Diarrhea in Green wing Macaw

[SarahC]

I am fostering a Green Wing Macaw whose owner is having trouble finding a place to live that will allow the bird. I'm concerned because the bird is squinting very watery poop. It's nasty and horrible to clean up. I worry that the bird is sick. May have parasites.?
Also the bird bites so hard to manage. I have 3 parrots of my own.
Money is tight so the vet may not be an option if at all possible. My own parrots must be cared for also. Any ideas? Many thanks.

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

Could we see a picture of the poop?

I think it could be the stress of moving but parasites, poor diet, and infection could be the problem. Can the owner of the bird pay for vet bills?

@Pixiebeak might be able to help

 

[Greylady1966]

@Macawnutz

 

[Pixiebeak]

Yes a poop pic will be very helpful.
Parasites are probably realy low on the list. Bacterial infection ir yest infection are higher and it would be a very good idea to get an avian veterinarian to examine. Likely a round of antibiotics will take care of it. And watery poop is way more serious in burds they can get in trouble quickly . Birds have a fast gi and limited reserves.

How long have yiu had tge burd? How old is it? Male or female? Diet?
Weight of burd? What kind pf burds do you have?

 

[Macawnutz]

A gram stain of poop is not something that would break the bank. If you have a vet and explain you have a foster he may just require you to bring a sample in.

How long have you had this sweetie? What's the diet like? How does the bird appear?

 

[BrianB]

A vet visit is highly recommended. It sounds like a crop infection and not a parasite. I'm going through this with my baby greenwing, Bo. A 10-day course of antibiotics will do a world of good for your baby.

 

[Xoetix]

A gram stain of poop is not something that would break the bank. If you have a vet and explain you have a foster he may just require you to bring a sample in.

How long have you had this sweetie? What's the diet like? How does the bird appear?

To add to this, if the bird has a regular vet they’ve seen previously (within the last year, usually) a lot of times that’s all a vet will ask you to do - just bring in a sample.

In the event they do allow you to do this, do not freeze it. If you can’t get a fresh sample to them immediately, you can refrigerate it, but it’s preferred (for most vets) not to be refrigerated more than 2 hours.

 

[flyzipper]

I agree that testing is beneficial, especially since you have birds of your own in the environment.

Is it all poops, or just the morning one (which can be a gusher)?

I have 3 parrots of my own.

If your species are all smaller than a large macaw, the volume of the morning poop can be surprising (and does splatter from any appreciable perch height).