Cockatiel eating own faeces

My cockatiel, Maxie, has a habit of eating her own poo and when I researched it the information was that she may be missing some vitamins or nutrients which may be in her faeces.

She has her normal food, including her favourite, sunflower seeds, she also has her mineral bar which she quite often nibbles. She also has millet which she adores and will eat a stick in a day so we limit her from that to one a week.

Maxie also has plenty of fruit etc. She also eats nuts and she absolutely loves them

Is there any food she is missing which she needs and if so what and where can I get this?

I live in the UK.

Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated

My birds do not touch their mineral bars nor do they touch their poo. I’m thinking she has a mineral deficiency. I give my birds sprouted seeds, bee pollen, and Tops pellets and Harrison high potency pellets (have to be careful with this because it has a lot protein- I sprinkle it in with their other food) coupled with fruits and veggies. I just started doing quail eggs with the shell on! They love that! Before I was doing boiled organic chicken eggs and bone pills. Quail eggs are sold at Whole Foods! It’s something you can do pretty immediately and see if She stops- bee pollen I don’t know any stores that sells it - I ordered it online.


I have no experience in this issue and am just offering my thoughts. Hopefully someone with more experience will hop on!

plutus1947 said:

My cockatiel, Maxie, has a habit of eating her own poo and when I researched it the information was that she may be missing some vitamins or nutrients which may be in her faeces.

She has her normal food, including her favourite, sunflower seeds, she also has her mineral bar which she quite often nibbles. She also has millet which she adores and will eat a stick in a day so we limit her from that to one a week.

Maxie also has plenty of fruit etc. She also eats nuts and she absolutely loves them

Is there any food she is missing which she needs and if so what and where can I get this?

I live in the UK.

Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated

Click to expand...

Me too! Hun it is B Vitamins that she is short of, I had my G2 do it which rang bells. She is extremely fussy. So I give couple of slices of very hard boiled egg a week. It's stopped her eating her poop.

This is usually the hardest group to fulfil. Some examples for you:-

Best food sources of vitamin B

• Whole grains (brown rice, barley, millet)
• Meat well cooked chicken
• Eggs
• Legumes (beans, lentils)
• ​Seeds and nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds)
• Dark, leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kai lan, cauli)
• Fruits (bananas)

I also give a little Bioplus Probiotic weekly as this contains the full range of B Vitamins with others.


Please limit the sunflowers as they are like little containers of fat which can give a bird Liver problems. A bird with liver problems struggles with B Vitamins. Have you had a health check lately, it would not hurt it is easier to make changes before something takes hold. Not sure of AV's in UK, contact me I can probably help.


Do you sprout? Mung beans, lentils; brown and green, chick peas? Great nutrition also.


Do you feed Dandelion to your 'tiel? This is brilliant nutrition if they will?

Reminds me of Pink Flamingos.

(I’m old...the film...look it up.)

Littleredbeak said:

My birds do not touch their mineral bars nor do they touch their poo. I’m thinking she has a mineral deficiency. I give my birds sprouted seeds, bee pollen, and Tops pellets and Harrison high potency pellets (have to be careful with this because it has a lot protein- I sprinkle it in with their other food) coupled with fruits and veggies. I just started doing quail eggs with the shell on! They love that! Before I was doing boiled organic chicken eggs and bone pills. Quail eggs are sold at Whole Foods! It’s something you can do pretty immediately and see if She stops- bee pollen I don’t know any stores that sells it - I ordered it online.


I have no experience in this issue and am just offering my thoughts. Hopefully someone with more experience will hop on!

Click to expand...

You just give him the quail egg raw?

I soft boil them- the yoke is a little softer. Over cooking eggs does something to the protein and changes changes the egg making them unhealthy eat. I wait for there to be a rapid boil then I add the eggs and let them boil in the pot for about 2.5 -3 mins and take them out to cool. They have been perfect every time with the yolk center slightly soft. I don’t cook them all at once but I’m sure you could and keep the ones you don’t use in the fridge. I give everyone half an egg shell and all. My two lovebirds share. Here is a link to boiling a soft quail egg. https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/how-boil-quails-eggs

And an article about over boiling eggs. It doesn’t mention the change in the protein and cholesterol. https://www.google.com/amp/s/io9.gi...ou-turn-them-into-chemical-wea-1682497376/amp

Littleredbeak said:

I soft boil them- the yoke is a little softer. Over cooking eggs does something to the protein and changes changes the egg making them unhealthy eat. I wait for their to be a rapid boil then I add the eggs and let them boil in the pot for about 2.5 -3 mins and take them out to cool. They have been perfect every time with the yolk center slightly soft. I don’t cook them all at once but I’m sure you could and keep the ones you don’t use in the fridge. I give everyone half an egg shell and all. My two lovebirds share. Here is a link to boiling a soft quail egg. https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/how-boil-quails-eggs

And an article about over boiling eggs. It doesn’t mention the change in the protein and cholesterol. https://www.google.com/amp/s/io9.gi...ou-turn-them-into-chemical-wea-1682497376/amp

Click to expand...

I always cook Archie’s eggs to death.

Let me look into quail eggs and quick boiling them.

Thanks! Great information!

Thank you all for your comments and advice I will look into all of them

Littleredbeak said:

I soft boil them- the yoke is a little softer. Over cooking eggs does something to the protein and changes changes the egg making them unhealthy eat. I wait for there to be a rapid boil then I add the eggs and let them boil in the pot for about 2.5 -3 mins and take them out to cool. They have been perfect every time with the yolk center slightly soft. I don’t cook them all at once but I’m sure you could and keep the ones you don’t use in the fridge. I give everyone half an egg shell and all. My two lovebirds share. Here is a link to boiling a soft quail egg. https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/how-boil-quails-eggs


And an article about over boiling eggs. It doesn’t mention the change in the protein and cholesterol. https://www.google.com/amp/s/io9.gi...ou-turn-them-into-chemical-wea-1682497376/amp

Click to expand...

Just bought ‘em! My regular supermarket has them.

I cool and remove the shell, right?

I don’t remove the shell- I do break it in half and just give it to them. The shell has the calcium and minerals specific for bone health. That’s great you were able to find them at your local store! The only store that has it near me is Whole Foods.

Littleredbeak said:

I don’t remove the shell- I do break it in half and just give it to them. The shell has the calcium and minerals specific for bone health. That’s great you were able to find them at your local store! The only store that has it near me is Whole Foods.

Click to expand...

So far, he ain’t interested.

Try hard boiled and then you can whizz by a food processor to a finer perhaps more palatable sized food?