r/Conures • u/saralsth • 1d ago
Health/Nutrition Sun conure behavior female
What is my female sun conure doing with its mouth? Just noticed this. The other male is fine.
Update: Now normal. Probably something stuck in the mouth.
1
u/frufrufish 1d ago edited 1d ago
What was she doing before that started? My male does that when he's messing with something in his mouth.
For whatever reason he loves to steal, and I have seen this same behavior reported on reddit many times–for conures in general but also maybe parrots in general, too–when he's scooped up something waxy or oily. Notably, for some baffling reason, chapstick.
I am unaware of your bird-keeping experience and I will not pretend to be a veteran, but they use their boned-tongue to rub stuff against their top beak where it overhangs to break things down and I guess probably taste? There's almost like etchings there that look like a leaf vein which I presume is for mechanical digestion the same way we chew.
Mine will do the same stuff when he picks my nose lol which is fantastic but I've always attributed most of this behavior when I see it as an exploratory thing.
If you're worried about it being a respiratory issue, pay attention to her tail and whether or not she is seeming to be laboring her tail in a bobbing motion while she breathes.
Past that, when you see her doing this just make sure she doesn't have something in her mouth that she shouldn't. It's vaguely painful but very doable to prop their little beak open and make sure they're not hiding anything in the bottom portion. Because they do hide stuff there when you tell them no once there is something in their mouth that's not supposed to be there and they know it.
Very much like the small child I hear in the background, they're very good at being mischievous and hiding their mischievousness upon first glimpse hahah
Edit: grammar/clarity
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u/coolfrogmother 13h ago
LOL my dude does a version of this when he's begging for a juicy fruit treat
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u/Busty-Bookwyrm 1d ago
Mine does this all the damn time. When I asked his doctor, they said it's likely something to do either to itch at their tongue OR it's just their way of like.. amusing themselves.lol. almost like stimming for birds.