My grey congo disease

EllenD

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So what else did the veterinarian say was going on with your bird, besides that there was no bacteria or parasite present in his feces? I'm assuming that they also tested for a fungal/yeast infection as well?

So he hasn't eaten in 5 days, and his poop is runny? How old is your Grey? And what is his diet like? Is he acting tired/sleepy? Is he behaving normally other than not eating much and having runny poop?

This could any number of things, it could be a liver issue, it could be some other kind of Gastrointestinal issue besides an infection, it's really hard to tell without proper testing by a Certified Avian Vet...Was the Vet you saw an Avian Specialist Vet? If not, I suggest you find the closest Avian Vet to you and take him ASAP, especially if he's losing weight...He should probably have an x-ray and blood work to check his liver function, kidney function, and rule-out some other type of infection somewhere else other than in his intestinal tract.

Where do live?
 

wrench13

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My friend where are you in this big world? I can tell from your English that maybe locating a avian trained vet may be difficult. Tell us - we maybe cab help there. It is critical you get your Grey help quickly.
 

GaleriaGila

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I second the above (s)!
Things are surely at a critical stage, if your post is accurate and complete.
I can't help but have some curiosity at your screen name. Are you referring to your parrot's failure to eat, or...?
If he has any poop left in him... are you sure he isn't eating? The seed shells on the floor are from many days ago, or...?
We want to help.
More input, please...
 

EllenD

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Once you get through this hurdle, look at his diet! I see mostly sunflower husks. Not the best!

I'm glad you mentioned this, as it was the very first thing that I saw as well...no pellets, not even "seeds" or a seed mix, just a lot of empty sunflower seed shells, which could be a good part of his problem...
 
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ParrotEater

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I live in iran
my parrot only eats sunflower husks
my grey is 2.5 yrs old
he sleeps many hours of the day
some times bents his neck to back side
3 doctors told me he is healthy
 

wrench13

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Your Grey needs a much wider range of food then just sunflower seeds. I realize that in Iran this may be hard to get but fruits and vegetables should make up most of his diet, with seeds like sunflower a very small part. He is young yet so changing his diet should not be that hard. Green veggies, peppers ( the hotter the better), broccoli , corn, you get the idea. Many good recipies for healthy parrot diets on our forum here. We are the caretakers of the animals of this world and your Grey can live a long long time, with good diet. Peace be unto you !
 

EllenD

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Is he ONLY eating sunflower seeds? That's it?

If so, then that is a lot of his issue...but if he is sleeping "many hours of the day" then something is not right. His poop is likely related to him eating nothing but sunflower seeds, which should only be given rarely as a treat. But the fact that he's sleeping all day long may be something else, or it may be related to his diet as well.

African Greys need to be fed a variety of fresh vegetable, fruits, grains, etc. I realize that you probably don't have access to a commercially sold parrot pellet diet, but you cannot feed him sunflower seeds only, or even as a large part of his diet, he's going to end-up developing Fatty Liver Disease very quickly. And the vets that you saw must not have been Avian Specialists, otherwise they would have told you to change his diet immediately, no more sunflower seeds except as an occasional treat once or twice a week. And an Avian Vet also would have told you that it's not normal for a 2.5 year old Grey to sleep many hours of the day.

I'm assuming that you have access to fresh veggies and fruits?
 

itzjbean

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Sounds to me like his diet needs to be completely changed around or he may not live much longer.

Fresh fruits and veggies!! No more sunflower seeds!
 

Scott

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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
I live in iran
my parrot only eats sunflower husks
my grey is 2.5 yrs old
he sleeps many hours of the day
some times bents his neck to back side
3 doctors told me he is healthy

Welcome, thanks for seeking diet advice! I believe you can easily find many healthy foods for your grey. As others suggested, vegetables and fruits should be a large part of his intake.

A few suggestions to help!
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

Greys can be very stubborn and slow to accept new foods. Please be patient and continue to offer even though it may be wasted. Another helpful method is to make identical bowls of fresh food - one for you and one for your grey. Begin to eat yours and show him how much you enjoy! They are "flock" creatures, and you are one of the flock!
 

bigfellasdad

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Enzo can have poop like that and apart from pellets only being a tiny part of her diet I think eats well.

Is there a 'good poop/bad poop' description any where at all please?
 

