Black Cockatiel Stool

[Zombie]

Tonight when I fed my Cockatiels, I noticed my 4-year-old boy Harley had a black beak. I took him out of the cage immediately and realised he also had a black butt. I was able to easily wipe away the poo from his upper mandible with a damp towel. I was also able to remove most of the poop from his butt, but some of it was too dry to budge. The poo is either black or a very, very deep green (I have been trying hard to work out which and so far I can't) and is the consistancy of mucus - that is to say very thin, and somewhat sticky.

I spent some time with him, observing. I noticed immediately that he felt quite warm to the touch through his head and body. Normally, only his feet are warm, so I think he's running a fever. He is behaving normally (not that that means much with birds), is grooming himself and he appears to be interested in food though I haven't yet seen him eat. Physically, he looks a little ratty, but he is in a big moult right now with a ton of pins. He definitely was pooping normally yesterday, and I think he was okay earlier today too because he wasn't smeared with the poop until tonight. The poop was only on his upper mandible, so I'm certain it got there because he was grooming himself rather than because he vomited.

I removed him from the others and set him up in his own cage in my bedroom. Since he has been there he has produced another couple of poops, and one had some of the normal white urates in it.

I know that black poo is often a sign of internal bleeding, so I am petrified. I can't get him to the vet tomorrow (Sunday, there are very few emergency vets around anyway, and none of them have a clue about birds), but I will be calling the vet as soon as they open on Monday. Apart from what I've already done (isolating him, observing him), is there anything else I can or should do? Because he feels hot I am tempted to give him an electrolyte replacer in his water, but I don't know if that's a good idea. Should I spray him down to help cool him and help with the discomfort of his pin feathers, or might that chill him? I've never encountered this issue before, so I'm very uncertain about what to do or what might be wrong.

 

[Anne & Gang]

definitely get him to the vet asap...it does not sound good and if he appears hot to the touch, he is probably already quite ill..could be a sign of internal bleeding or it could be something he ate...also if they are eating poop that means they have a chloine deficiency...easily remedied by putting brewers yeast in their food..(you can get it at any health food store)..put about 1/4 teaspoon mixed up in their food twice a week...I would not spray him just now as he will get chilled afterward and if he really is ill, then you cannot afford that...they will not fight off a chill as readily when they are already sick...black poop can also be a sign of liver damage..is he tail bobbing? listen to his breathing very closely..if it is raspy at all, then he may have a respiratory infection....or it could be that he is having an exceptionally bad molt....rule out the illness part first after the vet visit...demand a full gram stain and blood works...if he is not ill and it is just a bad molt, then do put a small amount of aloe vera in the water you bathe him with..and only spray or allow bathing in the morning and keep him warm afterwards...

 

[Anne & Gang]

the electrolyte replacer might be a good idea but only do it once....when you change his water again, do not repeat...if it changes the taste of his water, then he might not drink it so be careful to watch closely to see that he is drinking properly...he needs full access to w ater so that he does not get dehydrated.

 

[KarenBradley]

I hope Harley is better soon.


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[greymatron]

Yikes...How scary...Hope you can get him to a vet on Monday.

 

[suncoast]

What did he eat yesterday? My birds have dark poo's if they've had marrow from a chicken bone. Any blueberries or black berries?

Ginger

 

[WingedVictory]

Good Morning,

"It could be dark green", I see that happen here from time to time and you really have to look close.

Once you rule out what he has eaten like blueberries, etc, there is a possibility of internal bleeding. Internal bleeding can be caused by an obstruction, ulcer, or maybe even a fall. Since the stools are dark, it is an indication of bleeding in the upper GI tract. Two items you might have in your home that will help control internal bleeding would be cayenne pepper or the herb slippery elm. If you have cayenne sprinkle it on Harley's food, use as much as you can and have him still eat. Should you by chance have the slippery elm, mix the powder 1 part SE to 4 parts water and feed. Slippery elm will coat the digestive tract and help heal from the inside. Watch the next stools carefully and let us know what the changes are.

Keep Harley warm, and hydrated.

Gary

 

[65sunnyday]

Zombie--to find out the color of the poo, dilute w/water. Take a wet tissue & smear onto something white, like an old saucer or hard piece of plastic--that should give you the color of the poo--good luck to you & Harley

 

[Zombie]

If he had a fever, it has definitely gone. He's now slightly cool and trembling, so I will set him up with a heat pack.

