Hi, I am new to this board. I am from Ottawa, Canada and I bought a 4 year old male Alexandrine Parrot 9-10 months ago from a lady who loved him but had to start working more hours per day and traveling for work, therefore, she had to find a good owner for him.
In general, it is going well, however, I've noticed that my male parrot started to regurgitate more than before....I know it is normal behaviour and that it is a sign of affection, however it is pretty disgusting because I thik he regurgitates too much. Can a parrot regurgitate too much? He has 3 different perches...regurgitates on every one of them and on one of his bells that is at the end of one of his toys. At the end of the day, if I had to put all the regurgitation (seeds, liquids, chunky whitish pieces of food) in a measuring cup, I would probably have approx. one cup..... Is that normal behaviour?
He eats healthy in general (seeds, fruits, vegetables, pellets,etc, a bit of bread at times, a bit of pasta every week)... He is a very happy bird, he is out of his cage for approx. 5 hours per day, sleeps in a closet in the dark at night for approx 12 hours, he rarely bites, he gets on my hand pretty much when I want him to, if not, he goes on my arm, I can bathe him easily as well.
I will start checking your site for answers, feel free to tell me where to find the answer if you know exactly where to ding them....I know it can get annoying to have the same question over and over....but I am sure this one is not a frequent one... I am just sick and tired of cleaning the regurgitation piles everywhere... Thanks ahead of time. Hope to learn lots on your forum!!
I am New to the Board
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Tropical1979
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2011 8:29 pm
- Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Sixty Fiver
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Re: I am New to the Board
Regurgitating is a good sign if he does it for you and is something parrots do for their loved ones... throwing up all over your cage to the quantity you describe speaks to another issue and would talk to an avian specialist about this.
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ellieelectrons
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- Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Re: I am New to the Board
I'd think about getting a second bird. I'm not saying you should definitely get another bird but it could help this behavior. if you don't want to breed them, two males will usually get along.
Ellie.
Ellie.
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Tropical1979
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2011 8:29 pm
- Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: I am New to the Board
Thanks Sixty Fiver and Ellie...
I don't know about getting another bird, even though I would love to... One is already a handful....haha....I mean...the one I have behaves well and loves us, he loves my bf and I very much and he is always cuddling with us, he always gives us kisses and when my family comes over, he wants to be close all the time and kisses them too. He is really one of a kind. Sixty Fiver, maybe I should see a specialist but I really think he is healthy. I'm not a pro but he regurgitates a normal amount but MANY times a day....he does it on three perches, but especially on one that has little screws in the corner....he regurgitates only on the screws and does it also on his favorite toy that has three bells. When he's on his swing in the kitchen, we give him things to eat and then maybe 15 minutes later, he flies to the living room where his cage is and starts regurgitating...he could regurgitate for a good 10 minutes...and then he comes back to talk to us, be around us, eat, etc.... and then could go back to his cage 45 minutes later to do the same....
Are there specific kinds of birds that would go well with a male Alexandrine parrot? Would buying another male Alexandrine be the best option or could I mix and get an African Grey? I always dreamt of having an African Grey.... And can they stay in the same cage or do they need their own? Sorry I am pretty new to this bird thing... I really appreciate your input. Thanks again Sixty Fiver and Ellie.
I don't know about getting another bird, even though I would love to... One is already a handful....haha....I mean...the one I have behaves well and loves us, he loves my bf and I very much and he is always cuddling with us, he always gives us kisses and when my family comes over, he wants to be close all the time and kisses them too. He is really one of a kind. Sixty Fiver, maybe I should see a specialist but I really think he is healthy. I'm not a pro but he regurgitates a normal amount but MANY times a day....he does it on three perches, but especially on one that has little screws in the corner....he regurgitates only on the screws and does it also on his favorite toy that has three bells. When he's on his swing in the kitchen, we give him things to eat and then maybe 15 minutes later, he flies to the living room where his cage is and starts regurgitating...he could regurgitate for a good 10 minutes...and then he comes back to talk to us, be around us, eat, etc.... and then could go back to his cage 45 minutes later to do the same....
Are there specific kinds of birds that would go well with a male Alexandrine parrot? Would buying another male Alexandrine be the best option or could I mix and get an African Grey? I always dreamt of having an African Grey.... And can they stay in the same cage or do they need their own? Sorry I am pretty new to this bird thing... I really appreciate your input. Thanks again Sixty Fiver and Ellie.
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ellieelectrons
- Posts: 2708
- Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:17 am
- Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Re: I am New to the Board
Your bird is so beautiful!
