Kind Of Concerned About Regurgitating

[Blancaej]

Hi everyone,

I know I have mentioned on the forum a few times about Savannah regurgitating. Most of the time she does not actually regurgitate anything up, but I want to make sure what she is doing is normal. It seems she does this several times a day and has been doing it for about a month now.

I've tried ignoring it. But now if I'm in the room she will do it while in her cage even if I'm not handling her. She does it in her carrier when I take her to and from work. Now she wouldn't get on my arm to come out of her cage today but started to do the regurgitating motion when I put my arm up to her to step up. She hasn't done that before. When I tried to put her on the floor with me the other day, she did it. When I sat her on my leg the other day, she did it. The only time she doesn't seem to do it is when I carry her around or if she is on a play gym.

I kind of feel like I can't be around her a whole lot without her doing this. I avoid petting her the wrong way, I try to walk away when she does it or distract her. She has nothing in her cage to encourage nesting behavior. But none of this is working. Is it normal for her to do this 5 to 6 times a day even with my efforts??

I just want to make sure something else is not going on. Of all the times she has regurgitated she has only had something come up less then 10 times. Most of the time there is nothing. There has been nothing like vomit in her cage either.

She is not acting sick. I'm just thinking she is really hormonal right now and am hopeful it will pass at some point. Any advice or tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

[jtbirds]

Well Blanca welcome to the world of being extremely bonded with a macaw, my harlequin is so much like this she try's to regurge for me most of the time I put my hand up I just kindly put my other hand behind her and make her step backwards and forget about what she was doing and she stops. Many of my macaws go through the movements a lot to and seldomn bring something up, baby never does but a few times. Everything sounds normal, she doesn't sound hormonal and doesn't sound like she is sick at All, this is a macaw thing. Almost every macaw I've owned has tried to regurgitate for me, some more then others. Some would do it like savannah others once in awhile maybe once or twice. I think she is just fine;).

In the far is probably more of a motion sickness thing some people say there birds do it my greenwing does it if he is in a carrier of he isn't he doesn't, so I think it has more to do with being in the carrier and moving. That is what it sounds like savannah is doing to me, many birds don't like moving in a car So much until they get used to it:p.

[Blancaej]

:th_hug8: Thank you Justin! You have just made me feel 100% better! I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong. But in reality, things are good if she is bonded to me that much! :th_biggrin:

Quincy did this very briefly when I first got him 13 years ago, so it's not something I'm used to. And as for the car, I have suspected that it could be car sickness as well. Because that is the few times that she actually did spit something up.

What will I do without your help?! Thanks again for reassuring me that things are fine. I guess I just need to work around avoiding it and distracting her if she does!

[jtbirds]

Hey no problem Blanca!:) I usually just stick my hand around there back end and step them up backwards it stops them from being able to pull there move on me:). I try to help when I can!