Strange behavior

[Richardsmommy]

Ever since Richard has become comfortable with me the first week he was home, he does a strange thing, and I was wondering if anyone else experiences it: He takes two of my fingers in his beak and bobs his head violently up and down. Sometimes he does it so much his wings start flapping.

Anyone else experience this with their bird?

[judygram]

He's going thru the hand feeding motions, you do have a baby don't you?

[Guest briansmum]

it sounds like he still has some of his baby instinct to feed. this is how they would help their parents to regurgitate in the wild, they do it if you hand feed with a syringe or a spoon, and every now and then when they get a bit older they forget themselves and do it on your fingers. brian does it with me. i remove my fingers and tell him he's a big boy now. best not to encourage it, he will grow out of it completely in time.

[judygram]

Josey was fully weaned when I got her and she has never done the hand feeding motions to me, thank goodness, now on the other hand my sun conure sometimes backs up to me when she is on my shoulder. Have been told that was masturbation, holy cow, I discourage that too.

[Guest Lidia]

Oh, it's feeding behaviour all right, and age has very little to do with it. I'd only discourage it if it was a constant behaviour, but as an occasional thing it's just looking for something that feels comforting to him. I would humour him and feed him something warm, like sweetened porridge or mashed potatoes from a spoon or syringe. Joshua, who is 18, occasionally still does this too, and I keep a syringe for that very purpose. :blink:<br><br>Post edited by: Lidia, at: 2007/07/04 18:02

[Richardsmommy]

Why not encourage it? I mean, I don't cheer him on. You know what I mean. But, what harm can it do if he continues it? I didn't know it had to do with feeding. I thought he was just playing, but hoping it wasn't a male-instinct thing, if you know what I mean.

I wouldn't say he's a baby...he's a little over a year old. I guess you could call him a baby, seeing he has the same lifespan as us.

[Richardsmommy]

Hi, Lidia...Our posts crossed in the mail. I think it's very cute. He usually does this when he's in a very playful mood.

[danmcq]

This is good info....:lol:

 

I learn at least 2 or 3 things to expect with my new Baby Dayo when I bring him Home.

 

I would have thought he was just wanting to shake my Hand for being his Dad <br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2007/07/04 18:06

[judygram]

Well at a little over a year he is not a baby baby but a baby nonetheless, considering they have a long lifespan. Too early for the male-instinct thing you mentioned, but for a lot of us here we have grey at about the same age so when puberty starts the real fun begins for us, I hear it can be a very trying time for them and us. Hope we live thru it.:laugh:

[Guest briansmum]

oh, i stand corrected thanks lidia. i read somewhere to discourage it. i will indulge his baby moments then i still have his syringe, im sure he'd love that as a treat.

[Guest Lidia]

xxbeccyxx wrote:

oh, i stand corrected thanks lidia. i read somewhere to discourage it. i will indulge his baby moments then i still have his syringe, im sure he'd love that as a treat.

 

Beccy, I'm not correcting you! You're entitled to your opinion! I'd karma you if I had any left to give! All our opinions are valuable and useful and every situation is different.:blush:

[Guest briansmum]

oh no sweety i didnt mean it in the ignorant "i stand corrected" sense, sorry i meant it in a nice way, i didn't know it was ok and you corrected me, i appreciate it thankyou.

[Guest Lidia]

Richardsmommy wrote:

Hi, Lidia...Our posts crossed in the mail. I think it's very cute. He usually does this when he's in a very playful mood.

Me too, I love it when Joshua does it (only rarely). It takes me right back to when he was a bambino.

B)

[miltie]

I recently read to give your birds juice or something occasionally with a syringe to keep them use to it in case you have to give it medicine or supplements. I think it was in the book Parrots for dummies. Good book had lots of info I didnt know....

[judygram]

I didn't know that, but lord help us if we have to give medicine to our birds, we may need more care after that ourselves.{Feel-bad-00020080}

[Talon]

Judy, I had to give Talon antibiotics for 10 days by syringe. It wasn't fun! I had lots of bites for about 2 weeks!! {Feel-bad-00020080}

[judygram]

I'm sorry Penny that you had to do that but I guess it can't be helped. Like children they do not understand it is for their own good.:unsure:

[Guest Lidia]

miltie wrote:

I recently read to give your birds juice or something occasionally with a syringe to keep them use to it in case you have to give it medicine or supplements.

 

I hadn't thought of it like that, but that is a good point, thank you. Fortunately for me, Joshua would eat anything that came out of a syringe. He loves to be fed that way. Nice to know it has a more useful application too!

[Richardsmommy]

I tried the syringe, but the needle kept poking his throat. Just kidding.

[Richardsmommy]

I don't know what causes the 2x posting. I'm thinking by backspacing to get back to the forum. Sorry 'bout that.<br><br>Post edited by: Richardsmommy, at: 2007/07/05 20:26

[judygram]

Don't scare me like that, Richardsmommy, that is something you don't joke about, but I like the humor of it anyway.

[Guest Lidia]

Richardsmommy wrote:

I tried the syringe, but the needle kept poking his throat. Just kidding.

 

That is the second time someone on this forum has made me laugh so much I splutter tea over myself!

:whistle:

[judygram]

Is it coming out thru the nose again like before?:laugh:

[Guest Lidia]

judygram wrote:

Is it coming out thru the nose again like before?:laugh:

 

No, this time I just spat it out. I really should SWALLOW before reading these posts!