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BIRD INFORMATION

Bird Poop – a wealth of information

First of all, we need to understand that what we see at the bottom of the cage is the urine and faeces of the bird all in one package. The following information regards to seed eating birds, that is, the common pet birds such as budgie, parrot, cockatoo, canary, pigeon or dove.

There are 3 distinct parts to the normal dropping:

  1. The dark coiled section is the faeces. It contains undigested food, bacteria, digestive enzymes etc. Diarrhoea only occurs when this portion has lost its formed shape. We may get other information from the faeces. For example, green discolouration may indicate liver disease. The text I am referring to (Caring for Birds with Love, by Ross Perry) also indicates that “popcorn” faeces may indicate pancreatic insufficiency.

  2. The faeces may be overlayed or surrounded by a layer of white material known as the urates. It is excreted by the kidneys and is the by-product of protein breakdown in the body. “Tomato soup” urates may indicate bleeding in the kidneys.

  3. The final portion is the clear watery fluid, or urine of the bird. Excess urine can be an indication of disease (especially relating to the kidneys) but may also occur for other reason such as stress, antibiotic use or food containing high water content (such as lettuce and celery).