Nervy and gagging boy

Greetings to you and Loki!

It sounds like Loki is becoming more hormonal, which happens as Quakers "come of age" between the ages of 1-3yrs or so, typically. When hormonal they can become much more agitated and irrational, typically. They can become aggressive and their attitude toward you can change. This is one of the most significant challenges that comes with having a parrot as a pet, and the best thing you can do is understand it and be prepared for it. Luckily, over time, they tend to calm down a bit, and the worst of it usually only lasts a month or so out of each year.

The "gagging" that you describe is attempted regurgitation. This is an affectionate gesture on the bird's part-- it the wild they use regurgitation to feed their closest loved ones. Your Loki is trying to express how close he feels to you, which is very sweet, but not something you want them to do, for a number of reasons. It is important for the well-being of your bird, and your own sanity going forward, that you send a very clear message to them when it comes to hormonal matters. Your mode of operation should be one of minimizing hormonal behavior-- there are a number of things you can do:

- Make sure that your bird does not have access to anything that might be percieved as a nest. This includes hidey-huts, boxes they might play in, even a dark little nook on the couch. Don't let them feel like they have a nest.
- Make sure your bird is getting at least 12 hours of sleep/darkness time each day. When they get too many hours of artifical light it triggers their "springtime" instinct and hormones kick in.  It also helps for them to get more exercise.
- When the bird is behaving hormonally, avoid feeding any warm, soft foods, as they are similar to the products of regugitation. Also, if you are frequently feeding foods that are high in fat or protein, you may want to cut them back.
- Avoid touching the bird below the neck, as things like back stroking can be percieved as a sexual advance by the bird.
- If the bird behaves in a way toward you that is sexually charged, like attempted regurgitation, or potentially sexual rubbing on our near you, you should discourage them quickly (put them down, look away, ignore), and try to resist the urge to laugh or react emphatically, even though it can be cute and/or funny. Laughing will encourage them.

Here is a pretty good article on the subject: www.beautyofbirds.com/sexualbehaviorinbirds.html

Birds have it tough in captivity-- they are very sexual creatures and by keeping them as pets we are essentially asking them to ignore their reproductive instincts to the best of their ability. Take one look at human culture and one can conclude how difficult, even in very sophisticated creatures like humans, it is to ignore innate sexuality. I mention this because having a hormonal parrot can be very frustrating and trying to your patience, and at least for me personally, it really helps to put things in perspective. These are very sweet creatures, stuck in an unnatural situation, simply trying to cope with their natural impulses, often by deciding that they would like to mate with their favorite person, you... We owe it to them to respond gently but firmly, and above all clearly, so they aren't forced to live a life of confusion. Such scenarios don't work out in anyone's favor.

Anyhow, the good news is that you can be fairly certain nothing is wrong with Loki. He's behaving like a perfectly healthy boy of his age during springtime.

Good luck and feel free to ask any additional questions you might have. We are more than happy to help!

Thanks so much Aaron and Juliana - it's such a relief to know this is normal! It also got me wondering - Loki spends a lot of time licking my face....maybe that's part of this too?!

It sounds like you are being allopreened.  It's not necessarily hormonal, though it might be more frequent at such times, but is definitely an indication of a bond of trust.  My quaker Peppy does this, and my grey will also slip me the tongue when she "kisses" me with her beak. 

Oscar licks my face all the time. He especially goes crazy licking if I am sweating. Guess he likes the salty taste. Mostly he likes to nibble... but when I come home from my walks... he goes wild waiting for me to get him so he can lick my face. Very normal.