My bird's stool has seeds, he's quiet & sleeping low. What's wrong?

I would not remove his food if that is all he is eating. Undigested seeds can happen sometimes, or you may also be seeing seed hulls that are dropped to the floor and land in the stool. If you are concerned about his nutrition, continuing to offer a variety of foods is best. Most birds are very picky and will refuse food several times until they finally give it a try and decide they like it. Continuing to add in foods, especially in a variety of ways such as hanging the fruit, cutting it differently, placing it in another section of the cage or in a dish, etc may encourage The Little to start eating those. If you start seeing lots of seeds in his stool, he has rapid weight change, doesn't want to eat or drink, or becomes listless or seems ill, then it could indicate something else going on which should be checked out by a vet in person.

If Sky's behavior has changed recently, and you are are also noticing a change in stool consistency without a change in diet or environment, then having him examined by your vet is a good idea. Some environmental changes, such as extreme heat may cause a bird to be more lethargic until it cools down, however they should still otherwise be eating, drinking and moving about some. Diet changes can also change the color or consistency of stool if there are colored pellets or different seeds introduced. It may be that he is still mourning the loss of his friend, and so is less active, however being completely uninterested in activities, having a change in stool without a diet change, or sleeping all the time are not considered normal.

Thanks for reaching out about Meow. Possibly this is not an infectious problem, so antibiotics and anti-fungal might not help. With an all seed or heavy seed diet, fatty liver disease is possible which will not respond to the medications. Increasing protein and vitamins in the diet could help, as could an increase in dietary fiber. An avian veterinary visit is still recommended. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Diablo and including photos. Green stool can be normal depending on recent food ingested. The picture shows a well formed feces, appropriate amount of urine/urates. If Diablo is preferentially eating the green pellets, the feces can be more green. Fat should be kept minimal, and with the 10% fat in the pellets and seed, the seed should be limited if not eliminated. Parrots are not exposed to many seeds in the wild, but nuts yes. A wide variety of vegetables are important, as is a protein source such as beans or legumes. Good luck.

Seed and pellet colors can sometimes affect stool color, especially if the birds are otherwise healthy and acting normal. However, stool color can also sometimes be affected by issues such as parasites, illness, etc and birds are great at hiding it sometimes. Bringing in a sample of stool to your vet for testing, or keeping an eye and watching for any signs of sick birds may help figure out any possible causes.

Diet changes can affect the stool, and if you're feeding any extras in addition to the diet change, this could be causing the change you are seeing. It is also possible that his current diet is causing some minor GI upset if it changes immediately after eating and then returns to normal. Other issues such as internal parasites can also cause stool changes, so ruling out and treating for any parasites may be a good idea. Removing any extras such as fruit and veggies and providing only his balanced diet for a few days may also help him adjust and his stool return to normal. If the problem persists, or you see any other symptoms or changes such as reduced eating/drinking, lethargy, etc, then seeking vet care in person to rule out any more serious issues is best.

Thank you for reaching out about Zucchini. Undigested seeds in the droppings can be due to numerous intestinal problems, including bacterial infections and viruses. It can cause rapid weight loss due to the bird being unable to absorb nutrients from the undigested food, which is concerning in a bird the size of Zucchini. I would recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian. They can perform a thorough physical examination to see if they can appreciate any abnormalities when feeling the crop and intestines. They may recommend diagnostics to look at the feces themselves, so if you can bring a few fresh droppings with you to the veterinary visit, that may be helpful. They will look at them under the microscope and see if there are abnormal populations of bacteria present. They can then provide treatment recommendations and medications. Please do not give Zucchini any human medications, as many of these are harmful to birds. I hope this gives you a place to start, and that Zucchini feels better very soon.