It is wonderful he is so tame but I would try to refrain from letting your bird explore the inside of your mouth. You can make your bird ill by change the gram positives to negative....
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww37eiv.htm
"Birds have a population of bacteria known as 'normal microbial flora' which colonizes the skin and mucous membranes of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria are not disease causing and are referred to as 'nonpathogenic'.
Bacteria may be classified as 'gram-positive' or 'gram-negative' based upon certain staining characterisitics. Gram-positive bacteria are the predominant normal inhabitants of the crop, cloaca, skin and respiratory tract of clinically healthy passerines (finches, canaries) and psittacines (parrots). Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Corynebacterium, Staphlococcus, Streptococcus and Enterococcus are normal gram-positive bacteria in birds.
Gram-negative bacteria may be present in very low numbers in clinically normal birds. When present in large numbers however, they are frequently associated with disease. Enterobacter, Escherichia coli, Proteus, Klebsiella and Pseudomonas are disease causing gram negative bacteria.
Pet bird eggs and chicks are sterile. Bacteria can invade the egg as it passes through the reproductive tract, or as it cools once it is outside the hen's body. Embryonic death may occur once the egg has been penetrated by bacteria. Bacterial infections may also result in small, weak chicks that fail to thrive or die shortly after hatching.
Once chicks hatch, they are exposed to bacteria from their parents, nest mates, nesting material, food, water, feeding utensils and human hands. Some bacteria also enter through the cloaca (vent).
Baby birds may have crops that empty very slowly, poor feeding responses, and be weak and lethargic if they have heavy gram-negative infections. (Note: Viral infections, yeast infections and inappropriate environment may also be involved.)
Gram-negative bacteria may also be responsible for skin infections, sinus infections, air sac infections, crop infections and lower gastro-intestinal tract problems.
If a bacterial infection is suspected, or if a bird is presented for a healthy examination, cultures of the crop and cloaca should be taken. It is important that an antibiotic sensitivity is also performed, so that the appropriate antibiotic may be chosen. Guessing results in choosing an antibiotic that may be ineffective towards the organism that is causing the disease.
A 'normal' looking bird may become ill if it has gram-negative bacteria and is stressed as a result of poor nutrition, traveling or other illness. Birds used as breeding birds should have cultures taken before they are set up to breed. This will help contribute to healthy chicks that do not have gram-negative infections"
Mammals have gram negative, you can change the birds gram positive to gram negative and literally make your bird (parrot of bird) ill This was told to me by my avian vet. I bought a bird that was handfed, the breeder whom I discovered later apparently would take the syringe to her mouth and "test" the temperature of the formula. I brought my little bird home and within a few days I was in my vet's office. She did a gram study and the bird was gram negative and not gram positive like it should be as a result of the breeders habits. The bird was on baytril for over two weeks to correct the issue.
I think it is get your bird is tame but if you share food prepare him a separate dish of it prior to you eating from it, don't let him in your mouth or eat off your lips or eat off utensils, drink from glasses of your water or juice you drank from. If he becomes ill I would seek help from an avian vet.
http://forums.avianavenue.com/healthy-h ... -sick.html
What Dr. Harris says is universally accepted in the parrot medical world.
"The natural bacterial population of a parrot is gram positive, while the natural population of a mammal is gram negative. A parrot has little natural defense to gram negative bacteria and our mouths are full of gram negative bacteria. Never ever let your bird get into you mouth or eat off a utensil you have had in your mouth or eat food that may have had contact with your saliva."
He's a very cheerful bird, jumping, flying around
