Eating Her Poop

[oslund]

Hello,

I have a SI Eclectus who is eating her own poop (dry and fresh). I try to keep her cage clean, but even if I've just cleaned her cage she'll poop on her perch then go down there later and eat it. Why is she doing this, and how can I get her to stop? Thanks

[peeker]

Ewwwwwwww! My Tina (SI eclectus too!) does this also. Yuck! She likes the hard ones on the grating. First I try to keep her grating as clean as possible. I read something ages ago that it could be from a need for calcium? If I see her doing it I offer some cuttlebone and clean the grating again!!

If anyone wonders why I don't just keep cuttlebone in her cage all the time, it's because she destroys it in under 10 minutes for a large one! I offer chunks every few days. :)

[The Outlaw]

You can actually crush cuttlebone and add it to their meals. I do it all the time. I also read about calcium deficiency causing this behavior. I'll submit it to Carolyn.

THE OUTLAW

[The Outlaw]

Here's what Carolyn has to add:

Hi Oslund,

I wonder if you might rearrange your redhead's cage so that she cannot poop on the perches. It is important to use a grate in the bottom of the cage so that all droppings fall through to a newspaper (my favorite inexpensive cage liner). If you can arrange all her perching areas so that poop falls through the grate, she will not be able to get to the droppings.

"Coprophagy" is the name of this unappetizing behavior but Eclectus parrots are such curious creatures that they will investigate anything in their environment, which sometimes includes "tasting", so it is not necessarily an indication of a problem. Parrots are not the only animals who sometimes eat their droppings. Rabbits especially are known for re-digesting their droppings, but in their case, it serves the purpose of providing certain nutrients that they need. You can read more about this in rabbit care books.

According to literature, here are some of the reasons that animals eat their droppings:

~Vitamin, mineral, or enzyme deficiency
~Allergies
~Overfeeding or underfeeding
~Boredom or stress
~Curiosity

We don't provide nearly as much activity as our birds would have in their natural habitat and they are intelligent creatures who need vigorous physical exercise and challenging mental stimulation.

*Provide "foraging" material to encourage her to work for her food.
*Give her interactive toys that she can manipulate with feet and beak.
*Wrap treats such as whole almonds in paper products like unwaxed paper cups.
*Offer skewers with chunks of fruits and vegetables.

Try to provide more variety in your bird's diet. If you offer a widely varied diet of vegetables and fruits of deep color and quality protein foods, your Eclectus probably has no deficiencies, and only with a veterinarian's diagnosis and recommendation should you give your Eclectus vitamin and mineral supplements. If you are concerned about nutrient deficiencies, you can insure that you're providing sufficient nutrition by the use of fresh foods containing the nutrient in question.

*For a possible protein deficiency, offer hard boiled egg twice weekly.
*For a possible calcium deficiency, add crushed, cooked egg shells to the dry food mix.
*For a possible general deficiency of minerals, offer "mineral water" once or twice weekly.
*For a possible enzyme deficiency, offer fresh papaya or pineapple.
*For a good general nutrient supplement, provide fresh fruit and vegetable juice.*
By using foods and fresh juice to supplement birds, we prevent the problem of nutrient overload.

If you suspect that a food allergy is the reason for your bird eating her droppings, keep a food diary to determine whether or not this practice might be related to any particular food in her diet.

Again, it is unlikely that this behavior is anything more than curiosity if you are providing good basic care, which includes a varied diet, pure drinking water, ample daily exercise, and a clean and interesting environment.

Thanks for your question.

Carolyn

*Juicing for Parrots
http://www.landofvos.com/articles/juice.html

[oslund]

Hi,

Thanks for the thorough reply. Sarah had a toe tapping problem for a day or two and I gave her egg and yogurt (with live cultures) and her toe tapping stopped, but I noticed that she had started eating her poop. Perhaps she was eating the poop and I didn't notice because I was so focused on the toe tapping. She's usually an exceptionally clean bird and very conscious of where she goes poop, so I think it probably is a dietary deficiency.

I adopted Sarah only a few months ago, and I have to admit that I didn't realize that she was so delicate. I have had a blue-front amazon for a few years and he's a tank lol. I just need to get her routine down, and hopefully I can get is soon :icon_mrgr . She's prolly thinking "C'mon it's so simple mom! All I need is a good day spa and personal chef" lol

Thanks for the help.