Lunging at nothing?

So i've noticed my alexandrine sometime's do quick head-turns backwards with small lunges while being alittle vocal, almost af if there is a mosquito behind her or someone she doesn't like trying to touch her from behind/sides each time i've looked i've seen nothing there?

A possibility?
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adz1984 said:

So i've noticed my alexandrine sometime's do quick head-turns backwards with small lunges while being alittle vocal, almost af if there is a mosquito behind her or someone she doesn't like trying to touch her from behind/sides each time i've looked i've seen nothing there?

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Always turning to the same side or will go either way (doesn't have to be equal number of turns)?

If its more either way, its likely to move specific muscles of the neck and the movement also causes physical changes in size of the throat. The first relaxes muscles and the second can release or move 'food' either up or down within the throat.

If it is always a turn in the same direction, that is more likely a question for your Avian Vet as part of you yearly visit. If either become more common, better move up the AV visit!

I think it's both sides but i'm not 100% i'll pay more attention next time..
Here is a short video of her doing it right at the start
View My Video

adz1984 said:

I think it's both sides but i'm not 100% i'll pay more attention next time..
Here is a short video of her doing it right at the start
View My Video

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Did see what could be small movements of the Bill prior to the full movements (both ways) and after.

Just to add to my Good Friend in Florida's Post (Flboy), could be possible!

Not sure when your up-coming yearly Avian Vet visit is, but keep a close eye on your sweetheart. Maybe an irritation, possible mites?

She done it again today and it was to other side, so both sides and no beak movements other than getting ready to bite. Shes only vocal (mumbling, calling etc) 2-3 times a day for about 5mins each and she did it during her vocal time the last 2 times i've seen it, maybe it only happens when shes being vocal i'm not sure yet. I thought of mites too but couldn't confirm or deny due to lack of experience

adz1984 said:

She done it again today and it was to other side, so both sides and no beak movements other than getting ready to bite. Shes only vocal (mumbling, calling etc) 2-3 times a day for about 5mins each and she did it during her vocal time the last 2 times i've seen it, maybe it only happens when shes being vocal i'm not sure yet. I thought of mites too but couldn't confirm or deny due to lack of experience

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Would have hoped that an Alexandrine experts would have jumped in by now with species specific insight.

OK, checking for mites is much the same as checking for lice on children. It requires a bit of pushing feathers about looking for the little buggers. Its been a while since I have had to look for them, so I may miss a spot or two. Check the rump and vent area, lower back, wings at and near the body joints as with the legs in the same area. With the response seen with your Parrot, I would start with the rump and lower back.

If its outside you're comfort zone and believe me, I would understand. Well, its getting to a point that moving up the yearly Avian Vet visit is becoming a reality.

Any Alexandrine experts want to jump in here?

She doesn't like to be touched generally but i'll try take a closer look, i did find a few small black insects flying at the bottom of her cage that look like fleas (dont think mites can fly)
I've got Avitrol bird mite and lice spray but weary to use it but im thinking of just using alittle on her lower back and tail , perches and bottom of cage is this stuff safe? pretty sure she will preen sprayed area's also read about some people using salted water that worked any idea's?

Salt water treatments are not overly common in the Great White North since we do not normally come in contact with with salt water that often. So, I will let those who have more experience with that kind of treatment comment.

We do not have either cats or dogs so fleas are something that we do not have much experience with either. In the Spring, Summer and Fall we do get no-see-ums. Not aware of flying mites.

A quick Web Search should be able to define the 'Bird safe' status of Avitrol Bird Mite & Lice Spray. As with any Misting Sprays, avoid the Parrots face, eyes, ears and Beak areas. I guess that we have been very lucky regarding bugs, so I have never used this product.

Sorry, not much help this time around!

SailBoat said:

Salt water treatments are not overly common in the Great White North since we do not normally come in contact with with salt water that often. So, I will let those who have more experience with that kind of treatment comment.

We do not have either cats or dogs so fleas are something that we do not have much experience with either. In the Spring, Summer and Fall we do get no-see-ums. Not aware of flying mites.

A quick Web Search should be able to define the 'Bird safe' status of Avitrol Bird Mite & Lice Spray. As with any Misting Sprays, avoid the Parrots face, eyes, ears and Beak areas. I guess that we have been very lucky regarding bugs, so I have never used this product.

Sorry, not much help this time around!

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Did a quick look on the Web. Product is widely available is at least three sizes. Is recommended for a wide cross section of caged Birds and Parrots. Recommendation is to Mist from a distance of 15 to 20". Taking care not to mist the eyes, ears and Beak.

I do know that the Alexandrines and their relatives have some pretty quirky mating/displaying/swagging moves!

