What Your Parrot’s Poop Can Tell You
May 26th, 2009Patty
Alright, so this isn’t prettiest topic, but it is one you should know your way around as a parrot owner. Since birds so completely mask their illnesses, there are really only two ways we have to monitor their health at home. One is by weighing them frequently, and the other is by watching the quality of their poop. Your parrot’s poop will remain fairly consistent as long as it is healthy. It only takes me a couple seconds, several times a day to take a look at the bottom of the cage and I can tell what they’ve been eating and assess their general health at that time. Speaking of the bottom of the cage, I want to recommend that you use newspaper as a cage liner. Litter, wood chips and shredded paper don’t allow you to really get a good look at the whole poop. Since it is an uneven surface, parts separate from each other or get hidden underneath pieces of the litter and you just don’t have a good overview. I guess you could argue that as being the point of litter or wood chips, but it makes the monitoring much less effective.
Bird droppings are made up of three parts: the feces, which is the green or brown solid matter of the dropping, the urates, which are the white to cream colored by product of the kidney, and the urine, which is clear fluid, the watery waste of the kidneys. The three components are brought together before they are expelled by the body and come out in the form of a single dropping, looking similar to soft serve ice cream. I apologize to anyone on their way to Dairy Queen for a snack.
For the most part, your parrot’s poops will remain the same in size and consistency. Your parrots diet can affect the color of the fecal matter at times. This is normal. The seed eating parrots will produce green feces, while the pellet eating parrots tend to produce brownish colored feces. Carrots can give the fecal part of the dropping a distinctly orange hue and certain berries will also effect the coloring, making my black raspberry loving goffins cockatoo’s poops a horrifying red color. Once these foods have been digested, the color of the poop will return to its normal green to brown range. Be aware that the color of the urates should always remain white and the urine should always be clear.
The consistency of your bird’s poop can tell you a lot as well. When a parrot is stressed (like mine are at the vet) and their blood pressure rises, they will produce very liquidy poops. Also, after they eat fruit, which has a high water content, the poops can be runny. This is increased urine, also normal under these circumstances, and will return to a typical consistency once the stress is removed, or the fruit is digested. This is often incorrectly thought of as diarrhea, which is only truly the case when the fecal potion of the dropping is not well formed. It is a cause for concern. In a stressed or fruit eating bird, there will always be the presence of tube shaped fecal matter. The size of the droppings should also remain consistent. If they decrease in size or frequency, it could be a sign that your parrot is not eating or has an intestinal blockage. There should be no odor to the droppings.
The following are abnormalties and some possible causes.
In any of these cases, call your vet right away:
-Red or black blood in the droppings. This is a sign of internal bleeding, egg binding or intestinal infection. It can also mean your parrot has swallowed an object.
-Bubbles or air pockets in the droppings are signs of gas or infection.
-Undigested food can mean pancreatic problems, infection and is a symptom of Proventricular Dialation Disease ( or PDD – which I will be doing a post on in the near future).
-Diarrhea can be brought about by many things including parasites, infection and digestive problems.
-Persistent (lasting a day or two) liquidy droppings (called polyuria) can be the result of infection or kidney disease.
-Decreased urine suggests dehydration.
-Yellow or green urates signal liver disease.
-Yellow urine indicates infection or kidney disease.
Our birds are pooping machines. They poop all day long, and we have all gotten up close and personal with it. Take the time to know what is normal for your bird and make it easy for you to identify a problem at its onset.
Hi, my bird just had really dark cherries and i took out the seeds. Right after his cherries, his droppings are a very dark green and it scared me. Should i take him to the vet or is it because of the dark cherries. Please I need to know. Thanks for your time.
~becca
Hi Becca,
I’m glad that you are paying such close attention to your parrot and his needs. Great job. If the poops are not back to normal by now, definitely call your vet. Sorry I didn’t see this sooner.
Patty
[...] bird droppings Evaluating Your Birds Droppings What Bird Poop and Parrot Poop is Telling You What Your Parrot’s Poop Can Tell You __________________ Wawa – Black Capped, Pepper – Cherry Head, Cooter – Catahoula Dog, Andre – [...]