ChristaNL

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Japie (m) & Appie (f), both are congo african grey;
All are rescues- had to leave their previous homes for 'reasons', are still in contact with them :)
It could be anything - there is also still a giant outbreak of H5N8 in Iran (since a couple of months)- not sure if parrots are very susceptable, they were to H5N1.
(We had H5N8 a few years ago in NL and all social gatherings, markets concering live (pet)birds were cancelled, that is why Avian flu hits more poultry in Iraq, Iran, Asia | CIDRAP sprang to mind.)
Diarrhea, nervousness, and depression are just a few of the symptoms.


But....
it is always good to look at the easy cause-effects first:
good food
good hygiene
enough sleep
not too much stress
positive interaction


You've had the poop examined- and that was fine.
Can you find a vet that specializes in birds?
To look deeper you probably need to have some bloodtests done- and most vets can't do that.

Btw if it is really hot outside/inside birds will sleep more - they will sleep in the afternoon as well. This is normal.

Does your bird get baths?
(never let it go to sleep with wet feathers, mornings would be best)
 
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EllenD

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I don't know if you can update us on your Grey and how he is doing, but it would be nice to know if he's doing any better, and if you have yet to change his diet around, as I must tell you that it's extremely concerning that you said "he sleeps many hours of the day"...that is not at all normal for a baby Grey...

The reason his poop is runny is not due to an infection, it's due to the very high fat-content in the sunflower seeds, as that's all that he eats. All.

I don't know if you are aware of this, but you need to be educated about parrots and Fatty Liver Disease (FLD). The #1 disease that parrots die extremely young from is Fatty Liver Disease caused by an inappropriate diet filled with fat. And usually these birds are eating a diet of mostly seeds, and mostly very fatty seeds such as Sunflower Seeds and Millet. Your Grey is only 2.5 years old, and already his poop is extremely runny, and he's sleeping all day long, which you have to know is not normal. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the reason that your Grey is only 2.5 years old and is sleeping all day long isn't due to an acute illness, such as an infection or a virus, but rather from Malnutrition, meaning he is not getting nearly the vitamins, minerals, and nutritional content that he needs to be getting every single day. Sunflower seeds contain mostly fat/oil; while they do contain some protein, they do not contain many, if any of the much-needed vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fiber, etc. that your Grey needs to be getting every single day, that we all need every single day...Imagine what would happen if a person only at Sunflower Seeds all day long, every day, and that was it...They would be extremely malnourished, they would have no energy at all, their skin would be discolored, their hair would be thin and brittle, falling out, and they would not feel well at all, having severe stomach and gastrointestinal issues, liver and kidney issues, etc.

I know that you made the statement that "3 vets said he is healthy", but obviously you know that this isn't true, simply based on his droppings along with his lack of energy and the fact that he sleeps all day long and he's still a baby...And forgetting the obvious, I'm going to assume that the 3 vets that told you he was healthy were not at all Avian Specialists...but not only that, they did no tests other than a Fecal Culture testing only for bacterial/fungal infection...So they'd have no way at all to know that he is "healthy", only that he doesn't have a bacterial or fungal infection in his Gastrointestinal Tract...

I know that we had another person from your country not long ago who was able to find a Certified Avian Vet within driving-distance of him. So if you let us know what city/town you live in, we can help you find the closest Avian Specialist to you so that you can get your Grey to him for what is called a "Wellness Exam". This is where the Avian Vet will listen to you while you tell him what has been going-on with your Grey recently, you have to tell them about his runny poop and the fact that he has no energy and sleeps all day long, every day, and also that the only thing that he ever eats and that he has ever eaten has been Sunflower Seeds and that's it...Any Avian Specialist will immediately tell you that you need to completely change his diet around and eliminate the Sunflower Seeds...and they can most-likely advise you of what you need to feed him every day based on what is easily available to you locally. The Avian Specialist may even sell a healthy pellet diet in his office for you to buy...

The the Avian Specialist will do blood-work first, which will rule-out an infection of any kind, and will also show his liver and kidney function, and show whether or not the diet of Sunflower Seeds is causing this lethargy...

