# A POOP Question



## babygirl (Jan 21, 2009)

I have had cockatiels for quite a few years now. I also have quite a bit of experience treating, and caring for sick cockatiels. I pay great attention to my birds habits, activities and pooping habits. 5 months ago I lost one of my beloved tiels to a lengthy illness. I spent well near $2,000 or more, on her care, and hospital stays. I built an incubator, and hand fed her 3 times a day. I held her, and comforted her most of my waking hours. She never suffered, if she had suffered at all I would have let the vet help her pass away peacefully. It was a loosing battle from the start, and emotionally draining as well. When she passed away it broke my heart. She was my first bird, and loosing her was devastating.

But because of her I learned a lot about how to care for cockatiels, and what to look for in sicknesses. All my tiels have taught me many things. I know how to crop feed, crop massage, check for growths, and how to check wings, noses, and toes. I know what their poop should look like, and I know the best foods to feed them. I know what to look for, and what to do when you have a bird that just wants to lay egg after egg after egg. I also know what to do to ease the suffering of a tiel that's lost his mate. I know cuddle bones, mineral blocks, safe non toxic cleaning methods, baths, showers, the works so to speak. I daily vacuum, air clean, humidify, and heat their environment. I give them all yearly vet check ups. 

I've seen the huge smelly wet poops they do when they are in mating mode. I've seen the black tarry stool that tells you they are not digesting food and need help asap. I've seen the tiny poops when they just are not eating very much. I have also seen the somewhat wet poops when they are adjusting to new foods.

So you would think that after all this that I had seen it all. WELL I have a new problem,

One of my birds has decided to drink herself stupid. I've seen her take 4, 5 or even 6 big gulps of water at a time, many times a day. She is not acting any different then normal, in any other way. But man when she poops, along with the normal poop there is a tremendous amount of water. I have her on Harrison's Organic food, and filtered water, which I change daily. Occasionally I will give organic popped popcorn, millet spray, or organic puffed wheat. 

I just can't figure what the water drinking thing is about. All the other 9 birds are totally fine and do not have this problem. The only thing I can think of is when I got her I changed her from the seed diet she was on to the Harrison's, she started to drink more water, and went through a week of very watery stool. I had her checked by the vet and she thought that maybe molly was just drinking more because of the new food. I though this was the case too as she stooped doing it after a while and all was fine. Now many many months later she is doing it again, only drinking more then the last time.

I have called the vet and have an appointment to get her looked at, and get a blood work up done.

Would anyone know what might be happening here? Might it be a behavior thing, or possible some bazaar mating thing I have yet to know about. Or maybe the food is just making her thirsty.

I thought I would ask as what I have been though I am getting worried, and now I dread going to the vet as my mind brings me back to my Little Louise's passing. I just can't bear to go though this again. Well I hope it is nothing and my Molly will be OK


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## athalia (Nov 16, 2007)

ya hope nothin serious happen....anyway good luck n cheers!!


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## skthurley (Jan 7, 2009)

I can't remember where I read it, but pellets typically contain very little fat... so they're arguablely ,very nutritious.... Bird also have a tendency to drink more water when eating pellets, due to the fact that the food is dry.


It is also important to note that fat is a body's water storage tank. So if all she's eating is pellets, she doesn't have a whole lot of fat to store water, thus her body is craving water.

My parrotlet drinks like crazy when he decides to eat only his pellets and not the fresh mash of foods I make for him.... and the consequences are runnier poo. When he eats the fresh mash (filled with lots of veggies, grains, some fruit and legumes), he drinks less water and has more solid poo.

I also find that when he goes on a pellet eating binge, if I give him some soaked/sprouted seed, or a nutriberry, or just a tsp of dry seed, his poop remains normal as well.... I figure the fat content of the seeds (even though they are healthier seeds like red and white millet, oat groats, etc) counteracts with the pellets and balances out his need for water.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

about the only thing I've read that leads a bird to drink way more then normal is Dehydration


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

We need to get Bea in here! She's had some excessive-drinking problems with Cookie and Bailee but I don't remember the details. It was something secondary to a bacterial infection, and the remedy was very simple.


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## babygirl (Jan 21, 2009)

Well because of tielfan mentioning bea's problems with Cookie and Bailee, I looked up the posts regarding this. One suggestion was to add apple cider vinegar to their water. I already do this on a regular basis. I think maybe she is overcompensating because of the pellets, as this started after I gave them spray millet. I'm also thinking maybe the spay millet I got was bad or something.

well the vet called and said to bring her in right away. She is going to put her in the incubator, give fluids, test her poop and do blood work, and if need be take some xrays.

So off I go now. wish me luck and pray for my baby.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

Hope all is well 

mine eat pellets and millet and none of them drink a lot


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