He didn't eat any of his food, apart from some little tiny chia seeds that he ate off my fingers. They're now at the bottom of the cage in his poo, which is obviously a turn for the worse too. I had tried smearing the poo yesterday, and it didn't help. The poo definitely looks a bit greener now, and also has more urates in it. I suppose, apart from the chia seeds being undigested, his poo looks 'better'.

I don't think he's drinking, so I'll try an eyedropper and a little electrolyte replacer. Harley is a very sweet bird, so he's easy to work with.

I really hope that this is just a really bad moult, but it does seem like it's going to be very, very serious.

The night before last, Harley had sprouted seed mix (it was a fresh batch, and I always check them for mould) as his main meal and some sunflower seeds as a treat. Yesterday they had some more sprouted seed mix, some pumpkin and sweet potato puree mixed with cooked brown rice and a small amount of dry seed. The tiels haven't been given anything that could account for the colour, just the stuff they get on a regular basis.

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

 

[KatherinesBirds]

Saying a prayer for your dear little bird.

 

[srtiels]

Black droppings are a good indication that there is minimal food going thru the digestive tract which can put the bird at risk of GI stasis (digetion shutting fone, no movement) As long as the poop is black the intestines may have built up harmful bacterial that can get absorbed into the blood stream.

One herbal remedy I have found (that save birds life0 was going to the health food store for 2 herbal extracts:Gentian and Capiscum (cayenne) the Gentian is a bitter herb and stuimulates GI movement and encourages appetite. The capsicum is a warming herb, and also acts as a barrier in the digestive tract so that the intestinal do not absorb harmful pathogens. I have used 3-4 drops of each in the drinking water (changed out 2 times a day) until digestion and poop were back to normal looking.

When a bird gets dehydrated they will have a hard time maintaining body temps. So an electrolyte would be good to give. If you have access to a breeder or vet that knows how to administer Sub-Q fluids this will both hydrate him and also to help move feces through the GI tract. It is a good preventative to GI stasis.

 

[65sunnyday]

HARLEY Hoping Harley stays strong until his vet appointment Monday (try to find an emergency vet that can see Harley sooner)

 

[Zombie]

Some good news: His poop is almost back to normal. The colour is perfect, it's just slightly watery. He's been sitting with me for about 4 hours now and during that time he asked for some water and drank a good amount (about what he would normally drink). He also had a nibble on some brown rice. His body temperature seems good, too.

I do have a breeder friend, but I really wouldn't want to disturb her on a sunday afternoon as she's run off her feet as it is. Since he does seem to be drinking on his own he hopefully doesn't need Sub-Q fluids, and I've added some electrolyte replacer to it. I will add some cayenne to his rice and pumpkin mix. I often give them cayenne in their bird bread and veggies, so hopefully he will eat it happily enough.

Unfortunately, where I live there is only one avian vet - in the entire state - and I don't trust him. My breeder friend once bought a balding SC2 to him and without even looking in the cage or taking a history the AV declaired it was obviously PBFD and told her to have him put down immediately. My friend believed he was just feather plucking because he was insecure, and she ended up being right. I've had bad experiences with him myself (he made it very clear Cockatiels are beneath him), and even my doctor - who saw him about his cat rather than a bird - thought he was a jerk.


Thank you so much for all your good wishes and advice. I'm certain that his improvement is due to all the good vibes that have been sent his way, and I'm so grateful for it!

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

 

[Anne & Gang]

Susanne Russo gave the best advice possible so I am hoping your Harley will be ok..if you have to feed him water from a dropper, then do so dear..

 

[65sunnyday]

Zombie, I'm so glad Harley is feeling (& doing) so much better. Please let us know what the vet says tomorrow, & don't be a stranger to Avian Avenue. I've gotten fond of dear little Harley! Would also love to see pics of your flock.

 

[Zombie]

Great news! Harley seems entirely back to normal. I still took him to the vet, and I got a gram stain and blood test done. He's not sure what caused his episode, but he thinks it might have been an isolated incident. His exam showed that he was a healthy, normal little guy.

Last night after I posted, I gave everyone a big serving of brown rice mixed with pumpkin & sweet potato mash, thoroughly mixed with cayenne pepper. It was a BIG hit with every single one of the fids (including my veggie-phobic BE2) - I think perhaps Harley stuffed his face more than anyone else. He still has a slightly orange beak! He was obviously very hungry after feeling sick and not eating for a while.

Hopefully the tests will give me an idea of what caused this very sudden and frightening episode, I'm just glad the symptoms were very obvious so I was able to help him before it got too bad. Thank you so much for the advice, prayers and encouragement!

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

 

[Daisy's Mom]

I'm soo happy to hear that little Harley is feeling better..