GREY FISHER
Parrots use tongue to investigate objects
 My moustache parakeet sticks out his tongue and rubs it on my fingers and clothes. It doesn't appear to hurt his little tongue. He's only a few months old and just started doing this. Any idea what he is doing and why?
-- Jennifer, ducksoup72@earthlink.net
 I LOVE moustache parakeets! I worked with one of these little guys for several years and it was always a treat. Basically, your bird is just checking out his environment. Many birds will use their beaks and tongues to examine everything from their cage bars to your fingertips to that scary new toy you just hung in their cage. It's perfectly normal but it can lead to problems. I have seen birds end up with metal poisoning (zinc and lead primarily) from licking their cages and the things that hang inside it. "Quick Links" are commonly used to hang toys, especially for larger parrots; however, they are a known source of zinc poisoning. Brass cowbells can occasionally have lead clappers in them and even dog clips that many of us use to keep our birdcages secure can cause problems.
In addition to metal problems, fibers from clothing or carpeting and even hair can get tangled on birds' little toes and tongues. So always keep an eye on what he's checking out and you'll have a long happy relationship with your new bird!
Grey Fisher is a trainer at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Previously he was a trainer with Natural Encounters, Inc., a world-renowned organization that helps zoos all over the world train birds and many other types of animals using positive reinforcement.
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