Understanding your bird's droppings could save your bird's life

It is true that when a bird becomes sick that their health can

deteriorate quickly. But it's rarely true that when a bird become sick, it dies

suddenly without showing symptoms of illness. The symptoms are there, we just have to learn how to recognize them.

Changes in the droppings can be a very early indicator that the bird is

Know what normal droppings look like so you can recognize a change in

color, consistency, order, and/or amount. Use paper at the bottom of the cage so

that the dropping falls flat and clean onto the paper. This will enable you to

recognize any changes in color, consistency, order, and/or amount. If you are able to notice this change you could save your bird's life. If you use wood shavings at

the bottom of your cage and you miss a change in color and consistency in the

droppings then you failed your bird. It is wrong to use wood shavings at the bottom of your cage so that it looks nice and you do not have to clean the bottom of your cage as often if it interferes with evaluating the droppings for signs of health problems.

There are three components to most droppings. Urine consists of a

crystal urine called urates (white chalky material) and a non-crystal urine called urine (clear water). Sometimes the 2 types of urine are mixed creating a cloudy white urine.

Important changes include color changes and amount.

The third part of the droppings is the feces which comes from the colon

and consists of digested food. The color varies depending on the types of food

Red pellets and strawberries produce a red colored dropping. (This does not

apply to the urine..) Seed and green vegetables produce a green dropping. (This

does not apply to the urine.) Blueberries and blackberries produce black droppings.

The feces should be solid and tubular like a worm. It can be coiled up or

uncoiled and it is okay if it is broken into pieces.

Diarrhea is not excessive urine in the droppings. Diarrhea is the fecal

material not holding its tubular shape. Instead it is the consistency of

Look for blood in the feces. If the feces is fresh and black in color and

there were no blueberries in the diet then this indicates melena. Melena

is black droppings caused by bleeding high up in the digestive system. When

the blood passes through the lower digestive system, it is digested turning the

red blood into a black tarry color, staining the feces black.

Color which cannot be explained by the diet should be investigated by

your veterinarian. Don't forget to look for real worms like tapeworms and

If you notice black droppings (indicating internal bleeding) at the

bottom of your bird's cage, stop and go to your veterinarian. If you wait until the

bird is weak, not eating, and fluffed up, then you have a race against the clock

Watch your bird's droppings everyday and learn what they look like

normally. When you notice a change, identify what portion of the dropping has

changed. If you cannot explain the change by the bird's lifestyle then act immediately and contact your avian veterinarian.