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Senegal could be courting; pionus needs steadier perch
Ever since we got him, our 2-year-old Senegal, Andromeda (Andy), occasionally will rapidly moves his beak - "chew his cud" - and make squeaking noises while sitting on our finger. Cute but weird - what's up with that? Of late, he's also started to bring the front of his wings way down toward his feet.
We recently got a dusky pionus, Orion, who had been in a pet store cage for over a year (yes, the eyes got me). She was frantic when we got her home - scared and huffing all the time, but she's calmed down considerably since. The one thing we cannot seem to get across to her is "up" to a finger. She fumbles, climbs your arm or flaps away. When you do manage to get her up on your finger, she's very unsteady. This is an odd contrast to our Senegal - who got it in the first 15 minutes. Suggestions?
-- Robert J. Trembley
WITHOUT ACTUALLY seeing what Andy is doing, I can only guess at what it all means. But it sounds like he is a happy little bird! We have a little Galah (rose-breasted cockatoo) at NEI named Julio who makes what we call "spit balls". Basically, it’s just a very small amount of regurgitated food that he rolls around in his beak. Why does he do it? Who knows, but obviously he enjoys it because he does it a lot.
Andy's rapid beak moves and squeaking noises could mean many things. However, when paired with the fact that he is dropping his wings, I’d say he is getting a bit solicitous. It sounds to me like you have a little bird who is really enjoying being with you and who is potentially thinking of you as a mate now. Remember, as parrots (and all animals) age, they eventually move on from quality time with "mom" and "dad" and start thinking about finding a mate. On the other hand, many birds love to be rubbed under their wings near the base of their tail. This is frequently interpreted as sexual behavior but that isn't always the case.
As for the pionus, if it spent a year in a pet store it may simply not have many positive experiences sitting on anything other than the wooden dowel in its cage. Try giving your bird a steadier perch than just a finger. We actually use the palm of our hand and not the sides or our fingers as perches for our parrots. It works out great for giving a steady, easy place to sit for everything from our hyacinth macaw to our little moustache parakeet. Just pretend you are a server in a restaurant carrying a tray. A nice flat, upturned palm makes for a very steady platform for the unsteadiest of birds!
ParrotChronicles.com
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