We have always been strong proponents of using newspaper
(or paper of some sort) as a liner for bird cage trays.
It's cheap, it's plentiful and it's easy to dispose of. We
have seen rolls of brown wrapping paper that been used. We
know of people that go to their local newspaper publisher
who will give them the cores of the newsprint rolls for
free. If allergens are in issue you can even consider
antimicrobial paper
from Prevue Pet
We
have a problem with bedding, actually a couple. First of
all it (bedding)
retains moisture
and in the case of birds, the moisture is uric acid as in
acid. Acid will eat through the best powder coating
and eventually the metal of the strongest of bird cages.
Second - it (bedding) hides the poop which is something
that you need to watch a regular basis - which we'll get to
in a minute. It can also hide all sorts of infestations,
parasites and other critters. Paper that is changed daily,
solves these issues.
Now we're not advocating that you analyze every dropping
your bird produces but we want you to be aware of certain
factors which can be indicators of ill health. Bird poop
has three parts, the stool, urine, and uric acid. A change
in the property of any of these three items -stool (or
feces), the solid part - urine and uric acid (urates) - may
indicate that your bird is sick.
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Video - Conure parrot poops on
demand
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The stool comes directly from the digestive tract
and is the greenish blob you see. It's color is
affected by diet, change the diet and the stool
changes color. Blueberries can turn the stool
purple. Artificial colors in some diets can change
the color of the stool too. What you really want to
look for is if the stool becomes black and suddenly
emits strong odor, this would be a warning sign of
illness.
Urine is basically clear and is the watery part of
poop that comes from your birds kidneys. If your
bird drinks more water the droppings will be
looser. Dry foods should produce drier poop. If you
see unusually large amounts of water in the
droppings making the poop very loose -
this could be an indication of an
illness.
The white creamy colored stuff is the uric acid and
this is a key indicator of your bird's overall
health. It should be white or near white in color.
If the white uric acid should turn to lime green,
mustard brown, brick red or yellow, this should be
a red flag that your bird is ill - a call to the
vet would be in order.
Although record-keeping is a good thing, at the
very least you should simply look for changes in
your birds poop as a possible indication of
illness
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Video - African Grey Pooping on
toilet
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Obviously poop is directly related to a bird's
diet. Birds that eat nothing but seed will
typically pass dry, sticky, greenish-black poop
that can indicate malnourishment. Conversely some
healthy cockatiels have light green bird poop which
is normal.
Females that are laying eggs drink more water and
spend more time in the nest box which makes them
hold their droppings. When they exit the nest box
and enter the cage they usually produce big, smelly
droppings. Weaning formula given to baby birds will
cause the baby birds to have large droppings
comprise mostly of urine.
If you see bubbles or foam in the poop, this may
indicate an infection. Conversely if your bird is
straining to poop this could be a big indicator
that your bird is suffering from a physical
blockage caused by some sort of growth or
egg-binding.
If you think your bird is sick in and your vet asks
you to bring in fecal samples for testing the way
to do it is shown in this video from Dr. Ross
Perry
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Video - How to collect a fecal sample for the
vet
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We have intentionally avoided listing potential
diseases and infections that poop may be indicative
of because were not veterinarians. We just want you
to be aware of the properties of poop and God knows
your bird produces enough of it.
Can you potty train your bird? Clearly it's
possible as indicated by the videos above. One
simple way to start is knowing that birds poop
roughly every 15 to 20 min. The spread can be as
short as 10 minutes and as much is 40. The point is
if you can capture the "rhythm" of your birds poop
let's say every 15 minutes. If your bird hasn't
pooped on you or the furniture, put your bird back
on top of his cage and let him poop. Reward him and
praise him with the high voice, offer your hand for
a step up and engage your bird for while. In 15 or
20 minutes your bird hasn't pooped put him back on
the cage, let him poop and repeat the process for
few days.
This small time invested in this type of "potty"
training will pay off handsomely in the time saved
from not cleaning poop off furniture, clothing,
doors and the floor.
Please let us know if you would like to add to this
information or if you have any questions. Feel free
to post any comments to
our Facebook
fan page found here.
Until
next time
Mitch Rezman
Vice President
Windy City Parrot, Inc
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