Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 5/15/2006

Question
Hello. We just purchsed a baby hand fed conure this saturday, we were told
that he was weened a week prior to his arrival to the store and that hed be
ok. He is not having issure with feeding on vegs and fruit on his own... but I
noticed that he has a trait still im not sure i should encourage. Many times in
the past 24 hours my jenday conure, Zeke, crawls to my cleavege, and starts
this low pitch roll tounge sound, chirp like a I cant describe it... and he'd get
frustrated that I didnt understand what he wanted... untill a few hrs aga, i pet
his head and as I moved me finger past his beak he bobbed his head up and
down reall fast... like a bird in the nest I see on tv. Was he weaned too soon?
Should I encourage this behavior? My daughter thinks it's adorable he has
bonded to me soo quickley and is expecting me  to hand feed him. What
should I do?
Thanks

Answer
Hi, Paige.  Thanks for posting.

Handfed parrots, especially youngsters who've just been weaned, often continue this type behavior for years.  When you move your fingers near his beak, he thinks he's going to be handfed.  This is why he bobs his head up and down.  When being handfed, the bobbing action (called a feeding response) is what causes the bird's trachea to close so the handfeeding formula doesn't go down into the lungs.  Even when your conure is several years old, s/he may still react this way if you feed it warm food and/or just show him/her a handfeeding syringe.  I have parrots who are over 5 years old who still respond like this...it's from the memory of being handfed.  I don't think s/he was weaned too soon, as long as s/he is eating it's food OK.    

Tame conures love to cuddle so I consider your jenday's behavior normal.  I have lots of parrots who like to get down in my shirts and hide...I think the warmth and the feeling of the heartbeat makes them feel content.  Actually, this behavior will most likely make the two of you closer to each other.  It certainly won't hurt if you would handfeed him (using baby parrot handfeeding formula and a handfeeding syringe), but if you do, s/he may regress to wanting to be handfed all the time instead of eating on it's own.  Feeding him veggies/fruits, etc., with your hand would not be a problem.  Cuddling is definitely not a problem at all.  I think it's adorable when they stick their little heads out of a shirt as they hold on with their toes!

Come back if you need to.

Chrys