# tiel eating poop



## HAJiME (Sep 20, 2009)

Hey guys.

I have two tiels. The older one eats pooooop, but the other one never does. I'm not really that worried about it, I was just curious to know why it might be happening. I've heard it can be a sign of something lacking in the diet, but he's not always done it and yet his diet has been improved the longer I've had them and the other one doesn't do it and they both eat the same things.

I have a theory... He's exhibiting foraging behaviour and there just happens to be poop about? When he's wondering around on the floor outside of his cage, he will pick up literally anything in his path. 

Anyone else have poop eating tiels?


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## shelagh (Nov 2, 2010)

If you're not quick enough on the pickup, Machi will often return to her poop and attempt a nibble (after which she always takes a couple drinks of water, lol). I feel like they're just picking up anything in their paths, as you said, though the phenomenon of coprophagia is common in the animal kingdom.


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## mpayjr (Aug 16, 2010)

This can often mean that the tiel is malnourished. What do you feed him? A good diet usually stops this behavior in an instance. Another reason can be as shelagh has already said, tiels are one of the least orderly of birds. However, even they have a point in which they need cleanliness. You may have to increase the times you clean the cage in order to stop your bird.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Here's an article on poop-eating from srtiels' website: http://justcockatiels.weebly.com/eating-droppings.html


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## HAJiME (Sep 20, 2009)

mpayjr said:


> This can often mean that the tiel is malnourished. What do you feed him? A good diet usually stops this behavior in an instance. Another reason can be as shelagh has already said, tiels are one of the least orderly of birds. However, even they have a point in which they need cleanliness. You may have to increase the times you clean the cage in order to stop your bird.


Like I said in my post, their diet is hardly perfect, but they both have the same diet and the other one doesn't do it. Their diet has got better since I've had them yet he's only been eating his poo for a few years.

They have a mostly seed diet. They get leafy greens every day. I try to give them rice fairly often. Sometimes they get cereals, apple, sweetcorn, peas, broccoli. But when I got them all they would eat was seeds and lettuce.

Reading that link, stress might be a possibility. It's hard to tell with mine due to their untameness. I'll try find some yeast.


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## beckins (Jul 30, 2010)

ive got the same prob with my new one! We got sausage a few months ago and shes never done it, and we got spud a couple weeks ago now and noticed that he does it, its gross! They dont spend alot of time in their cage, and he doesnt spend much time on the bottom of the cage so thats not really the problem, they spend alot of time on their playgym and as soon as theres a poop in sight he will hoover it up  Neither of them have much interest in greens, altho i do try! Saus will sometimes have a tiny nibble but not sure if she actually takes it in :/ and spud is still not very tame so hes scared of stuff still  Ive bought some of that egg powder stuff to sprinkle on their food as i guessed that might help, but it seems like a bad habit to me


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Lucky ate her poop the first week i got her i offered her lots of veg on a plate and she stopped soon after


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## HAJiME (Sep 20, 2009)

Mine get daily greens, usually dandelion or spinnage, so if it's lack of greens that causes it then that can't be why Dex does it.


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

Is he just picking it up or actually eating it? Does he look like he's enjoying it?

Arnie will wander around when she's eating and accidentally pick up poop. I can tell because she makes a "ew" face and shakes her head to get it out of her mouth. But if your tiel is making "yum yum" faces and enjoying it maybe he's doing it for nutritional or other reasons, and it isn't accidental?


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## HAJiME (Sep 20, 2009)

He's definitely eating it. He does the whole "its stuck on my beak, i'll wipe my beak on something to get it off so I can eat that bit and not waste any!" face.

What's his diet actually lacking if its for nutritional reasons? I can't find out anywhere a list of just FOODS.


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

Might be a bad habit he got into when his diet was lacking previously? Have you tried switching them to a pellet diet?


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## birdlover4life (Mar 6, 2010)

Finny just did that but only because he was on the carpet. I was about to get a tissue and it was gone. I feed him right and he doesnt do it in his cage so I guess he was being a curious baby.


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## shelagh (Nov 2, 2010)

HAJiME said:


> What's his diet actually lacking if its for nutritional reasons? I can't find out anywhere a list of just FOODS.


According to the article previously posted by tielfan, your tiel is probably deficient in water soluble vitamins. Here are links to lists of foods rich in B vitamins, choline, and vitamin C. 

There's also a nice site here you can click through the "top 10" food lists for each individual B vitamin.


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## mpayjr (Aug 16, 2010)

I hope your baby finds a better habit! lol


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