# poop in water



## kimiko (May 18, 2009)

for the past few days, when i've uncovered my cockatiel in the morning, there has been a huge poop in his water! its like he's held it in all night or something? 

any one else's bird do this?


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## spraymillet (Mar 2, 2010)

I try to put my water for my birds away from where they perch. My budgies LOVE to do it even though I put the water on the other side of their cage from where they roost- it's like they poop while they take a bath in it. Luckily my cockatiel's water stays pretty clear! Just a reminder to change it every day I guess. I tried giving them those water tubes, which they like, and keeps the water fresh, but it's hard to pin it to the cage in a secure but removable fashion.


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## Jenny10 (Feb 27, 2010)

Hi, just be careful on how a water tube clips on the cage, if you try one of those, I had one for my budgie, and he somehow got his leg stuck behind it and was flapping around frantically, luckily we were about to unhook him.

Jenny


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## seaofdreams (Dec 29, 2009)

My guys perch on their water bowls through the night and there is always poop in them in the mornings, I have no idea why they do it, the water bowls are lower than their perches and they have plenty of perching space elsewhere. Strange things.


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## spraymillet (Mar 2, 2010)

Jenny10 said:


> Hi, just be careful on how a water tube clips on the cage, if you try one of those, I had one for my budgie, and he somehow got his leg stuck behind it and was flapping around frantically, luckily we were about to unhook him.
> 
> Jenny


Yeah, I figured better safe than sorry. I had it tied with a soft ribbon, but the budgies kept playing with the ribbon and I didn't know if it was safely dyed or not so I just took it out!


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## Malorey (Jul 23, 2008)

Icarus would always perch on the water dish at night, and poop and poop and poop in it, we now have smaller dishes, so he no longer does that.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Some birds prefer this, even if there's a lot of perches for them to sit elsewhere. I don't think there's much you can do, only change the water and clean the dish really well first thing in the morning.

I had the same problem, I woke up to their water being full of poop, and they won't drink their water if there's food/poop in their water. I changed to a different water dish, put it lower, and now they don't sit in their water dish anymore.


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## brittbritt (Oct 25, 2008)

I have to change the water dishes all day long. Even if they're not under perches they poop in it.


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## clawnz (May 28, 2009)

Just my two cents worth.
Coco used to poop in his water. He is not my Tiel, he just came for a holiday.
While he was here in his own cage I switched perches and gave him a large diameter one at the same level of his water dish. He took to this and as far as I know he has not poohed in his water since. His diet was also changed around the middle of last year.
You could also try giving them a platform gives them another option. 
The other think I have noticed, is that they some times like something in front of them while roosting, this could be the cage or an upright branch.

And the fact that sometimes they poop in the water then drink it to replace minerals they need. But this should only be if they are on a poor diet.


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## seaofdreams (Dec 29, 2009)

Mine won't touch the water if they have pooped in it so I change it as soon as I get up in the moring (5am.. ugh)
There is a boing and two different sized perches at a higher level than the water dishes but they still prefer the dish as a sleeping perch.


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## Raven2322 (Mar 1, 2008)

Mine don't poop in their water too much, but they liked to sleep sideways sometimes in their double sided food dishes. I will sometimes come in to a mountain of poop in one side or the other because someone slept there.


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## mwag (Jul 12, 2009)

My oldest tiel thinks the water dish is the potty as well lol. I have to clean his water dish every few hours.


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## Autumn (Dec 12, 2009)

My two are very sensitive about their water. If there's something in it (poop or seed hull) or if it is a different colour (vitamins), they stare it like somebody poisoned their water and generally won't drink it. 

I have the poop in the water problem every now and then. One of my two seems to like sitting on bowls right before he goes to sleep on his sleeping rope. I've read somewhere sitting on bowls reminds them of their baby nest and makes them feel secure. I guess there's something about it.


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## Melissa (Mar 22, 2010)

I too have no perches above the water dish and every morning wake up to change his water. It's actually become part of my morning routine before I even check everyone else's water because I know his always has something in it!

Aside from poop he also seems to fling his pellets into the water, making it red one day, green the next. It's always a surprise.


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