Red Poop?! Minor Freak Out

[Elizebird]

UPDATE: Both bird's poop returned back to the normal color within a few hours, I'm blaming the blackberries. Thank you all!


So I noticed one (recent) red poop on my cockatoo's play perch today, and thought nothing of it because it was only a single poop.

30 min later i watched him poop a second deep red poop with some minimal white in it.

Now I'm nervous. For his breakfast he had his normal pellets (both pale brown colored) and a small mixture of pear (which is new), iceburg lettuce, a SMALL amount Babybel cheese (new), carrots, a single blackberry (which was untouched at the bottom of his cage, but new as well), some cherry tomatoes, and some blueberries.

No change in his behavior, he's normal, performing tricks zealously for more pellets, talking, playing, ect.

I checked his toys and he's a soft chewer, but nothing dyed seems to have been chewed on.

Right now he's preening on top of his cage.

Right now I'm thinking it might be the cheese, or maybe it's the fact that the Zupreem Extra Mineral pellets are tiny - and he doesn't chew them, he swallows them whole. Is this a problem? HELP!

[pennyandrocky]

the blueberries could have changed the poop color, does the same to mine when they eat things like that.

[Elizebird]

Pennyandrocky, I did notice a couple of the blackberries juice pod things were chewed on, so maybe that was enough? It's a very colorful berry...

The only reason I didn't suspect the blueberries is because I've fed them before with no change.

I think I'm going to wait it out anyways and tomorrow for brekkie stick to the more waterbased unhealthy foods and see if the poo is green.

[marie83]

I feed loads of blue berries to mine and never had a problem with poop, I would say it was much more likely to be the blackberries as they stain just about everything. Take the blackberry out and wait for a few more droppings, if the poops still red after an hour or so I would probably ring my vet urgently to double check.

[Elizebird]

I think I might ring my vet anyways this morning just to check, but I noticed a single red poop in my 'tiels cage as well, and this morning (i changed the cage bedding from newspaper to papertowels so I could clearly see) I got some normal colored poop.

I just ended up feeding them seeds, since they get them once every two weeks anyways (i believe everything in moderation is good...just keeping seeds pretty low on the priority list LOL) and I'll be able to see if there's a color change.

[JacobBird]

Yep great idea (: go to the vet if you are uncertain of something. I give my Cockatoo a variety of food but never encounters a red poop.

[GreenWing]

From what an Avian vet told me, it's the BLACK poop that you want to be worried about.

Have you been feeding your parrots foods like yam, carrots, berries? These are sure to give your parrot red dung. Keep a close eye on it, and take your bird to the vet if you're really worried.

[marie83]

From what an Avian vet told me, it's the BLACK poop that you want to be worried about.

Have you been feeding your parrots foods like yam, carrots, berries? These are sure to give your parrot red dung. Keep a close eye on it, and take your bird to the vet if you're really worried.

Or a lime green/yellowish colour (can be a sign od pssiticosis), normal darkish green is normal in seed eaters.

[GreenWing]

Or a lime green/yellowish colour (can be a sign od pssiticosis), normal darkish green is normal in seed eaters.

Thanks, Marie! Good to know.