My bird has watery poop after laying eggs. Is this normal?

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Watery/runny droppings is indicative of diarrhea. Birds can get diarrhea from a number of causes, including stress, a poor diet, intestinal parasites or an infection. My guess is this may be stress related due to the egg laying. Have you changed her diet lately or given any new foods? A change in diet can also cause diarrhea. So can fruits or vegetables that haven’t been washed well to remove pesticides. Diarrhea can also be a sign of something more serious like kidney, liver or pancreatic diseases. Birds with diarrhea that doesn’t clear up within 24 hours need to be seen by the veterinarian so the problem can be diagnosed. Take Zelda in right away if you see blood in the droppings or she seems to be straining or having abdominal pain. If you do need to take Zelda to the vet, be sure to take a fecal sample with you so your veterinarian can analyze it. Bring the paper lining her cage so the veterinarian can check several samples. Any bird that is laying eggs need to have additional nutrition. This mostly means increased levels of calcium, protein and the fat-soluble vitamins-vitamin A, E, D3 and K from a maintenance diet. I suggest you speak to your vet about a vitamin supplement you can feed her. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

You may see a larger than normal amount of stool a day before or after a bird lays an egg, but it should not be diarrhea nor should it last a week. Submit a stool sample to your veterinarian or an experienced avian vet to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. If you supplement the diet with fruit or vegetables, discontinue temporarily and offer a commercial pelleted diet until the stool is normal. Monitor for lethargy, decreased appetite or continued loose droppings. See or recheck with your veterinarian if necessary.

All bird droppings are made up of three parts: Feces, the solid, central part which can vary in color depending on the food the bird eats. Urates, the next layer of the ring, which can be cloudy-clear or with shades of white, yellows and greens, again depending on the foods eaten. Urine is the clear liquid, usually outer layer of the ring. Depending on the amount of fruits and fluids the bird eats/drinks, this can be a significant part of the dropping. Diarrhea is often actually Polyuria. True diarrhea is when the feces part of the droppings are not well formed and liquidy. Diarrhea is usually caused by a disease. Polyuria is when there’s more than usual amounts of the urine and urates (the feces are still well formed). Polyuria may be caused by viral infections, allergies to foods or even a tumor somewhere. There are just so many possible causes that a vet visit is essential in order to catch things early.

Thank you for your question about Blue. I am glad that you asked, as no, this is not a normal color or consistency for budgie feces to have. I didn't see how old Blue was, or if she was on any medications, but I would recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian. Dark, tarry stool like what you are describing may be due to digested blood. This can be secondary to some medications, certain toxins if she has gotten into something, or can be due to certain diseases of the intestinal tract. Your veterinarian can gather a detailed history from you which may reveal the cause, and will perform a thorough examination. From there, they may have recommendations for diagnostic testing. If possible, bring pictures, or even better a sample, of the stool for them to look at. They may also prescribe medications for Blue. Please do not give her any human medications, as many of these are harmful for our feathered friends. I hope that gives you a place to start, and that Blue feels better soon.

Birds will naturally have a bit of a watery stool (compared to say, dogs or cats), that usually has a solid and liquid component to it that dries quickly. If the stools are completely watery, discolored, or you're seeing signs of illness such as refusal to eat, weight loss, etc. it may indicate an issue such as a parasite or infection and should be checked out by a vet.

Submit a sample to your veterinarian to diagnose parasites or bacterial/fungal overgrowth. Discontinue feeding fruits and vegetables until the stool is normal, then introduce one at a time slowly. Clean and sanitize the cage, bowls, toys and perches. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. Use paper towels on the cage bottom and change them daily until his droppings are normal. Provide plenty of fresh, clean water. Keep him warm and as stress free as possible. If he develops lethargy, loss of appetite or if the droppings don't begin to firm up in the next 24 hours, have him examined by your vet or an experienced avian vet.

Thanks for reaching out about Pearl. The components of the droppings (feces, urates, urine) can vary during the day, due to diet, or other possibilities. The explained example sound like increased urine and less urates. This could be due to increased water consumption but possibly also due to renal disease. Some intestinal parasites can also modify how the intestines absorb water through the intestinal tract. If the problem persists, an visit to an avian veterinarian is recommended.