I haven't actually confirmed mites/lice but just going to use a little spray just in case.
I doubt it's mating move she's not even 4 months old but possibly could be a move of some kind who know's.. at this point i'm gonna call it an unsolved mystery (unless it completely stops after i spray her)

adz1984 said:

I haven't actually confirmed mites/lice but just going to use a little spray just in case.
I doubt it's mating move she's not even 4 months old but possibly could be a move of some kind who know's.. at this point i'm gonna call it an unsolved mystery (unless it completely stops after i spray her)

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Just an FYI regarding spraying (Misting): I'm not in favor of creating a large ball of Mist around my Amazon. I mist by targeting specific areas taking care not to soak any specific area. I quickly move away from that area to assure that neither the Amazon or myself is breathing in the mist ball. So, I have my Amazon on one hand and Mist with the other and just move away right after the pump of the mist bottle. But that is just me!

Yeh that make's sense it actually say's not to use in confined area's. I would love to target under the wings but she rarely open's them or let's me, gonna do couple sprays underside tail tummy/vent area and back maybe a couple drops on my finger and rub ontop of her head, bottle says to use 40cm away but woudn't that be harder to target area's and not get on face, thinking of going close and use lightly

I was not familiar with the brand name Avitrol, so I googled it and it's just another pesticide (listed this time for wing mites and lice) that is supposedly"organic" and "natural" because it's main ingredient is Pyrethrin, and even though the Pyrethrin in this stuff is synthetic and made in a lab, it does occur naturally in chrysanthemums, so they call it "organic". The problem is that in most pesticide formulations for animals, birds, reptiles, and plants they combine the Pyrethrin with Piperonyl Butoxide, which keeps the insects from forming resistance to the Pyrethrin. The combo of the two chemicals can be deadly, so you must be very, very careful to use this sparingly and avoid spraying it near your bird's eyes, beak, ears, vent, and places that your bird can preen with his beak. Use very, very little, and if you spray your bird while he is still in his cage make sure to remove any food and water before spraying. If this stuff is ingested it is toxic.

I don't use any synthetic pesticides on my pets or myself, only 100% natural, non-toxic pesticides, even on my dogs for flea and tick prevention. I don't know if you're aware of the massive class-action suits against all of the cheaper flea and tick treatment brands that you can buy in grocery stores, Walmart, Target, etc., but many, many, many cats and dogs have died from the use of any of these cheaper brand's treatments for fleas and ticks, and this includes Hartz, Seargants, Pet Armor, Sentinel, Sentry, Advantage, etc., and it's all of the products like spot treatments, shampoo, flea collars, powders, sprays, etc. All of these formulations contain the same combo of chemicals as this Avitrol you're using on your bird, Pyrethrin and Piperonyl Butoxide. Two summers ago I bought a plant pesticide that contained these two chemicals after trying everything natural to get rid of a mealy bug worm infestation in my succulent rock garden (it's a huge succulent collection of cold-hardy plants that come back after a below-zero, snowy winter; they are expensive plants). I ended up getting horribly sick the night after I used the pesticide, vomiting and breathing issues. I must have ingested the spray somehow, though it wasn't much, it couldn't have been much, just a bit of spray blow back in the wind...Anyway, I ended up in the hospital overnight and had to have my stomach filled with activated charcoal and my eyes constantly flushed...It sucked. I also had to wash all of my plants off and basically flooded my back yard, I was afraid my dogs would be poisoned.

It took a long time and many trials but I finally found a completely natural flea and tick treatment line for my dogs that works as well as any of the expensive prescription poisons available. It's a brand called Natural Care +, and I use the monthly spot treatments and the shampoo if I actually see a flea or a tick on my dogs. It's only ingredients are clove oil (which is what it smells like, it's very nice), cinnamon oil, and thyme oil. My Australian Cattle Dog actually had a huge tick on her belly last month because I stopped their spot treatments too early. It was engorged and I couldn't get it off for anything. I tried a match, vasoline, a tick puller/card, everything, but he wouldn't let go. Finally I took a bit of this shampoo and covered the tick's body with it and it immediately fell out onto the floor dead...

Anyway, just be careful putting that poison on your bird, it will stick to his feathers and he will no doubt preen it off...I don't know what he is doing, whether it is a parasite he's reacting to or not, but if it does help him then you'll know. Just watch for any lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, twitching, shaking, seizure activity, muscle spasms, etc. because these are all signs of toxicity to the pesticide.

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Just so you know, thyme oil/crystals also very bad. The crystals used to be commonly employed by conservators to kill mold in books and paper. You would seal them up in a chamber with the crystals for a while. Turned out that the stuff is carcinogenic, so it's no longer used. Like anything, it's all about the dose, water will kill you if injested in suffienct quantity. Birds are so sensitive...

Off topic, but I found a bunch of videos one day about removing ticks by rubbing them in circles, and the one time I tried it it actually worked! I think the motion gradually works the barbs out of the skin by stretching the skin while moving the tick. But it's hard to be logical when you have a TICK GROSS GET IT OFF ME NOW ARGHHH sorry it's a thing with me.