I always pay attention to my lovebirds poop, and it is usually a darkish green color with some white liquidy stuff around it, the bird speciallist vet i go to said that was normal. 3 weeks ago at a vet visit we found out that she had a lot of bacteria in her poop, ecoli i think, and it might have cuase a little respiritory infection or something. our vet put her on antibiotics, it seems like shes better than she was before, but its hard to tell. The follow up appointment was suposed to be today (1 week after the last antibiotic dose), but because of the snow it was canceled. I just had her out, and she pooped on me (of course) and it was a ligher brown color, with hardly any liquid in it. It was larger than normal, and a kind of weird consistancy, almost like a booger, im sorry that is so gross haha. Anyway, should i be concerned? the earliest appointment i could get is in a week. she is still eating like normal and everything.
Hi Shana,
First, I want to say GREAT JOB for monitoring your bird’s poop. So many people don’t do that and find out too late that their bird is sick. I wouldn’t worry too much about what you are observing at the moment. The coloring could be a result of what she has eaten (pellets will turn poop brown). I don’t think it is a problem for the re-check to wait a week. If you remain concerned, call the vet and insist on an earlier scheduling. I’m sure they could fit you in somewhere.
Patty
[...] poop! Poopology – Identify Bird Health Problems through their Droppings Contact Support What Your Parrot’s Poop Can Tell You I hope these help, When in doubt it is always best to have an avian vet do a gram stain (poop [...]
hi
i have got a parrots and it is starting to smell horrible her poop is runny and i am having to change her cage everyday now im wondering if someone could give me some answers
Hi Sez,
Your bird needs to see a vet as soon as you can. Bad smelling poops are a sign of a serious bacterial infection. Your vet can prescribe antibiotics.
Patty
ok thank you my bird has been like this for a few months now
i will phone the vet up in the morning do you think it is serous
Sez,
If it has been like this for a few months, it might very well be serious.
Patty
hi, i have this baby parrot. His droppings is colored red. I think it’s blood. Can you please tell me what to do?? I don’t think it has to do on his food or cage. There is no red in it.
Go see an avian certified vet.
Hi Ash,
These are all really great questions and you are very observant to have noticed these small details. Most people miss them. More than likely, your new parakeet is just getting settled into her new home. This can be a difficult transitions for some birds. Do continue to keep an eye on her poops and her eating. She isn’t pooping a lot because she isn’t eating a lot. Normally they poop quite a lot. Once her appetite picks up in a day or two, she should be fine. Just keep an eye on her and since she responded so well to the mirror buy a bird safe one for her cage. Parrots are very social and she may some day want a little friend.
Patty
hi, my birds poop is usually a normal green color, but the past two days hes been pooping a greenish blue color and its watery. what does this mean???
Hi Maria,
The only thing that might make that happen that I can think of is from toy colorant. Has his drinking water been blue lately from having a dyed toy dropped in it?
Patty
no i don’t think so because his toys are still hanging from his cage, could it be because of something he ate?
Hi, my bird poops liquidy poop and never solid. i am very concerned and its been like this for a few days. i just bought her new food yesterday and isnt eating any of it so i fed it lettuce and kept it in her food so she can eat it until i get her new food. Also, i have been keeping her outside during the night because her old food had a bad oder and attracted bugs. but now it doesnt and i still keep her outside, but once i feel its too hot or too cold outside i will take her back inside. Please help me i dont know what to do! Is it serouse??
~~ Tamara
Hi Tamara,
Runny poops for three days does sound like something is wrong and you really should take her to the vet. I am also concerned that you say there was odor coming from her food. No bird food should smell so bad that it attracts bugs. Perhaps her food was rancid and has made her sick.
Patty
Maria,
Are the poops back to normal color and consistency yet? If he is pooping blue green, it has to be from something he ate or drank that is blue, and it doesn’t sound like it’s food. I’m thinking some kind of dye. If it is still blue green, he is still eating whatever is causing it. I’m more concerned with the poops being runny. Many toy colorants are safe and will only change the poop’s color, but there are unsafe colorants on the market too that will change the color and make the bird sick. Any magazines or paper products that color that he might be getting into? Look around for things of similar color.
