Zombie
Meeting neighbors
- Joined
- 11/30/11
- Messages
- 34
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.
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.