Wine-Colored Stains on Paper Towels = Normal Metabolites for Some Parrot Babies

I wish I had known this prior to my recent heart attacks, both on Fridays before the weekend when no avian vets would be available. Ack! My little blue-fronted Amazon's paper towels were stained and I didn't know what to do.

This was absolutely panic-inducing because my beloved double yellowheaded Amazon recently passed away and one of his symptoms was blood in the urine. Looking back, I think some of the color was from blood and some might have been those normal metabolites. During his last week, I had him over paper towels so I could examine his droppings carefully.

Imagine my panic! Dr. Speer said Gabby died of a metabolic issue, not something contagious. Besides, I haven't had my little one near any of Gabby's things, except a thoroughly-disinfected plastic toy. It had me utterly confused and yet completely panicked...until I came across this: Common Problems that can Happen with Baby Chicks : Responsive Sheffield Blue Zen Cart Template, by Picaflor Azul

Here's the lowdown:


Huge sigh of relief! This is something I did not know. When I was raising lots of babies, I used soft pine shavings. I took the slight risk of ingestion in order to keep a large number of babies clean. So, now I know something new.

:02::02::02:

I hope this thread keeps someone else from panicking. Still, my Gabby bird really did have blood in his urine, so be vigilant.

Great Thread! Would be something to provide an individual that thinks this stuff is simple!

I can understand the issue regarding 'some' paper toweling being rough and causing surface cuts, which results in bleeding prior or during a stool release. I can see where that would really mess with one's mind. But I am missing the connection between stool coloration, normal metabolites and being on paper toweling. Something to ponder.

Again, great Thread!

SailBoat said:

Great Thread! Would be something to provide an individual that thinks this stuff is simple!

I can understand the issue regarding 'some' paper toweling being rough and causing surface cuts, which results in bleeding prior or during a stool release. I can see where that would really mess with one's mind. But I am missing the connection between stool coloration, normal metabolites and being on paper toweling. Something to ponder.

Again, great Thread!

Click to expand...

No, this stuff is never simple! I have quite a bit of experience at hand-raising parrots, but I would never claim to be an expert. The staining scared me half to death! I used to raise my babies on soft pine shavings over paper towels and clean them out with every feeding. Yes, there was a slight chance of ingestion, but keeping the babies clean seemed more important. With just one baby, I can use soft paper towels over normal towels with washcloths to sleep on and she stays clean except at night when we all sleep. There's a big mess to clean up in the morning.

My best guess is something in the urine interacts with something in the paper towel to produce the wine staining. I tried pouring some ammonia over one of her droppings in the bathroom and I was able to get some staining that way, too, but not as much. Ammonia can cause color changes. Maybe ammonia and the "normal metabolite" interact with something in paper towels. I don't know for sure. Still, major panic even after raising a lot of African greys and Senegals.

My baby is saying she's hungry again, so I'd best get the food prepared.