There is a large literature demonstrating that rats with globus pallidus lesions have ingestional problems. In an effort to understand the bases of these deficits, the ingestional activity of normal and brain-damaged animals was subjected to scrutiny. Rats were trained to lick a spout recessed behind a Plexiglas wall for 8% sucrose solution. The characteristic interlick interval and lick duration distributions observed in normal animals were severely disrupted by globus pallidus lesions. This disturbance was, in large part, due to an inability to correctly position the mouth with respect to the spout and maintain that position for a burst of licks, activities which normally ensure consistently efficient ingestion. After pallidal lesions, animals often miss the spout altogether. When they do find the spout, only the first few licks are on target. The head then drifts away from the correct position and subsequent licks miss the spout. Animals' ability to continue licking during slow lateral displacement of the spout was also tested. Animals with pallidal lesions showed severe deficits. In addition to problems with head positioning, pallidal animals failed to adapt their body posture to enable licking at different spout locations. In relation to clinical and experimental findings, these data implicate the basal ganglia in feedback-regulated control of axial and proximal muscles.