He thinks I'm the ONE!!

[whiterwing]

My male ekkie has chosen me to be his mate. I have only had Buddy for 2 weeks and within the 2nd week he started regurgitating on me and making weird sounds. At first I didn't know what he was doing until I got some feedback from the pet section on craigslist, thats how I was directed to this site. I try not to touch him when he does this but he gets so excited he cannot keep a steady grip on my shoulder. I could use some advise on what to do for the little guy! I'm a newbie, so forgive me if I'm posting this in the wrong place!

[Jess89]

How old is he? If he is young and is regurgiating i'd take him to an avian vet; because young birds shouldnt show any mating behaviours. Jasper was regurgitating a while ago and it turned out to be because of a bacterial infection.

Also there is a difference between regurgitating and vommiting; if he is pumping his neck up and down then its probably regurgitating, if its sudden with nearly no warning then its vomit and your bird is probably sick

[whiterwing]

Hi
I was told he is 3yr. old, I adopted him off Craigslist 2 weeks ago. I'm pretty sure he's regurgitating becouse he does this everytime I hold him. but, now that you mention it, this morning when I went in to greet everybody good morning I noticed a pile of regurgitated food under where his food bowl is, i thought this was normal since he was doing this while I have him on me, and I think he's been doing this since I got him!!Oh No, did I adopt a sick bird??

[failurebydesign]

Well sometimes a hormonal bird will regurgitate on some of the favorite things in his cage as well, like toys, or a perch.

At 3yo it is likely to be his hormones. Watch his weight, get a kitchen scale that can weigh grams and weigh him every day, cover him up for 12 hours at night to get rid of hormonal tendencies.

Or take him to the vet if you have the funds. But look for an avian certified vet, because the others will usually just waste your time.

What are you feeding him?

[whiterwing]

I feed him a mixture of mostly pellets and seeds, apple slices, eggs, pasta, whole weat cereals, oatmeal, veggies, and fruit cocktail and so on....how much should he weight? would walmart have the scale he needs?

[loyallyroyal]

What kind of pellets is he on? What brand of seed?

Im going to give you an example of Deweys basic meal plan:
Cooked assorted bean mix (I freeze the leftover bean mix in ice cube trays)
7 grain kashi pilaf with organic veggie baby food
3-4 cut up veggies (whatever I have on hand, celery, cucumber, squash, grean beans ect.)
1 fruit item (kiwi, apple, melon, papaya, ect)

When he regurgitates does he bop his head up and down and make a clucky sound? Dewey has several baby toys he feeds that have to be washed pretty often.

I would definitely have him checked out by an avian vet just to be on the safe side, here is a list:
Birdsnways - Board Certified Avian Veterinarians

Here are some great resources you should check out:
HolisticBird and HolisticBirds
Land of Vos Eclectus - Main Page
Phoenix Foraging Rolls

[Jess89]

It's quite common for birds to get sick when going to a new home; because they get stressed etc i would definately take him to a vet just to be safe

[becca623]

I agree that it would be a good idea to take him to the vet just to be safe. I know someone with a healthy male who regurgitated on his toys for years until he found the right girl. Still, ekkies are sensitive birds and are more likely than some species to have problems like vitamin A deficiencies and allergies. My baby boy is three. He started regurgitating this spring. He doesn't do it a lot. It seemed to surprise him as much as it surprised me. Good luck and congratulations!!!! You picked the best species and sex of parrot imo.

[whiterwing]

Well I took Buddy to the vet and there is nothing wrong wth him health wise, Thank God for that. He was given a clean bill of health, and everything is normal! Thank you to everyone who responded. I am currently looking for a female mate for him so we are hoping for the best!!

Thanks again!

[sodakat]

Glad to hear your guy is hormonal, not sick! Just a heads up regarding getting him a mate. There is a chance that he will still be more interested in regurging for humans than her since he's doing it now. Don't be too disappointed if they don't get along. Also, be sure to have a separate cage for her. Good luck.

Kathy