Why does my active budgie have diarrhea and a foul-smelling vent?

Budgies hide ill-health well, and a dirty vent might be your bird's only symptom. Sometimes diarrhea only lasts a day or two, but longer-lasting problems indicate a more serious condition, requiring a visit to the vet. Dangers of diarrhea include waste build-up due to clogged vents, and intestinal damage from blocked ducts. Diarrhea makes him at risk from dehydration, weakness, lack of appetite and weight loss. Extreme cases lead to fits and starvation. Checking your bird's poop when he has a dirty vent can give useful information. Normal droppings are soft, olive-green to brown and coiled or cylindrical. Poop that's very dark, very pale, liquid, lumpy, dry, sticky or bubbly mean illness and need vet attention. Green-stained vents often mean poor quality feed and usually appear within 24 hours of eating new food. Providing healthier food should make symptoms disappear. One check of feed quality is biting. Grains should split cleanly and be hard to bite. Intestinal inflammation causes most diarrhea in budgies, due to bacterial or fungal infections. Vets can test for infections and treat with antibiotics. Worms, gut changes due to abnormal growths, viruses, liver disease and problems with egg production can also cause diarrhea. Less obvious causes of upset tummies are stress from a change in environment and over-use of antibiotics, causing an imbalance in normal gut bacteria. Vets can use probiotics and prebiotics to re-introduce healthy bacteria. Sick budgies need to be kept warm to conserve energy, and clean water is important in preventing dehydration. When he's lost his appetite, tempt your bird with his favorite treats, or offer specially-designed, easily digested feeds. Some budgies love soaked millet sprays. Cold, sweet black tea provides fluids and energy from sugar, and tannin in tea coats his intestines. Intensive nursing can often help in cases without a specific cause.

Unfortunately, those are symptoms that need to be seen in person by a vet, because they are not possible to diagnose over the internet. If multiple of your birds are having loose stools and are housed together, I would be concerned there is something going on such as a contagious illness, parasites, nutritional issue, or unclean environment. Treating for parasites and making sure all birds have access to fresh food and water and a clean environment may help. Separating out any sick birds until they recover may also help. If the problem continues, your bird(s) worsen, or they do not improve with home treatment, then you will need to find a vet in your area that can take a look at them and determine the problem.

Thanks for reaching out about Chirp. You'll have to restrain with a soft towel and rinse under warm water in the sink. But this is possibly a bacterial infection, viral disease, metabolic disorder and others, and a veterinary visit is needed to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Providing heat support in the 80-85 F range can give some comfort. Good luck.

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 Lila. A bubbly stool is often an indication of intestinal upset and could be caused by a bacterial infection, viral disease, metabolic disorder (liver, renal), pancreatic disease, other problems. Nitrofurazone is not a common oral medication to use on birds and needs to be used with caution. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. If you have other budgies, she should be isolated from the others. Good luck.

Thanks for your question about Sara, and thanks for the photos as well. I would agree that the droppings do not appear normal. The feces look to be very dark, and there is extra urine present. If Sara's feces are typically dark, this can be related to diet, but when we see dark feces in birds, we become concerned that it may be digested blood (called melena). The increase in urine may occur if she was drinking a lot, but we also become concerned about stress and how the kidneys are working. This, combined with the vomiting would make me concerned that Sara is sick. Even though the signs have cleared, I would recommend having Sara evaluated by a veterinarian. The medication that you are giving currently is a vitamin supplement, but if there is something more serious going on, it will not be sufficient to treat it. Depending on what your veterinarian finds on examination, they may recommend evaluating a sample of the feces to see whether there is blood in it or not, and may recommend a blood test to evaluate the kidneys. I hope that gives you a place to start, and I wish you and Sara the best of luck!

Looser stools can be caused by a number of things. If you've recently given Sky a bunch of snacks (such as fruits and veggies) or changed her diet, this can cause temporary stool color changes or moist stool. Removing any extra treats and letting her adjust to her new diet for a few days may help. If she has differently colored pellets in her food, this may also cause color changes to the stool as well. Other causes can include parasites, GI upset, illness, nutritional issues, metabolic issues, etc. If she didn't have a diet change or any snacks, or is showing other signs of illness in addition to the loose stool/color change (you mentioned she is less active), then having her examined by a vet is best. They can treat her for parasites and help rule out any more serious underlying conditions that may require treatment.