This morning when I got Kiwi out of his sleep cage and brought him downstairs I noticed that he looked like he was trying to vomit. Nothing comes up but he acts like something is stuck in his crop. I just saw him drink but he hasn't eaten. He is trying to be himself but it isn't working. I am so afraid. We are on our way to the vet in about 10 min.

uhoh, let us know what the Vet says

Be blessed little Kiwi. I know how scary these things can be. Prayers and good thoughts coming your way.

I don't pray but I'm sending you my best wishes for Kiwi to be okay.

Hoping that Kiwi will be fine. Please let us know what your vet has to say. Good Luck.

healing thoughts coming your way. hopefully it's something simple enough.

kris

Oh, how scary this is. Poor little Kiwi. Hope he's okay.

Sending prayers and good thoughts your way.

We just got back from the vet. First let me say that the vet is not an avian vet. There aren't any avian vets in North Dakota from what this vet tells me. The closest is 5 hours away in Minnesota. I didn't do my research before I got Kiwi, but I am doing my best to make up for that error now. Anyway... He said that Kiwi does not have an impacted crop, which was one of my first fears. He checked him the best he could with what knowledge he did have. He said Kiwi appeared to be a healthy bird. He wants us to bring back a poop sample tomorrow. He said to monitor his behavior and if anything changes bring him back. I am not thrilled but he tried to be helpful. He went and checked his bird book twice. Kiwi seems fine now. He is eating and drinking and calling for me if I am out of his sight. I am going to put him in his sleep cage with a light for the rest of today and see how it goes. It is possible there is a vet with a little more experience in Fargo, which is only an hour away. There is an avian rescue there and I think it must be the vet they use. Thank you so much for your prayers and concern.

Oh poor Kiwi, how scary for you, I hope he continues to improve.

Just an idea, but my husband's amazon acts that way when he's, um, you know... pleasuring himself... I don't know if this applies to your situation, but it's just an idea. I was freaked out the first time I saw it. I'm not really familiar w/ quakers, though. We only just got ours 2 days ago, so I'm no expert. Anyway, I hope Kiwi is ok.

*EDIT* I just saw this and thought I would pass it on. It's from the Guide to Quaker Parrots:

"As with other parrots, allofeeding (regurgitating) is one of the most common early sexual behaviors in quakers. Even at a very young age, a happy, amorous quaker may wish to provide the object of its affection with warm, gooey, partially digested food."

So maybe you could call an avian vet, since you don't live near to one, and describe the symptoms to see what they would suggest. I can sympathise, I'm an hour and a half away from my avian vet, too. Hopefully they'll have some good advice for you. I hope that's what's going on w/ your Kiwi, and nothing more serious.

Hugs and prayers for you and for Kiwi. Please keep us posted.

How many hours of sleep does Kiwi receive. Wallace started doing exactly what you described a few months ago, and we connected it to his hormones. Whenever he was feeling loving and "needy", he would attempt to regurgitate for me, and would not stop unless he was taken away from me. We finally adjusted his sleeping schedule so that he now gets at least 12 hours of sleep. A few days after the schedule change, he was completely fine and has not done it since. I hope this helps and that there is nothing wrong with your baby. Good Luck! Keep us posted!

Keep us posted! I'm sure its nothing serious

I just went through this with Gonzo. He kept acting as though he was going to throw up. When we took him to the avian vet, she said something to the effect of what MOOK & CassieP has posted about their hormones acting up. I was happy that Gonzo did it at the vet so she was able to see what I was talking about. She said this is completely normal and that the bird will do that at times whenever they see the person they've bonded to. You dont even have to be near them, but as long as they see you they will make that gesture (throwing-up) as a normal hormonal gesture. I wouldnt worry about it, its a normal thing.
Love & Prayers to Kiwi

Oh, THAT. I know what you're talking about now. All I could imagine was poor little Kiwi needing to throw up and not able to or something.

Clyde does that to me, too, and thanks to this site, I recognize it when he's doing that and know it's just his little birdy way of showing he's fond of me. Clyde never actually brings anything up, either, but he makes the gesture. I'll bet that's all your Kiwi is doing, too, and you don't have to worry, but of course, you will! We're all so crazy about our feathered babies. Keep us posted until you know for sure.

I am really hoping Kiwi is just regurgitating for me. He is acting fine now. (He just flew over to my daughters head and is attacking her hair tie.) It only happened the one time this morning. I put him on his playstand and he was playing with a toy attached to a piece of raffia. He started trying to vomit but nothing came up. He did it probably 7 or 8 times and his crop was moving side to side. It looked like a big adams apple in his neck. Nothing came up but a tiny bit of fluid. I picked him up and he did it a couple more times and then he stopped. He has never dome anything like it so I freaked out. His first hatchday was June 19th so is that about right for it to be hormones? He has been extra crabby lately but I figured it was just all his new feathers comming in. Does this sound like what your birds do when they are regurgitating for you? Thanks again for all your help. I don't know what I would do without all the wonderful people on here!!!


Kathy and Kiwi

Yeah, this sounds very familiar to Wallace. He would really only do it in the mornings, right as i woke him up and took him to go get breakfast with me. His motions also looked like something was stuck in his crop and he would move his head and neck side to side and up and down. He usually didn't bring anything up (maybe he didn't have anything in his stomach at the time) except for one time after dinner. I thought he was being cute until something green and frothy appeared in his mouth. It turned out to be green beans he thought that I needed to eat! Anyway, when we determined what it was we changed his schedule from a breeding pattern to a "winter" pattern. We increased his dark hours under a cover from maybe 10 hours to now a solid 12 hours of sleep. It turned off his hormones almost immediately and we haven't had any problems since. Definitely watch Kiwi for signs of regurgitating and watch for when he does it most (mornings etc...). It could be that he was regurgitating for his toy as sometimes they choose to show their toys affection. Keep us posted! Good Luck!

Ducan does this several morns a week.
Lee Ellen

Thank you!!! I feel a lot better now. I had no idea it looked like they were dying when they show their love for you!!! Obviously the vet I went to had no clue either. I really should call and let them know that we think we have the mystery illness figured out. He really did try to help. I told him about this forum and how there were so many people with a lot of knowledge about birds. He was glad that I had somewhere to turn since he didn't have many answers. He wasn't half as glad as I am...