# Need help with abnormal bird droppings! Urgent!



## Luti-Kriss (Dec 23, 2009)

I mentioned here before how my birds were acting odd since we clipped their wings. Well one of them is better now, but the other one got worse...

It's been a week now. He's still sitting on his perch all puffed up and sleeping. He'll do that all day and barely eat or drink anything, even if I offer him seeds. 

And now some scary symptoms showed up today. He's shaking and his wings are a little droopy. And when he poops its all watery and gets stuck to his feathers. I accidentally got some smeared on me when I tried to pick him up, the color is brown...

Is this from stress? I read on many websites that stuff like that can be caused from intense stress and frequent temperature change. Or it could be my worst nightmare and be internal problems!

Please someone give me some advice on what to do here! I can't take him to the vet. >_<


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Please post some clear pix's of what he looks like and the droppings.


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## Luti-Kriss (Dec 23, 2009)

*Pictures.*

Here's the pictures requested:

Here's him being all puffed up. Usually his head is tucked away to sleep:










Couple pictures of what's on his vent feathers:



















Here's what his droppings looked like before they started getting stuck:


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Ok...the first thing I look at is his feathers. if you look in the first pix the feathers that are a paler tannish grey are feathers ready to molt, BUT they are also showing stress marks. These are the narrow banding or styriping going across them. Are the darker (which are the newly molted feathers) even in ,or have the stress too.

When stress marks are present this is an indication that the bird was going thru a change, such as a diet change, or that it was not 100% feeling well. What has been going on with him in the last month or so?

As to the dropping, being loose...do you have any probiotics (such as bene-Bac) you can give him? The loose droppings could be from an imbalance in the intestinal flora, and probiotics can help with this. The loose droppings can also be from a bacterial infection in the digestive tract.

the droppings don't look too good. The rings around the feces is where the urine (liquid part of the poop) has dried and it looks discolored. The yellow staining, again can be from a bacterial infection. OR, since some have a brown staining it could be from the foods he is eating. Is he eating pellets? IF, there was blood in the droppings the easiest way to tell is to smear some on white paper and hold it to a styrong light. If old blood it would be a rust color, and fresh blood a red color. There is also alot or urates (white part), so look flat and chalky and some look normal in consistency, so I'm not sure what is going on, but urates are a by product of the kidneys.

What is his diet, and has there been any sudden changes?

All we can do is speculate and guess, whereas, I would suggest a vet visit will give a better idea of what is going on.


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## Luti-Kriss (Dec 23, 2009)

Well to answer your questions about his diet and what he's been doing...

I've only had him 12 days. His former owner sold both him and another bird to me and they were driven 450 miles up to my place. So there's the stress of a new environment and not knowing where they are. 

The former owner only fed them seeds and millet. So I started trying to convert them to pellets almost right away. So there's another change.

By the time I had them for about a week I clipped their wings. And by that time the other bird had already successfully converted to pellets. So taking away his freedom of flight after being a flighted bird all his life and not being able to eat the food he knew how to eat was also probably a big shocker for him.

He seemed to get more stressed over a couple of days so I moved him to his own separate cage where he could relax and have seeds until he calmed down. And 3 days later today, while still being in that new cage eating his seeds, the droppings started.

Maybe this is all stress induced? He is older than the other bird by a year and more set in his ways. The other bird has been moving a lot faster with taming and trying new things. Maybe I am going to fast for him and it's freaking him out?


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## LuvMyTiels (Dec 31, 2009)

I would take him to the vet.


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## Luti-Kriss (Dec 23, 2009)

LuvMyTiels said:


> I would take him to the vet.


I really wish I could but I can't afford that right now 

I know that is totally irresponsible because I probably should have thought of medical emergencies before I bought a bird. But I've owned cockatiels before though so I thought it would be no biggy. I've never lost a bird to illness. 

Also I got lied to a few times from the breeder who was selling the birds for the former owner. She insisted to me the birds had no health problems. Before this illness even showed up in this bird he already had a weird thing going on with his throat and foot. I asked her about it she was like, "Oh... That." That wasn't all she lied about either. Heh


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

I would strongly suggest that you put him back on the foods he was used to. If you insist on a pellet conversion he is only going to stress more, and starve himself to death. More birds get sick and/or die from our good intents.

Regardless of whether the previous owner lied or not, it is YOUR responsibility now to take care of his needs and health. Sorry to sound harsh, but my sympathies lie with the birds.

Offer what he is used to, also in a separate dish have the pellets, and and in another dish any veggie/greens you would like him to try. 

Since he is obviously stressed I would also suggest that you get some probiotics and put them on any foods he will eat, and in his water. This will help with the intestinal flora to keep dowm pathogenic bacteria and yeast from over-welming his system.


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## Luti-Kriss (Dec 23, 2009)

srtiels said:


> I would strongly suggest that you put him back on the foods he was used to.


I already did. That's why I said I put him in his own cage so he can just relax and eat the things he's used to.



srtiels said:


> Regardless of whether the previous owner lied or not, it is YOUR responsibility now to take care of his needs and health. Sorry to sound harsh, but my sympathies lie with the birds.


I know, I am 100% responsible. I was just saying the breeder didn't help is all. Anyways, what are these probiotics you speak of (what they do) and where can I get them?


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## LuvMyTiels (Dec 31, 2009)

Probiotics are the good bacteria that help keep things balanced in the digestive system. You can get them at a petstore.


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## Luti-Kriss (Dec 23, 2009)

LuvMyTiels said:


> Probiotics are the good bacteria that help keep things balanced in the digestive system. You can get them at a petstore.


Do you think I should still go get them? The droppings stopped today. He's been normal all day and being somewhat more active.


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