Patty
HI,
First I would like to thank you for being here and answering these important questions…
I have an 11 yr old African Gray she is a rescue and is a plucker…
Lately the past few months she has Alot of clear urine when she poops..And I mean Alot…She is and always has been on Pellets and there is some solid dropping..But she is drinking alot more too…Should I be very concerned ??? or is she just a nervous bird ???
Ty,
Donna
Hi Donna,
If this were my bird I would definitely see a vet asap. The over-urination is the result of drinking a lot of water. The concern when a bird drinks excessively is that there is a kidney problem. I have my fingers crossed for you both.
Patty
My bird’s poop has finally turned back to normal, i think it was from some blue food pellets he had been eating but i didn’t know it! anyway, thank you so much for your help!
Maria,
Great news! Thanks for the update!
Patty
[...] a few links… about bird poop (LOL!!!!!!) That I think you should take a look at.. just in case What Your Parrot’s Poop Can Tell You http://www.avianweb.com/poopology.html BirdsnWays – Evaluating Birdpoop – Eclectus Forum March 1997 [...]
hi patty
it turned out it was a toy we bought our parrot it must of upset her tummy but thx for the info she is doing great now
thx again
sez
Hi Sez,
I’m glad your bird is feeling better.
Patty
Hi everyone, i bought a green cheeked conure about a month or so ago, and just recently he’s had bubbles in his poop. I’ve been monitoring this for a while and the bubbles only come once or twice a day, if that. There also seems to be quite a bit of urine in the poop. He’s still very active and seems to be healthy. He’s drinking regularly, and always perks up when i give him new food or treats. His plumage is not ruffled and he is showing no other signs of being ill. I’m quite good at worrying, but he’s part of the family and i’m a little concered. Does anyone know what could be wrong with him?
Kristina.
I got a bird a few weeks and I was told to place water and food in his cage but i only see him eating but he dosent drink the water, I was wondering if he could be dehydrated since hes not drinking water. I provide fresh water everyday i even use the water I drink sometimes but he never drinks it. I also read about parakeets liking variety in their food so i wanted to know what fresh food i can get from the grocery store and how much of it i should give to him so that he dosent get bored with the food he gets from pet store food. I also wanted to know how do parakeets sleep because i place a cover over his cage at about the same time every night so that he gets 10-12 hours of sleep without being disturbed since i have to get up early in the mornings but every time i peek into the cage around 1 or 2am his eyes are open or hes moving around.
Hi Ash,
I think it’s safe to assume that your bird IS drinking water because they can only last a matter of days without it. I rarely see a couple of my birds drinking their water, but I know that they are because they are well. You’re right that parakeets like variety in their diet just like the bigger birds, but cut smaller for their size. Here’s a link to a good diet for your bird:http://www.birdtricks.com/blog/the-4-most-important-components-of-a-healthy-diet/.
Parrots sleep with their eyes closed and their little heads turned towards their back with their beaks nestled into the feathers back there. They also stand on one foot while they sleep and switch from one foot to the other through the night. Birds are very alert, even while asleep, so it might be a while before you are able to catch this. It sounds like you’re doing a great job with your bird.
Patty
Hi Kristina,
I would get your bird to the vet. Bubbly poop is a symptom of PDD among other things. I have my fingers crossed for you!
Patty
I live in a small apartment so i only have a few places to put my birds cage. Since i got him ive kept the cage on a small stool thats close to the floor. I recently found out a little while ago that my neighbor is clearly not tidy because mice have been coming from his apartment thru a hole into my apartment. I heard sounds coming from my birds cage around 1 in the morning and he is usually very quiet at this time so i lifted the cover to check wat was going on. And to my surprise i saw a small mouse crawling around the cage eating my bird’s food. I chased the mouse away nd quickly began to clean the cage. I found rat dropping in the cage near the food tray so im worried that my bird might have mistaken them for food. I know that rat dropping to humans are dangerous and since my parakeet is so small i wanted to know if he did somehow eat the droppings, if it will make him sick or kill him?
Hi Nick,
I see absolutely no reason why a bird would choose to eat mouse droppings, but birds do strange things sometimes. My only concern would be if the mouse had gotten into a poison trap or was carrying disease and brought it into the cage. I would think you would be seeing signs of trouble in your bird by now if that were the case. Try to find and seal the hole the mouse is using to get into your house.
Patty