Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Avian regurgitation - an act of love?

If your parrot, all of a sudden, starts making strange noices and stretches or "pumps" its neck; don't be alarmed! It is probably on its way to regurgitate (throw up) on you. "Eeeew, that is disgusting!" you might think but in the avian world regurgitation is seen as a "true act of love."

"Regurgitation, perhaps one of the most perplexing bird behaviors, occurs when a bird throws up small amounts of food with the intention of feeding it to a loved one. Gross? Perhaps, to those who don't understand avian behavior. Normal? Absolutely" (http://www.birds.about.com/).

If your avian friend regurgitates on you then you should feel very honored because that means that you have built a bond of trust and that your bird really loves you! Often the bird regurgitates one or more seeds or "pellets", depending on the diet, into your hand while the bird arches its wings and "beaks" your finger (or ear or whatever part of you is nearest) gently. Here is a video of Sarabi "showing her love":






It is important to note the difference between regurgitation as a sign of affection and actual vomiting from some type of illness. If your bird starts to "flick its head" so that the regurgitated food is flung away all over the place it may indicate that your bird is actually sick. If you notice this type of behavior it is best to consult a veterinarian immediately!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Treat your parrot with a treat

Sarabi enjoying a cracker, or "gnaw stick." It is a stick filled with delicious seeds and other treats that can be hung from the cage bars. Your parrot will love it and empty the stick in no time at all! Think of it as a kind of "candy cane" for parrots. So when you're feeling generous: treat your parrot with a cracker treat (just not too often as it contains more "tasty" and fattening foods than the general parrot diet ;).

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

New cage for christmas!

For christmas I decided to buy a new, better and larger cage for Sarabi. I just received it today and recently finished putting it up. Sarabi is super happy with it and felt comfortable with it from the start. Straight away she started preening her feathers and eating peanuts from the food bowl on the "top branch." You can see the difference between the old and the new cage in the photo underneath:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

Vocabulary update!

Here is an updated list of words and phrases that Sarabi knows:

New additions to her vocabulary:
"Fly, fly, fly"
"Go back"
"Go to the cage"
"Ouch"
"Stop!"
"Step down"
"Take a shower"




Other words and phrases that she knows:
"Come on"
"Come here"
"(You're such a) good girl!"
"(You) want some?"
"Hi"
"Hello"
"Step up"
"Peek-a-boo"
"Coo-coo"
"Wanna tickle"
"Gimme' a kiss"
"Stretch"
"Look at you"