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Question

My bird suddenly has looses stools..what can be the cause? He is otherwise acting normally..eating, singing and playing...

Submitted: 694 days and 4 hours ago.
Category: Pet
Value: $9
Status: CLOSED
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Posted by Patricia 694 days and 4 hours ago.

Info Request

Hello. I'm sure I can assist you with this but some more information will be very helpful.

What kind of bird do you have?

How old is it?

Are you positive of the gender of the bird?

Have the droppings changed in color as well as consistency?

Have the loose stools been going on for more that 24-48 hours?

Please tell me all about his usual daily diet.

Thanks, Patricia

694 days and 4 hours ago.

Reply

Reply to Patricia's Post: We found the bird about 6 months ago outside so we're not sure of the age. It is a parakeet and the loose stools have been happening for about 3 days. I've had a treat stick in there for a while and he never touched it until recently and now the stools are loose. I've since taken out the stick to see if it from that. His behavior and eating habits have not changed.

Answer

Okay, thanks for the extra information. The fact that he was a lost bird adds literally a ton of things that could be wrong. Regardless of how long he was out in the open, being exposed to wild birds, he may very well have caught something from them. Wild birds can carry several types of diseases and parasites and he would be vulnerable to pretty much any of them. You didn't tell me about his complete diet so what I'm going to on that issue is to just tell you how he should be eating and whatever changes or additions need to be made, you should begin working on that right away. If he is not eating anything but seeds and seed products, his diet is falling way short of proper nutrition for him. Also, if this is your first experience living with a bird, there may be a lot of safety issues around the home you are not yet aware of. We all have many products in our homes from which birds must be protected at all costs. It's hard to keep up with them because they are things that are harmless to us and most other pets, yet some of them can literally drop a bird dead in it's tracks. Others are cumulative, building up in the system, doing their damage over time. I'm going to give you all the links to information that I normally share with first time Budgie owners and urge you to use them to work on diet and to review those safety and bird proofing issues. There will also be links for locating a proper Avian vet because I strongly urge you to get him in to see one and the earliest opportunity for at least what we call a well bird checkup. The first thing they will do is check a sample dropping. It is the least invasive test that can be done yet it can uncover a variety of possible things that are going on with him. The main thing is to stay away from any kind of over the counter, "cure" from a pet store, no matter what an employee may tell you. They do not have anything that will help and in some cases, can do more harm. If they had anything that would help, no matter his problem, you would not be able to buy it without a prescription and you would most definitely not foul his drinking water with it. One more issue, if there is any chance this is a female bird, there is always the possibility of her becoming egg bound. She would not need a male bird present to lay eggs. And if she is not on a proper diet with plenty of calcium rich foods, including a never ending supply of cuttle bone, egg binding is an ever present, and life threatening issue. If you are not positive of gender, the color of the cere is a 99% sure way of knowing. The cere is the fleshy area just above the beak where the nostrils are located. On a mature bird, it will be pink, light tan, creamy or similar for a female. The cere on a mature male will be some shade of blue. I hope this will help you out with him but if not, or if you have any more questions about any of it, just let me know. I want to help the little guy as much as possible. Patricia

Click here: Grit, Gravel and your Parakeet / Budgie

Click here: Hepatic Lipidosis

Click here: PetCareLibrary - Tumors in Parakeets (pvy.com)

Click here: Parakeet Medical and Safety Information

Click here: Parakeet Budgie and Keet FAQs and Info

Click here: Toxic and Safe Plants/Trees for Birds - Household Poisons

Click here: Birdsnways - Safe Plants & Trees for pet birds, pet parrots &exotic birds

Click here: - Budgie Nutrition

Click here: Diet: Safe & Toxic Foods

Obesity & Diets (budgies)

Click here: The Basics: Intro to Budgies / Parakeets

Click here: The Budgie and Parakeet Place - Care, Training, Pictures and More

Click here: BUDGIE CARE SHEET

Click here: More Birds Die as a Result of Air Fresheners: That Stinks!!

Click here: Bird Proofing Your Home: Household Hazards for Birds

Click here: Bird Proofing Your Home - Avoid These Pet Bird Hazards

Click here: The Silent Killer, by Joanie Doss

Click here: Parrots - Avian Vets Recommended - Judy Leach's Parrots - macaws, cockatoos, and african greys

Click here: Find your local Avian Veterinarian

Click here: Avian Veterinarians Recommended by Bird Breeders and Owners http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/abvpvets.htm

Click here: World Wide Avian Vet Listing

Click here: BirdsnWays - Avian Veterinarians - Vets - Vet Services for Pet Parrots & Exotic Birds

This one looks like an advertisement for Harrison pellets but they are only sold by vets so it's another good list to check. Click here: Harrison's Bird Foods is a family of certified organic pet bird diets that were formulated to make your bird as he

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Expert: Patricia
Pos. Feedback: 99.9 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 12/29/2007

Parrot C&onsultant

Published author, free lance bird behaviorist, adviser to the parrots at Sarasota Jungle Gardens.

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