Are you curious about your conure’s health or worried that they might be getting sick?
As parrot lovers we all want to make sure our bird is as healthy as possible, but it’s hard to know exactly where to start.
One of the first places you should look is at their droppings.
Just as with humans, droppings are a huge indicator of overall health for your bird.
Getting to know their droppings can de-mystify your bird and help you provide the best care.
If you are curious then let’s examine the question more closely.
What should conure poop look like?
Healthy conure poop can be a variety of colors depending on diet, but in general will be brown, dark green, or even orange. Healthy droppings will be odorless and should have a medium texture, not solid but not too liquid either. Above all conure droppings should be consistent over time. If you notice a rapid change in color, texture, or order then it could be a sign of illness.
When checking your bird’s droppings be sure to do it when they are fresh.
After droppings have dried, they will not be the same color and you won’t be able to tell if they are a healthy consistency or not.
Be sure to use newspaper or something similar on the bottom of the cage while monitoring to make it easy to examine.
Always keep in mind that droppings will be individual to the bird and will depend on what they are eating.
A bird with a diet full of fresh greens will have very different looking droppings than one who eats mostly seeds.
Get to know your bird so you will be able to tell if anything changes.
What does healthy conure poop look like?
Healthy conure poop can be a wide range of colors, and this can change if you add or subtract food from their diet.
In general, you should see brown or green solid matter, white urates (a type of kidney waste), and clear liquid urine.
While there are liquid components to conure droppings the overall texture should not be too loose or watery, which could indicate diarrhea.
The ideal texture will be a medium paste-like consistency. Foods with lots of water, like fruits, can cause texture changes.
Remember to pay attention to what you feed your conure and how changes impact their droppings.
Here are some common colors and associated foods:
- Rusty colored – This could be related to dried fruit, bell peppers, and other red foods.
- Brown – Brown droppings are common if your bird eats mostly seeds or pellets. Blackberries, raspberries, and other purple or red foods can also cause this color.
- Green – Dark green is common in birds that eat a lot of leafy greens, legumes, broccoli, and other vegetables.
Healthy droppings should have no odor.
This is an important indicator of health, so if you do notice a change in odor then you should investigate further.
How often do conures poop?
It is also worth paying attention to how frequently your bird defecates to make sure that they are digesting food at a healthy rate.
A general guideline is that conures should defecate once or twice per hour.
This could be more frequent if your bird’s diet includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, even every 15 minutes.
Keep in mind that in the morning droppings may be larger or more frequent as their digestive system gets moving after a night of sleep.
Monitor your bird frequently so that you know what is normal for them.
What are signs of unhealthy conure poop?
The number one sign of unhealthy droppings is a change from your conure’s regular droppings, either in texture or in color.
This is why knowing what their healthy droppings look like and how their diet impacts this is so important!
Poop that is too liquid is a sign of diarrhea.
This is worth paying close attention too, especially if diarrhea lasts longer than a day or two.
Birds can become dehydrated quickly and can indicate other health problems.
Here are some signs of unhealthy droppings:
- Black droppings – Blood can show up as black, so it is critical that you get your bird to a vet right away. It could indicate internal bleeding.
- Bright red – Blood in the lower intestine is more likely to show up as bright red.
- Lime green – While dark green is healthy a bright green could indicate kidney problems.
- Brown – While brown can be a normal color, if your conure’s droppings suddenly become brown and this is not normal it could indicate a bacterial infection.
- Undigested food – If you notice lumps or entirely undigested food then this could be a sign that they are not getting nutrients or have an illness like giardia.
What to do if you see unhealthy conure droppings?
The most common situation would be noticing diarrhea or loose droppings.
Consider what your bird has been eating.
The first step is to cut out fruit and leafy vegetables for a day to help settle their stomach.
Always continue to offer lots of water.
You can also add in more pellets and seeds to help regulate their digestion.
Probiotics can help with healing, as can some fiber-dense snacks like squash.
If you notice a major change or a change that lasts longer than a day or two then it is time to contact your vet.
Black stool in particular is an indicator of something more serious going on.
When in doubt, always contact your vet.
They can run tests on your bird’s droppings to determine if they need antibiotics or other intervention.
Can conures be potty trained?
A healthy conure should have droppings a couple times per hour.
This can be quite annoying for the human in charge of cleaning them up!
Conures can be house trained, though it will require plenty of patience and persistence.
Learn to spot when your conure has to go and take them to wherever you want them to poop.
If you repeat this consistently, they will get used to this specific spot.
Conures can also often learn to go on command.
This can help with potty training when they are out of the cage socializing.
Use lots of praise and rewards when your bird goes in the right spot.
Once you know your bird’s unique droppings you will have clear insight into their health and wellness.
While it does take some daily dedication, monitoring your conure’s droppings is well worth it!