Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 10/13/2006

Question
I have a Male Love bird and he is almost 7,,,,,,  The past 8 months his regurgitating  has gotten to the place that I am sure it will begin to effect his health,,,,,,,  It is everywhere,,,,,,, His seed comsumption has tripled in the past month and he drinks more water than you can imagine, I refill his  water dish at least 4 times a day,,,  This stuff is everywhere,, on the counter tops, backs of chairs not to mention his cage,,  When I just cannot deal with cleaning up after him I put him in his cage,,  but it goes on and on,,, He "whines" when his seed dish is empty and I have to refill it,,,,,,,,  He mates with everything,, table, counter, dolls, chair backs and then regurgitates ALL DAY,, from 8 in the morning till I put him up at 8.......  He is no longer a pet as he never sits with me,,,,,,  I hear that there is a shot that will stop this,,,, is it true,,,  I hate for him to be like this and I will never again have a single Love bird,,,,,,  He needs another bird,,,,,,,,,,,,,  His name is Moses and he is my buddy , but I am sure he is not happy,,, always looking for a place to mate or something to feed,,,,,,,,,,,  Any suggestions?

Answer
Hi, Denise.  Thanks for posting!

I recommend you take him to an avian vet for a medical evaluation (not a cat/dog vet, but an exotic animal vet).  It is not normal for a bird to regurgitate as much as you have explained in your post.  I've never heard of an injection for parrots that would stop regurgitation, but I don't know everything when it comes to parrots (I'm not a vet)!  You'd have to ask an avian vet.  There is a hormone injection for female parrots who constantly lay eggs...perhaps there's something similar for males who regurgitate as a result of increased hormonal activity.  However, you need to have your lovie evaluated to ensure the cause of this problem isn't health related.

If you want your lovie to remain a good, tame pet, do not buy him a companion.  Birds prefer other birds to humans and if another bird is present, Moses may lose his interest in you.  Then, there's the chance of baby lovies if you were to buy a female.  The latter would be an entirely different issue for which much thought needs to go into before leaping!

Chrys