# Cockatiel's Poop Foul Smelling :(



## Megad00dle (May 10, 2012)

Hi Everyone,

I came home tonight to greet my tiel, Fiona, and noticed a foul smell coming from her cage. I quickly realized it was coming from her poop at the bottom. I have never smelled anything like it in my life. It smells really bad. It also looks different- almost gritty or something and not fully solid? I have attached a picture. 

Her poops were perfectly normal yesterday and her behavior has not changed. I plan on taking her to a vet if it does not go back to normal by tomorrow, but in the meantime I was hoping to get some opinions on what it might be? Also if it is some type of infection, what would cause it?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I don't know much about bird poop, but what I do know is that a birds poop should never, ever smell. It means there is definitely something going on in her tummy, I just don't know what. I would take her to a vet asap, because that is not normal.


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## Megad00dle (May 10, 2012)

Thank you. Last night I carefully kept track of each of her poops and as the night progressed they became more and more normal looking with less of a smell each time. By the time I went to bed they were completely normal with no odor.

Fast forward to today I come home from work again and there are only 2 large poops at bottom of cage that again smell, but not as strong as the day before. It almost seems as if she is holding in her poop all day, or for hours at a time at least. 

Again, as I am monitoring her poops tonight since I got home, they have been less odorous each time and now they are back to completely normal with no smell at all. 

Would holding in her poop make them smell?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

It could yes. Is she hormonal at all? Maybe getting nesty?


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## Megad00dle (May 10, 2012)

I haven't noticed any hormonal behaviors. Her poop was normal last night before bed, normal this morning upon waking. Again though when I got home from work the poop at the bottom smelled terrible. It almost looked like diarrhea, kind of splattered. I will try to get her into a vet. Not sure what could be causing it go back and forth between normal and abnormal.


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## abaldwin40 (Aug 25, 2013)

maybe shes stressed by you leaving? and then gets excited when you come home? i havent experienced this but i would say a vet is necessary. i hope fiona gets better


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## Megad00dle (May 10, 2012)

I'm not sure- my routine hasn't changed at all so I would be surprised if that was it. But it would make some sense considering it always gets better once I'm home. She has been a single bird for almost 2 years now and hasn't had any issues thus far. Just hope it's not something serious.


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## abaldwin40 (Aug 25, 2013)

let us know if you find something out! i hope she gets to feeling better


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## john9 (Nov 4, 2013)

I too think you need to get her to a vet with a specimen of her `poop`or a picture at least. Anything out of the ordinary needs to be checked out A.S.A.P.


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## Megad00dle (May 10, 2012)

I took Fiona to an Avian Vet here and her culture results came back showing some E Coli. They prescribed her Clavamax (antibiotic) and AviCulture (probiotic). 

I've since done some research on E Coli and read that it can actually be normal to find some in birds droppings, so not sure if that is really the culprit. 

The past couple days she has had smelly diarrhea during the day and then solid normal poop in the evenings. Doesn't make sense!

I did notice at one point yesterday she appeared to be straining for about 30 seconds...kind of rocking back and forth and straining like she needed to push something out. She then suddenly stopped and started acting completely normal again. I was worried about egg binding but she hasn't done it since...

Hoping the meds resolve everything- just tried to give her her first dose via syringe and it all went under her tongue at which point she waited for me to finish and then shook her head and got rid of it. I then put some on a piece of apple and a pea which she ate some of until she realized the medicine was on it. Hoping things will go better next time...


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Poor Fiona. Hope she starts feeling better soon. Well done for getting her to a vet.

If she is egg-bound, there will be an absence of droppings altogether.


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