Seriously, finding the closest Avian Specialist to you is imperative based on what you are describing, as they will obviously know what is available to you locally and will help you to design a healthy, varied diet that you can feed him every day that will reverse any damage that the Sunflower Seeds and the lack of proper nutrition, vitamins, minerals, etc. have already done. I know in your area you have access to not only lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, but also lots of different "pulses" that are healthy for parrots, like grains, legumes, rice, different healthy seeds, etc. (fruit is full of sugar, so it should also be given sparingly, but way better than Sunflower Seeds, and lots and lots of Veggies is very important, fresh veggies)...So even though you may not be able to buy a commercial pellet diet for parrots you can still provide him with an extremely healthy, daily diet that will not make him very sick and possibly end his life early (I don't know if you can order things online and have them shipped to you, if so then you should be able to get a bagged pellet diet for him every month, along with a healthy and varied bagged seed-mix)...But you need a local Avian Specialist to help you with this, and to educate you about what your Grey needs to be healthy and happy.
 

ChristaNL

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Sunny a female B&G macaw;
Japie (m) & Appie (f), both are congo african grey;
All are rescues- had to leave their previous homes for 'reasons', are still in contact with them :)
I'd go with Ellen's advice.


Even if there is no way to get to an avian specialist- get the diet straightned out!
Give your bird a chance.


(You already mentioned apple- that is a great start!)
 

PL84

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Sounds like your bird is "healthy" as no bacteria or something like that.

Most likely your bird has mineral and vitamin defiencies.

1. Get him a strong "emergency" avian vitamin and minerals, give them as the "recipe" says.

2. Most likely the strong stuff is given for 1-2 weeks, after that you need to get his diet correct and continue giving him his daily "mild" avian vitamins (Nekton S or something similiar is good)

3. Diet diet diet, sunflower seeds are the worst food you can give him... Get him bird pellets or atleast a good seedmix without peanuts and sunflower seeds. Additional to that, give him a lot of greens (vegetables, salads, cales, herbs). Fruits should be like max 10% of his daily diet, and when you really cant know what your bird eats (and what he throws to the walls and floor) its best to give fruits only like 1-2x / week.
 

PL84

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Enzo can have poop like that and apart from pellets only being a tiny part of her diet I think eats well.

Is there a 'good poop/bad poop' description any where at all please?

That poop pic seems like a normal "wet poop", poops are like that if your bird eats a lot of greens/veggies/fruits.

Our parrots all have pellets + a lot of fresh food, they prefer the fresh so the poops are always like that :)

Just remember to have a lot of variety in the fresh foods, simple always the same greens arent good for your bird if they eat the same food every day.

And yes, i know pellets "have all your bird needs", but you can feed fresh food to your birds as "main food" if you keep cycling a lot of variety of it.
 

bigfellasdad

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Enzo - adopted Female CAG circa 2004. A truly amazing young lady!
Enzo can have poop like that and apart from pellets only being a tiny part of her diet I think eats well.

Is there a 'good poop/bad poop' description any where at all please?

That poop pic seems like a normal "wet poop", poops are like that if your bird eats a lot of greens/veggies/fruits.

Our parrots all have pellets + a lot of fresh food, they prefer the fresh so the poops are always like that :)

Just remember to have a lot of variety in the fresh foods, simple always the same greens arent good for your bird if they eat the same food every day.

And yes, i know pellets "have all your bird needs", but you can feed fresh food to your birds as "main food" if you keep cycling a lot of variety of it.

Thats great to know thank you, ive been getting a little worried to be honest. I thought her poops being so wet was because she likes to drink when ever I drink especially in the morning when she enjoys her cup of tea (decaf or camomille).

Enzo always eats a lot of veg. I must say her veg always has carrots(she adores carrots and often has an orange beak when I get home from work)/brocoli/cauliflower/peas and sweetcorn without too much variety other than that so ill definitely start mixing it around more. :)

Ill also try again with pellets, maybe I should try different varieties other than the harrison.

thanks again.
 

noodles123

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Have they run blood work? I found out mine had a liver problem soon after adopting her from her old home but it was via blood. It has since been corrected.


Another thought- ABV (avian borna virus) is something that many parrots carry and it can (but doesn't always) progress to PDD. Testing for it is tricky because a bird can have it and test negative (it only shows if the virus- ABV is actually being shed at the time). You might look into it just because that isn't something they are usually tested for but it can impact their appetite etc. I haven't had mine tested for it, but my uncles grey passed away at 30 years and I only recently found out that he apparently had ABV (not sure if it progressed to PDD in his case, but it can in some birds).
 

noodles123

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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Also, is he on any sort of probiotic? That could help as well if he is healthy but just has an upset stomach due to lower levels of good bacteria.
 

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