Last Updated on: 27th September 2023, 08:16 am
Parrots’ droppings reveal critical diet, health, and well-being information.
Their poop should be green with specs or streaks of white and accompanied by colorless urine. This shows that a parrot is digesting its food correctly and has no obvious health concerns.
However, if the droppings are red, pea-green, yellow, or otherwise discolored, the parrot could have an illness, hydration issue, internal injury, or disease.
The texture of the droppings matters. When feces are watery (mushy) or dry (stiff), this could mean that a parrot has diarrhea, dehydration, constipation, or a digestive problem.
Healthy Parrot Poop Color
There are 3 different parts of parrot poop:
- Green: Feces.
- White: Urates from the kidneys.
- Liquid: Colorless urine.
The green and white portions should be equal, with enough urine to form a wet ring around the poop.
What Does Parrot Poop Look Like?
Healthy parrot poop will be:
- An even green color. This may be lighter or darker, ranging from grass-green to olive-green.
- It’s surrounded by liquid. A parrot pees and poops together, leading to a watery consistency.
- Tube-like in shape. The poop will be short and tubular.
- Firm in texture. The poop looks firm and well-packed.
- Urine should be clear: Accounts for 30-50% of the waste.
- Urates should be white/chalky. Other colors may indicate problems.
If a parrot’s diet comprises pellets, its poop will be the same color.
Why Is My Parrot’s Poop Loose?
A parrot’s poop may lack firmness if it’s recently eaten moisture-rich food, such as:
Watery poop isn’t a problem if it reflects a modest dietary change. Stools will naturally be firmer when the parrot has eaten seeds, nuts, or fiber-dense foods.
The parrot has diarrhea if the droppings are consistently loose or discolored.
What Should Parrot Poop Smell Like?
Healthy parrot droppings should have no smell. If the cage isn’t cleaned for a long time, the area will have a dry, musty smell. More than anything, this is an unhealthy environment for a parrot.
The parrot’s waste will dry up and release fungal spores, potentially causing Aspergillosis.
What Texture Should Parrot Droppings Have?
Healthy poop has the consistency of toothpaste. It’ll be firm enough to keep its form but not so stiff that it remains intact when pressed.
A parrot’s dropping shouldn’t be too wet or dry. Too-dry poop can indicate that a parrot is dehydrated or isn’t properly digesting food, while too-wet poop can signify diarrhea or stomach infection.
The texture and consistency of poop depend on a parrot’s diet, so it may change from day to day or week to week while still being within an acceptable range.
What Size Should Parrot Poop Be?
The size of the poop depends on the parrot’s size, so check for sudden changes.
If a parrot passes too-large droppings, it may pass something it can’t digest. The parrot may have constipation or another digestive issue if the droppings are too small.
How Often Should I Check My Parrot’s Droppings?
Check the poop in the following situations:
- Letting the parrot out of its cage for exercise.
- Cleaning out the cage.
- Dietary changes.
- Signs of illness or lethargy.
Parrot droppings, as they dry, may harden and change color slightly.
Abnormal Parrot Droppings
Abnormal parrot poop will have one or more of the following features:
- Light color.
- Mustard yellow.
- Rusty-brown or bloody.
- Larger than normal.
- Coarse texture.
- Watery and mushy.
- Contains undigested food.
- Unpleasant smell.
- Urine is colorless.
- Dead worms in its poop.
Why Is My Parrot’s Poop Red?
A parrot’s droppings may:
- Contain streaks of red.
- Be tinted with red.
- Be surrounded by red liquid.
If a parrot has recently eaten red-colored food, this could reflect the color of its droppings. For example, beetroot leads to pinkish-red feces.
Unfortunately, red can signify internal bleeding in the upper intestinal tract, most likely due to melena. Dried blood will be tar-like or black.
Why Is My Parrot Pooping Blood?
If the red (or black) in a parrot’s poop is blood, the bleeding may be due to the following:
- Bleeding in the upper intestinal tract.
- A tear near the anus.
- Tumors.
- Bacterial infection.
