Ask Lafeber

regurgitation

If an Amazon is regurgitating food, should he eat more?

Hi Elizabeth,

Is your Amazon regurgitating for you or a toy as a sign of affection? If so, this is a normal hormonal behavior. It is generally harmless as long as it is temporary. Depending on how much he is regurgitating, he may eat more food to make up for it. When feeding chicks, parent birds will eat a tremendous amount of food. So even though he is not feeding a chick or mate, he is still losing some food. When you handle him, be sure to stick to head scratches because petting him on his body is something only a mate would do, so this can trigger hormonal behavior if you do it.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda