Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My English budgie loves his toys--a lot. He spends much of his time "feeding" them by regurgitating all over them (yuck). I wouldn't be worrying about it, except that he does it in HUGE amounts. Often, there is enough spit-up seed on the bottom of the cage to fill his food dish!

Is my bird getting enough nutrients for himself?

A small amount of regurgitation would not be a concern since this is how they would show their "love" for another bird, but in larger quantities it could be a problem. Is there one or a couple special toys that he does this on the most? If possible switch his toys around or even take them out for a while to see if he still does this when the toys are not available. It would also be a good idea to take him to a vet just to make sure it is not more of a problem than just wanting a "partner". Also does he do it more when there is a certain person in the room with him? If so that person may want to try steering clear when he is doing his regurgitating so he will see they don't "love" him the same way.

The main thing is that if it is in large quantities and doesn't stop with new toys or changing toys than a vet is definitely needed. Even if it is a breeding response he should give up after a while with new things around and not getting a wanted response back from the items. Make sure he is receiving a good diet during this time also and that he has a vitamin supplement if on a seed diet or plenty of pellets and fresh foods if on that type of diet.

Stephanie

Thanks for the info.

I've tried switching his toys it doesn't do any good. He quickly starts "loving" his new toys just as much.

He usually does it when he's alone in the room, so I don't think it has anything to do with a certain person, either.

You can try limiting the hours of daylight to cut down on this behavior as well (it should limit his hormones). Just cover him early, and uncover him late. Slowly increase the amount of dark he gets every night as high as 14 hours.

Get a scale. (You can get one that`s meant to weigh food. They`re fairly cheap, and pretty accurate at budgie size, for only $30). Weigh him every day. If he`s losing weight, vet care is absolutely vital.

Thanks, I'll trying weighing him. You guys are great, thanks for all the advice!!