If so, the droppings will contain streaks of red, the urine will be slightly red, and there may be flecks of black. The parrot may not pass healthy feces or have bloody diarrhea.
The blood may be due to a tear around the anus that needs to heal or internal bleeding.
Why Is My Parrot’s Poop Brown?
If the poop is rusty-brown, tar-like, or black, this suggests the parrot is bleeding internally. An injury will likely be within the upper digestive tract.
The blood will have dried slightly while being processed, coming out dark-colored. The droppings will be black or rusty brown after the parrot poops.
Blackish or brown poop can mean the parrot’s healthy droppings have sat too long.
Poop will naturally darken as it dries. If a parrot has darker green droppings, this minor difference could fool a new owner into thinking it’s dried blood.
If the parrot is otherwise alright, monitor the poop’s color. If its next droppings are an even green, the darker poop has sat too long.
Why Is My Parrot’s Poop Light Green?
While green poop is healthy, a parrot’s feces should be dark green. If the poop is very light-colored, even pea-green, this could indicate liver damage.
If so, this will be accompanied by the following signs:
- Fatigue.
- Fluffed feathers.
- Refusal to eat.
- Wet droppings.
- Yellow urates.
Why Is My Parrot’s Poop White?
A parrot’s feces may come out white or clay-like in texture, and there may be too much or too little water. If so, the parrot may have issues with its pancreas or other digestive organs.
Why Is My Parrot’s Poop Yellow?
Yellow and watery parrots’ droppings mean that there’s extra urine. It’ll have a grayish hue, which indicates chlamydophila psittaci (pneumonia).
Parrot Has Lumpy Poop
This may be undigested food if the droppings are thick, lumpy, or unevenly textured. In some cases, you can identify the pieces of food, which could mean the parrot has:
- Issues with its digestive system.
- Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) affects the nerves and the digestive tract.
- Giardia is a parasite that causes diarrhea.
Why Is My Parrot Pooping Less?
If a parrot is pooping less than usual, this could mean that it is:
- No longer eating.
- Eating less than expected.
- Constipated.
- Impacted.
Parrots don’t stop eating or lose their appetite without explanation. The parrot could be scared, depressed, stressed, or sick.
Why Is My Parrot Pooping So Much?
If a parrot is pooping more than average, it could have internal problems, such as:
- Pancreatic disease.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Kidney disease.
It largely depends on what the parrot is producing when it poops. You can also tell by the ratio of the poop – whether it’s producing more feces, urine, or urates.
Why Has My Parrot Stopped Pooping?
If a parrot isn’t pooping or has difficulty pooping, it may have a blockage due to an egg (dystocia) or something obstructing the gastrointestinal tract.
Parrot Has Watery Poop
If there’s more urine than usual, this could mean that a parrot:
- Drinks to excess.
- Has a bacterial infection.
According to Veterinary Clinics of North America, parasitic and bacterial infections are common.
Parrot Has Dry Poop
The parrot could be dehydrated or have kidney issues if the feces are overly dry.
Abnormal Urine or Urates in Parrots
The color of urine and urates matter as much as the poop itself. If you observe a change, this means:
- Green or yellow urine: Liver disease.
- Red urine: Internal bleeding in the lower half of the digestive tract.
- Green or yellow urates: Liver disease or anorexia.
- Brown urates: Lead poisoning or dried blood.
- Red urates: Kidney disease or internal bleeding.
No Urates In Bird Poop
If parrot poop contains no urates, this suggests a possible kidney problem.
Can You Ignore Abnormal Parrot Poop?
Not every warning sign is cause for concern because parrots get mild stomach issues that pass. Also, diet modifications can cause changes in feces. Check for the following symptoms:
- Has the parrot stopped eating?
- Is the parrot sitting at the bottom of its cage?
- Is the parrot breathing with its mouth open or wheezing?
- Does the parrot have less energy than usual?
- Is the parrot vocalizing more or less than normal?
- Has the parrot’s temperament changed?
These factors should be taken into account alongside the parrot’s droppings.