My male IRN likes to regurgitate to metal screws too. Isn't that weird! Although our guy goes through the motions but then swallows it, he doesn't leave any mess anywhere. We have a female who he can regurgitate to for real so he just "play" with the other things.
Sorry, I don't know about an African Gray and an Alex. I can't imagine an African Gray and a Ringie would work well but an Alex is a bit bigger, I'm really not sure. I've never seen anyone keep the two together though.
Ellie.
My male IRN likes to regurgitate to metal screws too. Isn't that weird! Although our guy goes through the motions but then swallows it, he doesn't leave any mess anywhere. We have a female who he can regurgitate to for real so he just "play" with the other things.
Sorry, I don't know about an African Gray and an Alex. I can't imagine an African Gray and a Ringie would work well but an Alex is a bit bigger, I'm really not sure. I've never seen anyone keep the two together though.
Ellie.
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Sixty Fiver
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Re: I am New to the Board
Definately a beautiful fella who seems to be in love with everyone... 
As for compatibility, it would depend on the respective birds but think the best odds of success would be in pairing him with another Alexandrine or IRN... a couple of males would probably get along quite well and then one would not have deal with the worry of breeding related issues.
I would love to add a Senegal to our flock but this will require a lot of thought and an arrangement with the shop that Toulouse (the Senegal) comes for day visits to see how my IRNs tolerate his presence.
The Senegal is very bird curious and non aggressive towards the smaller birds in the shop when they are close although I haven't allowed any direct contact.
As for compatibility, it would depend on the respective birds but think the best odds of success would be in pairing him with another Alexandrine or IRN... a couple of males would probably get along quite well and then one would not have deal with the worry of breeding related issues.
I would love to add a Senegal to our flock but this will require a lot of thought and an arrangement with the shop that Toulouse (the Senegal) comes for day visits to see how my IRNs tolerate his presence.
The Senegal is very bird curious and non aggressive towards the smaller birds in the shop when they are close although I haven't allowed any direct contact.
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Tropical1979
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2011 8:29 pm
- Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: I am New to the Board
Hi again,
Yes Ellie mine regurgitates, then eats a bit of it...but he leaves little messes though, little chunks with white grains in it. I looked at all the regurgitation from today and there was definitely less.... I spoke to my bf today about writing on this forum and I told him what I had written here and he said that I am not too accurate....he said that our parrot regurgitates at the most 1/2 cup a day. I think he is right...I am not good at estimating.....but I still think 1/2 cup of regurgitation is a lot!!! Sorry for not giving you accurate info. I also spoke with the ex-owner of my parrot and she said that she used to tell him (in French) of course, I DON'T WANT YOUR PRESENT and she used to spray him with water and he used to stop and that would change his mind. I might have to start doing that.
And as for compatibility, I think you are right Sixty Fiver, the best odds of success would probably be in pairing him with another Alexandrine or IRN. That's what I have been reading on the internet. I am starting to be in love with parrots in general. If I had a bigger place I would probably have 3 or 4 but I live in a condo. Next year, I am buying myself a house or a big townhome...we'll see.
I'm very lucky to have my parrot. I had 5 friends over tonight and my parrot didn't stop talking, he was so happy to see everyone, he only screamed once. He said new things (don't know what he said though) and made weird sounds....I love him so much.
THanks again guys....love this forum....I am learning so much already.... ;)
Yes Ellie mine regurgitates, then eats a bit of it...but he leaves little messes though, little chunks with white grains in it. I looked at all the regurgitation from today and there was definitely less.... I spoke to my bf today about writing on this forum and I told him what I had written here and he said that I am not too accurate....he said that our parrot regurgitates at the most 1/2 cup a day. I think he is right...I am not good at estimating.....but I still think 1/2 cup of regurgitation is a lot!!! Sorry for not giving you accurate info. I also spoke with the ex-owner of my parrot and she said that she used to tell him (in French) of course, I DON'T WANT YOUR PRESENT and she used to spray him with water and he used to stop and that would change his mind. I might have to start doing that.
And as for compatibility, I think you are right Sixty Fiver, the best odds of success would probably be in pairing him with another Alexandrine or IRN. That's what I have been reading on the internet. I am starting to be in love with parrots in general. If I had a bigger place I would probably have 3 or 4 but I live in a condo. Next year, I am buying myself a house or a big townhome...we'll see.
I'm very lucky to have my parrot. I had 5 friends over tonight and my parrot didn't stop talking, he was so happy to see everyone, he only screamed once. He said new things (don't know what he said though) and made weird sounds....I love him so much.
THanks again guys....love this forum....I am learning so much already.... ;)