Parakeet Diarrhea (Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment)
Last Updated on June 24, 2022 by Ali Shahid
Diarrhea is a condition in which feces or droppings are more frequently passing and contain more liquid than normal. Parakeet diarrhea is characterized by three components, namely feces, uric acids, and urine.
A small chamber called the cloaca holds the droppings of the gastrointestinal tract, the urinary tract, and the reproductive tract. Normally, the color of feces is green or brown, and it is produced in the intestinal tract.
The kidneys are responsible for producing urine and urates. It is most common for birds to only excrete a small amount of liquid urine from their kidneys, while the vast majority of the kidney waste takes the form of white/beige, semi-solid urines.
Sometimes a large amount of urine can be produced (polyuria), and this can be misunderstood as diarrhea. A polyureic bird will have a lower fecal component that is more liquid, but the droppings will remain a solid and formed component.
What Does Parakeet Diarrhea Look Like?
If you keep a close eye on the poop coming out of your parakeet, you can make sure that it is healthy and happy. A parakeet poops about 40-50 times every day. These droppings usually range from light green to olive-green in shade.
Most of the time, the poop of your parakeet will be solid, with some liquid bits appearing occasionally, which is the urine from its kidneys.
In some cases, your parakeet’s poop may be a different texture or color than normal, but this does not necessarily mean that he has a health issue.
If your parakeet is putting out solid or liquid poop that is very dark green or tends to turn black, then you should be concerned that your bird is not eating properly.
Changing the diet of your parakeet may also alter the appearance of the parakeet’s color. Consistency is just as important as color when it comes to birds’ feces.
The consistency of your parakeet’s poop may vary between solid and liquid and that consistency may persist for more than a few hours, which could be indicative of diarrhea.
It is possible for diarrhea to still have a bright green color, but other colors may be present, such as white or black.
Causes of Parakeet Diarrhea
Generally speaking, a parakeet that drinks a large amount of water will go through diarrhea. This may happen when they take a bath, drink nervously during stressful times, eat fruit that’s high in water, or compete with other birds.
I don’t think this is anything to be alarmed about, as it usually resolves itself on its own. Diarrhea in your parakeet should be investigated as soon as you notice it.
As a result, you will have a much better understanding of the steps you can take to help cure this problem.
Depending on the issues, you will be able to figure out some of these issues on your own, while others will require the help of a veterinarian. You need to know that diarrhea in a parrot can arise from any number of reasons, including:
Competitive Drinking
Parrots probably won’t be participating in any drinking contests at the local bar anytime soon, but this does not mean they do not take part in competitive drinking periodically.
The fact that your parakeets are kept in separate cages does not mean that they do not experience an intense flock mentality, even if they are kept in different cages. It is for this reason that sometimes they become caught up in a loop.
One of the parakeets will drink, so the other will also drink. If the first parakeet saw the second parakeet drinking, it would only encourage him to keep drinking.
In this manner, both of them may be swallowing more water than normal for several minutes until they are both experiencing diarrhea as a result.
If the situation lasts only a couple of days and as long as your pet bird continues to eat normally, there is no need to be concerned.
After a Bath
Additionally, this is something that happens to many parakeets as well. You may notice that your bird has almost completely liquid poop after bathing it and then it might not dry well.
It is important to understand that during a bath, your bird can ingest much more water than they can ingest regularly. To eliminate all that waste, they have to do it in some manner, and the most common method is to pass loose stools.
Taking a closer look at this one, you will notice that it won’t last too long. They will be alright after they have passed the water through their system, so you can expect them to fully recover in a short period.
There is no reason to be concerned about this. The only thing you need to make sure of is that when you try to clean them, you are being careful to ensure that they do not take in too much water or something similar.
Molting
In general, there are no rules stating that all budgies will have loose poop while they are molting, however, it is a very common side effect that can happen while they are going through this process.
Generally, in our household, they do this intermittently for a few days during the most wretched point at which they are covered in pin feathers. So long as they are feeding and drinking, it doesn’t make sense for you to stress yourself out worrying too much.
Fruits and Vegetables
While it’s not a bad idea to give your parakeet a little bit of fruit and vegetables, you do have to take care when choosing what you feed your bird. There is a lot of water in fruits and vegetables, but seeds have low water content.
It is possible that as long as the bird takes to digest watermelon or lettuce, which are both mainly composed of water, it will cause loose poop for a while afterward. The frequency with which such foods can be eaten by the birds can usually be limited.
Causes that You Should be Worried About
- Bacterial infections (Mycobacterium)
- Toxins
- Fungal infections
- Foreign bodies
- Viral infections
- Parasitic Infection (Giardia )
Depending on the severity of diarrhea, the length of time the bird has had diarrhea, and if there are any other symptoms, your veterinarian may recommend specific diagnostic tests.
