine years old, but maybe that's fairly common.
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Post by marthag on May 24, 2016 13:57:01 GMT -5
It's new behavior, or at least new in the past couple of months. And this might seem more weird but he smells like buttered popcorn when he does this.
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Post by aaron on May 24, 2016 14:39:21 GMT -5
And this doesn't correlate to anything he is eating? If you are detecting odors that you can't rationalize based on diet, it's probably worth a trip to the avian vet just to be safe. Granted, it's entirely possible that this is just how the interior of his crop smells, as it is indeed part of the digestive process. But our QP, Cupcake, regurgitated on me (which is a very rare occasion) just the other day and I detected no odors. Odors can mean infection, so if it were me, we'd definitely be on our way to the vet, but I'm known for being overly careful in this regard  That said, I was able to find another person ( www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/community/showthread.php/69387-Happy-Regurgitating-Conure-D) talking about having a parrot that regurgitates but always swallows the contents of the crop back down. And they also reported an odor. Unfortunately the thread does not really come to any useful conclusion. One thing I like to do is put some raw, organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar in Cupcake's water (approx 1.5ml per water dish).. It is good at fighting minor infections and acts as a probiotic. I am certain that Cupcake's health (particularly in the composition of her droppings and the frequency with which she makes crop adjustment motions) has improved substantially since we made this change for her. Some people only do it temporarily when health problems arise, but I prefer to do it all the time for preventive reasons. Just a thought. This only happens when you are holding him, right? If so, it's probably just normal regurgitation that, for whatever reason, he has decided to start doing now. Personally I'd still go to the vet to be safe, but I bet they'll tell you nothing's wrong... but at least then you can be sure. |
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Post by Jan and Shah on May 24, 2016 16:43:10 GMT -5
I agree with Aaron. It is worth a trip to the vet just to make absolutely sure. I do speak from experience as my quaker had some problems and the vet I was taking him to just didn't pick up the cause of the problems. Ended up taking him to another far more expensive vet who diagnosed him immediately but it took a number of months to get him back to "normal" - he is now on a highly specialised diet which could have been avoided if I had done the right thing by him when the problems first occurred. These days I would rather err on the side of caution than to risk going through all that again.
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Post by cnyguy on May 24, 2016 20:41:37 GMT -5
Welcome!  Charlie may be attempting to feed you, but it is somewhat unusual for a parrot to swallow what he just regurgitated, and the buttered-popcorn smell is a bit odd. Whenever there's any doubt about a parrot's new, unusual behavior, a vet visit is the best way to clear things up. |
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Post by julianna on May 25, 2016 14:47:54 GMT -5
Hi marthaga and Charlie. My QP Oscar wants to regurgitate on me but never really does. I have never seen anything come out of his mouth but he makes the motions time and time again. He did it so often that I got worried and went to a Vet. The vet assured me that he was okay but just in heat. Oscar would sometimes do this for hours... and I was very nervous.
Aaron's advice on getting the apple cider vinegar is a good one. The vet was very happy to hear that I was giving this to Oscar.
I have never smelled anything coming from my QP therefore, I agree with the others... you really should see a Vet.
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Post by biteybird on May 26, 2016 4:56:56 GMT -5
Hi and welcome, Marthag and Charlie. I've no experience with your problem, but the others have given excellent advice. Let us know how you go. |
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Post by bruce on Jun 18, 2016 14:00:22 GMT -5
Hello Marthag and Charlie from me and Chuckie. Chuckie does regurgitate sometimes, mostly when he realizes he is going to the vet for his regular beak and claw trim. I have read in past that regurgitation as a "gift" may be related to courtship behavior in parrots. I do not know if this has been confirmed in QPs. I agree that if there is a smell to the fluid, a trip to a vet is important to make certain nothing untoward is happening. Take care.
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Charlie may be attempting to feed you, but it is somewhat unusual for a parrot to swallow what he just regurgitated, and the buttered-popcorn smell is a bit odd. Whenever there's any doubt about a parrot's new, unusual behavior, a vet visit is the best way to clear things up. 
