Post by Jane on Sept 6, 2005 2:04:01 GMT -7
The droppings consist of three parts but not all three necessarily have to be present in each dropping. It is important to monitor your bird’s droppings so that you get to know what is a normal range for your bird and can detect any continued abnormality. This is one of the reasons why newspaper is the best cage liner. Black and white is best so that the coloured ink doesn’t contaminate the droppings.
There is a green or brown fairly solid part, although the colour can vary quite dramatically depending on what has been eaten – seeds versus pellets for example or certain fruits such as cranberries, blueberries or pomegranates. This part is from the gut and if it is runny and unformed it is true diarrhoea. Diarrhoea can occur if there is a sudden change if diet or it can be an indication of disease or infection.
There is a white to cream colour part (urates) and a colourless watery part (the equivalent of urine) which are both from the kidneys. There may be an increase in urine if a lot of watery fruit has been eaten and this should not be confused with diarrhoea.
Changes in colour, consistency or quantity of any of the parts which cannot be attributed to diet or stress can be an indication of disease, infection or toxicity. Blood will be red or black depending where it is coming from. There should be no undigested food in the droppings. Healthy fresh droppings shouldn’t have an odour.
There is usually a particularly large dropping first thing in the morning and this is a reason why, when weighing a Grey you should always weigh at the same time of day because a large dropping can make a difference of up to 10 grams in weight.
Jane
There is a green or brown fairly solid part, although the colour can vary quite dramatically depending on what has been eaten – seeds versus pellets for example or certain fruits such as cranberries, blueberries or pomegranates. This part is from the gut and if it is runny and unformed it is true diarrhoea. Diarrhoea can occur if there is a sudden change if diet or it can be an indication of disease or infection.
There is a white to cream colour part (urates) and a colourless watery part (the equivalent of urine) which are both from the kidneys. There may be an increase in urine if a lot of watery fruit has been eaten and this should not be confused with diarrhoea.
Changes in colour, consistency or quantity of any of the parts which cannot be attributed to diet or stress can be an indication of disease, infection or toxicity. Blood will be red or black depending where it is coming from. There should be no undigested food in the droppings. Healthy fresh droppings shouldn’t have an odour.
There is usually a particularly large dropping first thing in the morning and this is a reason why, when weighing a Grey you should always weigh at the same time of day because a large dropping can make a difference of up to 10 grams in weight.
Jane