In the case of birds showing other symptoms such as vomiting, anorexia, hemorrhage, or lethargy, a comprehensive diagnosis may be required.
Symptoms of Parakeet (Budgie) Diarrhea
In a true case of diarrhea, wet droppings are the characteristic of the illness. As a result, the usually solid portions of feces in droppings of budgies with diarrhea are mushy, sometimes sticky, and even vicious.
As with the urine component, when the urine component is mixed with the water in the feces, the urine portion dissipates as well.
It is important to note there is yet another sign which goes along with the mushy feces inside the bird’s cloaca: the feathers around the cloaca appear sticky and show traces of it in nearly every instance of observation.
When a bird suffers from diarrhea, its liquefied droppings do have a smell. The smell of diarrhea droppings tends to be pungent, musty, or fishy. When these droppings are touched, they can be extremely slimy and stringy, depending on the condition.
Diagnosis
In the event of a severe case of diarrhea or if other symptoms are present, your veterinarian will recommend specific diagnostic tests.
Obtaining a complete medical history is essential in making an accurate diagnosis. Make sure you tell the veterinarian when the diarrhea started, what consistency the diarrhea is, and if there is blood in the diarrhea.
You should also tell your vet what kind of diet your bird eats, what kind of chewing habits it has, and whether it has ever been around other birds. A veterinarian may perform the following tests to diagnose the problem for you:
- An in-depth examination of your pet
- A complete blood count and serum biochemistry
- Obtaining a sample of the feces to be cultured for bacteria and cytologically examined
- X-rays to determine if there are any signs of intestinal disease
- Followed by an endoscopy to view the alimentary canal or the body cavity.
Budgie loose motion (Diarrhea) treatment
I highly recommend making sure your bird is kept in a warm environment if it is ill. You need to keep the bird at a temperature around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. A hospital cage would be appropriate for it, or a regular cage in a warm environment would do.
It is necessary to mix 1.4 liters of water with 10 ml of glucose. Dose out 6 ml of the solution and divide it among 5 or 6 daily doses. Give the infected bird a dose of the medicine by eyedropper or oral syringe, when it is warm.
Try giving your bird probiotics formulated specifically for birds if it still has diarrhea. They will help you to restore the balance of your bird gut bacteria. These probiotics assist in restoring the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut.
The probiotics can be bought in pet shops and online. A veterinarian can prescribe antibiotics to treat the underlying cause of diarrhea that you’ve noticed in your parakeet if you think it’s caused either by a bacterial infection or a fungal infection.
If you want to give your parakeet a medication, talk to your veterinarian about how you should give the medicine, and follow the instructions they give you carefully.
To prevent reinfection and the spread of disease to other pets or people, it is essential to keep the cage and other accessories of your birds clean. Make sure that you follow these steps both during and after your parakeet’s illness.
Frequently Asked Questions
When my parakeet has diarrhea, what should I give him?
The first thing you must do after you get your parrot home is to make sure he only eats pellets and has fresh water to drink.
It may take a few days for diarrhea to ease up, but you can offer your bird small amounts of his favorite treats such as fresh fruits or vegetables after diarrhea eases up. Make sure that you watch the droppings of your parrot closely.
What does unhealthy parakeet poop look like?
If the parakeet poop is abnormal, it may have a different consistency or texture. There is likely a kidney problem if the poop contains either a lot of white, pasty uric acid or a lot of urine that is very clear.
When the stool is black or has a tar-like texture, it may indicate that digested blood has been present. If you find discolored to gray droppings on your bird, this indicates that the crop has been infected.
If the poo is a light gray or a dark brown, this might be an indication that your parakeet has pancreatitis.
Why is my budgies poop green and watery?
A bluish-green coloring is the result of bile and this indicates that there is liver disease present. The droppings might also contain undigested food.
That would indicate that there are intestinal parasites present. The problem is that if the budgie just had treatment for this problem, his system might be cleansing itself, clearing out all the toxins, and it should resolve itself in a few days.
What is the treatment for polyuria?
Depending on the cause of the polyuria, treatment may involve antibiotics, medications for the kidneys or liver, or hormone injections. Changes in husbandry and diet are often necessary.
Conclusion
To put it simply, it is very important to comprehend just what exactly parakeet diarrhea looks like. There are generally three components to bird droppings, namely feces, uric acid, and urine.
In the case of polyuria, you will also see an increase in water content in the feces, which will appear as diarrhea. This, however, is a problem related to the renal system.
However, that does not mean that it will always be the same. Therefore, it is always advisable to go to an avian specialist to determine if there are any life-threatening problems.
