feather picking regurgitating butt scrubbing lovebird

Question
Hi Chrys:
I have a 6  year old lovebird named 2-k (I don't know what sex it is but suspect it is a male)who for quite a while now has been picking out the feathers around his neck until it is now bare. In addition he goes through stages where he regurgitates his seed (eating large quantities of seed and drinking water much more so than normal). When he's in his regurgitation mode he is also scrubbing his butt on his seed dish. From what I'm reading among other love bird owners, I am not alone. Are these normal antics for a single lovebird, and what do each of them mean?
I bought this hand raised bird from a store that specializes in parrots in Stamford, CT.  The bird also goes beserk when he sees me using a pencil or sharp object. He will attack the object. He does not like fingers either and will bite them when thy are near.  Otherwise he is  loving bird who kisses us and loves us when sitting on our shoulders. Is it common for a lovebird to be so wary of pointed objects or fingers?

Many thanks for any help you can give,
Joy  

Answer
Hi, Joy.  Thanks for posting!

You sound like you are a bit fed up with 2K!  Parrots do strange things sometimes, and each parrot is as individual as humans are.  Why they do some of the things they do is not known by man, but then I'm not sure I understand why people do some of the things they do, much less why our parrots some of what they do!

Feather picking - there can be many reasons for this behavior, but usually it's boredom (as long as there aren't any medical reasons for this behavior).  Birds get bored because they don't have anything to do, so they pluck themselves.  If not boredom, it's something else psychological, so the name of the game is to find out what's bothering them.  Once this is known, it's easy to fix the problem.  

Butt scrubbing (rubbing) is masterbation.  Yes, parrots masterbate (unless he just has an itch in this area)!

The regurgitation - parrots regurgitate their food for a couple different reasons.  This is how a male bird feeds his mate and/or offspring, but is also a way a parrot shows his/her affection for their human.  Sounds gross I know, but it's a fact.  However, be aware that throwing up seed can also be a sign of a medical problem.  If 2K appears healthy in all other respects, then I'd say the regurgitation is his way of showing you he cares for you.

Birds have their funny likes and dislikes about objects.  Perhaps he doesn't like the pencil or other object because you are using it and it takes your attention away from him (he's jealous).  Could also be the color of the object and/or shape of the object...birds can be finicky about these things.  Perhaps the object(s) remind him of something similar he doesn't like.  And then some birds just like to tear up everything and anything!  Some birds don't like red, some don't like green, some don't like plaids, some don't like stripes, etc., etc.  

Biting fingers - if this bird were handfed as a baby, he should not be afraid of fingers, which is why he bites them.  However, since he was in a pet shop for a while, he might not like fingers because of his experiences at the pet shop with customers poking their fingers in/out of the cage all day long.  This is likely why he dislikes your fingers.  You just need to work with him to teach him that your fingers mean him no harm.  This will take time and patience.  I have parrots that I've owned for 10/18 years who still don't like being touched, petted in certain areas, stepping up, etc.   

Come back if you have further questions or need additional information.

Chrys