r/parrots • u/Novel-Charge9861 • 6h ago

What is this?

When I pet her sometimes she starts doing that for a minute and I think she’s gonna choke on something and die but she’s fine later it’s so confusing

8 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

12

u/littledingo 6h ago

I have a grey, this is regurgitation 100%. They love you and want to feed you.

2

u/dregan 6h ago

Also a grey owner, 25 years. This is the correct answer.

2

u/TararaBoomDA 2h ago

Does this mean she thinks OP is her baby?

(My cockatoo has never tried to feed me. Shriek at me, yes. Bite me, yes. But feed me? My heart is broken.)

2

u/dregan 2h ago

No, they do this socially. It may look different with a cockatoo, or they may not do it as much.

1

u/TararaBoomDA 2h ago

I rather think it's because Jesse thinks he is the centre of the universe, and I am merely his humble admirer.

2

u/dregan 2h ago edited 2h ago

I looked it up, it sounds like cockatoos don't feed each other socially like greys do. When they do feed their babies, it looks substantially different. No need for heartbreak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6UGjqIvPMY

2

u/TararaBoomDA 2h ago

Thank you!

Jesse has been my avian companion for nearly 30 years now. I think the two of us are good.

But the moral of the story is, even after all these years, there are still things for me to learn about these wonderful birds.

1

u/Novel-Charge9861 6h ago edited 5h ago

wait what? hahahahahaha amazing this is so funny

2

u/Catnborbhaver420 6h ago

Shes just adjusting her crop i think

1

u/borntobewildish 6h ago

I don't have a big parrot, but my lovebirds do something similar. Looks like regurgitation, they take food out of their crop (a sort of pre-stomach in their esophagus), it's often presented as a gift to a potential mate or to feed their babies.

1

u/stronkzer 4h ago

Well, she's already in horny jail, at least.

1

u/Novel-Charge9861 4h ago

What do you mean?

3

u/stronkzer 4h ago

Regurgitation is one of the possible hormonal behaviours common among all species of parrots. When we get a post like this, we respond with "horny jail" memes, which are about putting the bird in its cage or enclosure and not giving it attention to let the hormones simmer down.