Regurgitation is actually quite normal for birds, birds will do this on a regular basis, but even this normal behavior can be taken too far.
This article is a look into why your bird is regurgitating so much.
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Why is my bird regurgitating so much?
The first time your bird regurgitated around you likely surprised you but you are probably used to it now.
However, if the bird starts to regurgitate more than you are used to then you’d understandably be concerned.
Here is why this may be happening:
Mirrors:
A male bird will regurgitate its food into the mouth of a female bird in order to signify to her that he is interested in mating.
This act signals to the female bird that the male bird is able to forage for food and provide for her.
If you’ve given your bird a mirror, then the male bird will likely view its reflection as another bird (a female bird) and not as a reflection of itself.
If this happens then the male bird will take the reflection as its mate and will start to regurgitate food to feed it.
Because its reflection can’t eat the food, the regurgitating bird may feel unsatisfied and keep trying to feed the “other bird” in order to feel satisfied.
This will lead the male bird to regurgitate way more than it normally would as it keeps trying to feed the reflection which doesn’t eat.
What to do:
Excessive regurgitation is not good for birds but unfortunately, because these little animals don’t understand that the regurgitation will never turn into mating, the bird will continue to regurgitate.
You can stop this behavior by removing the mirrors in your bird’s environment. This will keep the bird from regurgitating.
You may also want to consider giving the bird an opposite-sex companion to mate with.
The bird thinks an object is its mate:
A similar situation to the above can happen to birds if they pick your hand, shoulder, or any other object as a mate.
The bird will regurgitate on the object, your hand, or your shoulder as a part of the mating ritual.
The bird may also take your hand or shoulder as a mate if you accidentally sexually stimulate the bird.
Simple things like stroking the bird at its sexual organs which are located directly under the bird’s wings on your bird’s back.
What to do:
If you realize that you’re bird is on your hand or on your shoulder because it sees them as a mate then you would need to gently remove the bird from your hand or shoulder when it does this.
You would also need to stop stimulating the bird. If you want to pet your bird keep the petting limited to the birds head and feet only.
Illness:
Another reason why your bird may be excessively regurgitating may be because the bird is ill.
Birds can suffer from a variety of illnesses and some of these illnesses can force your bird to excessively regurgitate.
Illnesses that affect the bird’s digestive or intestinal tract usually have a higher chance of forcing the bird to regurgitate.
Illnesses that can cause your bird to become sick and cause your bird to regurgitate excessively include gastrointestinal diseases, avian goiter, and respiratory infections.
What to do:
If the regurgitation in your bird is chronic and frequent then you should consider taking the bird to the vet.
There are a variety of underlying illnesses that may be the reason behind the excessive regurgitation.
Giving the vet the bird’s history and describing its environment and foods may help with the diagnosis.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Bossy Female Budgie, Why Are My Female Budgies Fighting?, Why Is My Male Budgie Feeding The Female?, Bird Vomiting Medicine, Budgie Pooping Clear Liquid
