bird poo?

[RadLad]

Hi, I would like to confirm whether or not my cockatiel has normal poop. His diet consists of millet, chia, flaxseed, and crushed pellets.

 

[Tara81]

Some of it looks normal.. but I’m not a poop expert... lol. Why aren’t you offering vegetables or sprouts daily?

You should weigh your bird daily as well, especially since you are changing its diet.

 

[Rain Bow]

I have a larger fid, & I'm not sure if this makes a difference.

@rocky'smom @Lady Jane @Tiel Feathers @Ripshod ,

Someone here may be able to help you...

 

[rocky'smom]

Ok, what kind of pellets? Any type of mash or veggies offered? Flaxseeds only work well for our feathered friends if they are cooked or crushed, chia same thing. Millet should only be a treat.

 

[RadLad]

The flaxseed and chia are crushed, the pellet is from SmartHeart (there are no other brands available in my area).. I offer him fruits and veggies every day, but he doesn't seem to realize it's food.

He's only been with me for two weeks. So he's not yet tame, I can barely even touch him.

For the millet seed, it isn't the spray millet one.

 

[Lady Jane]

When you have a new bird it is recommended that this bird see an avian vet for a wellness check. If you are feeding the right foods for cockatiel species then the poo should look ok. If you are not then it is a problem. It looks a little off color to me but I am not an avian vet and neither are other members here. So now if you say there are no avian vets where I live try looking again. Even a regular vet would be better than no vet check up.

 

[Zara]

A couple of those poops look a bit dry. Be sure you are refreshing the water daily or more.

Have a read of this: Is your bird suffering from poopology - All about bird droppings

 

[sunnysmom]

Typically, cockatiels don't eat fruit. So I would focus on vegetables. My tiel loved greens (romaine lettuce, etc), green beans, snap peas, cooked sweet potato, broccoli, etc. But it did take me several months of trying before he would eat them. So just keep trying.

 

[Khizz]

Again no poop expert, but try offering veg in different ways. Mine tend to prefer it being clipped to the cage bars (maybe it reminds them of spray millet?) . In the bowl mine just end up picking it up and dropping it to the bottom and not touching it.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I think in the first picture the poops look mostly normal except for the bottom left. Some of the poop in the other pictures looks a little odd, but it could just be his diet. I would find a good quality seed mix that has more variety, and continue with the pellets. Keep trying with the veggies, @sunnysmom gave you some good suggestions. Broccoli is usually accepted easily, as are dark leafy greens.

 

[AmyJas]

His poops seem normal to me. Is he eating the pellets yet? And are you located in the US? If he doesn't show any interest in the pellets yet, I would just use a good quality cockatiel seed mix in the mean time that's fortified with vitamins and preferably dried veggies and fruits that should be readily available in any decent US pet store or online. Or I would order a powdered vitamin supplement to sprinkle over his seed until you can confirm that he's eating the pellets. I believe the addition of grains, like oat groats would also be good for his diet (this can be bought separately online or found in most decent seed mixes). You can also try offering soaked or cooked grains or whole grain pasta (though not all tiels like wet foods).

And yes, get some clothes pins or binder clips and make sure you offer fresh veggies a minimum of three times a week, ideally everyday. Try to serve them first thing in the morning. Leafy greens like spinach or broccoli work very well starting out, like Deanna said.

 

[Lady Jane]

If you use clothes pins make sure you do not use the ones with metal. Is the wood in the close pins safe wood?
I use plastic bag clips because the birds cant get to the metal part.

 

[AmyJas]

If you use clothes pins make sure you do not use the ones with metal. Is the wood in the close pins safe wood?
I use plastic bag clips because the birds cant get to the metal part.

Yes the wood in clothespins is usually untreated balsa, pine, or bamboo. I remove the clips promptly so that they don't chew on the metal part. I've never witnessed them chewing on the metal portion. The plastic bag clips are a good idea.

 

[RadLad]

Thank you so SO much for your suggestions! Will do try them out!

 

[Rain Bow]

@RadLad
Don't forget to wash your veggies in a vinegar & water mixture to remove bacteria. Then I rinse them again in plain water. Also only leave out for an hour to hour & half. In the warmer summer temps.

@ All
Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[AmyJas]

@RadLad
Don't forget to wash your veggies in a vinegar & water mixture to remove bacteria. Then I rinse them again in plain water. Also only leave out for an hour to hour & half. In the warmer summer temps.

@ All
Thanks everyone for your help!

Do you think the vinegar is really necessary? I don’t think we need to worry about killing bacteria all together. Some bacteria is probiotic and good for your gut flora. However, this may be helpful for rinsing off pesticides if the produce is not organic...

 

[Tara81]

I leave the veges out for 2-3 hours , sprouts for 3-4 hours, as long as the weather isn't too humid. I only rinse my sprouts with diluted apple cidar vinegar with mother, as apple cidar vinegar with mother has good bacteria in it I think. I also rinse it off , as to not stop the sprouts from growing.

I only rinse my veges in water , for 5-10 minutes in a bowl .. But i guess it can't hurt if you use diluted apple cidar vinegar then rinse it off either.

I use 1:4 ratio of white vinegar : water for spot cleaning the cage and the same ratio for cleaning sprouts once a day , since sprouts are grown at home.

 

[Rain Bow]

Do you think the vinegar is really necessary? I don’t think we need to worry about killing bacteria all together. Some bacteria is probiotic and good for your gut flora. However, this may be helpful for rinsing off pesticides if the produce is not organic...

Yes, I use it no matter what. I've read that birds are gram negative bacteria & as humans we are positive. (I've personally never researched it tho)

Buddy, my Zon, got salmonella contamination/infection his first year w/ us. I think it may have been my fault because I was using sponges, that I was not aware @ the time are impossible to kill all the bacteria that are in them. My vet was pretty sure it was from the fresh foods he was eating. She said in the spring & summer it's the most common infection a bird gets. I will add, I also wasn't cleaning the fresh w/ vinegar & H20 as I didn't know what I know now.

This is what I do know now... Just sitting in a transport vehicle, sitting @ your local markets, or a holding area in the grocers a bad piece of produce can contaminate a good one (organic or not)


That 1st visit & the antibiotics & materials to treat the infection cost me almost $500. Unless I'm remembering incorrectly, that included the follow-up visit, so 2 in total.

For the few pennies vinegar costs, you can't be to careful, In my opinion.I

I'm gonna tag a few people I trust & see what they say...

@saroj12 , @Mizzely , @JLcribber and @Lady Jane

 

[saroj12]

Hi, I would like to confirm whether or not my cockatiel has normal poop. His diet consists of millet, chia, flaxseed, and crushed pellets.

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Use plain white paper if you’re serious about studying your bird droppings. The closest poop with a ton of white indicates too much protein

 

[Mizzely]

With all the listeria, E. Coli, and salmonella scares that pop up all the time in the United States on produce, vinegar is an easy way to help combat these bacteria.

I'm not at all a germophobe. I agree that some bacteria is beneficial, however the ones I mentioned are obviously not worth the risk. I don't sanitize all my bird surfaces every cleaning. But a vinegar wash helps keep my family safer. Organic produce is not any safer when it comes to foodborne pathogens.