Poop eating...

Abzeez · May 28, 2011

Now I don't know for sure if she meant to eat it, or if she was just tasting it... So I had Ida out and she pooped on the couch, I didn't notice it right away, so I didn't clean it up. Well she was playing around and I happened to look down and she was sticking her face in poo. I am thinking she was just checking it out, and tasting it, because as far as I know this is the first time she's eaten poop.

So I thought it would be a good question to ask. Anyone ever had a poo eating parrot?

Sabbath · May 28, 2011

I've never heard of poo eating in parrots(Mind you I am new to parrots myself) but in most cases for animals, poo eating is normally cause for a mental problem.

Not saying it is this, as this is the worst case scenario, but it the first that came to mind that makes sense.

Abzeez · May 28, 2011

poo eating is normally cause for a mental problem.

Where did you hear this? Growing up we had a dog that ate poop. The vet said some dogs just do it. My bull terrier also ate poop as a puppy, and the dermatologist we took her to for her skin, said pretty much the same thing. Sometimes it has to do with vitamin deficiency, but I have never heard of mental problems, so I don't find that comment to be true.

Abzeez · May 28, 2011

Found a possible answer... choline deficiancy, and giving the parrot a sprinkle of brewers yeast helps with poop eating. Learn something new everyday.

mygirl · May 28, 2011

i wouldn't worry about it to much, if it was on the couch probly just exploring or playing in it, if it was in the cage and a constant thing i have heard of a vitamin deficiancy can course them to eat there own poo

MikeyTN · May 28, 2011

Curiosity would cause them to have a taste too, especially it is a youngster after all!

Sabbath · May 28, 2011

Abzeez said:
poo eating is normally cause for a mental problem.

Click to expand...

Where did you hear this? Growing up we had a dog that ate poop. The vet said some dogs just do it. My bull terrier also ate poop as a puppy, and the dermatologist we took her to for her skin, said pretty much the same thing. Sometimes it has to do with vitamin deficiency, but I have never heard of mental problems, so I don't find that comment to be true.

I was told by my vet up in Maine when we took my friends bull up. That all I was going off of though so just threw it out there as I when he told us about it, it made sense.

Note: that is for the worst case scenario

Abzeez · May 28, 2011

I am not to worried about it, but since I have never seen a parrot do this I thought it may be something interesting to ask about.

Sabbath · May 28, 2011

Abzeez said:
I am not to worried about it, but since I have never seen a parrot do this I thought it may be something interesting to ask about.

lol ok, well sorry for jumping to the worst case scenario

I just got done watching Red Dragon(Hannibal Lecter movie) and those movies always get my mind into that type of mind set.

ellsiebird · May 29, 2011

I have never heard of it being a mental problem, with a huge majority of any animal its a sign of malnutrition, for example, Rabbits do this regularly to get all the vitamins possible from there food!

Atwee921 · May 29, 2011

Well it may be curiosity because she is so young, but I just bought Birds USA 2011 and there was a whole article about poop! This is what it says: Do birds eat poop? "This is a very rare problem," Burkett said. "Coprophagia, or eating feces, is recognized in many other animals, including humans, and generally goes without diagnosis. It's thought to be because of a nutritional deficiency in some cases; however, its considered a behavioral problem in some cases. It is normal for pet birds to engage in a house-cleaning technique where they use their beak to crumble dry poop to remove it from perches or cage grates. In these cases, they are not ingesting the poop."
So probably if Ida keeps doing this it could be a behavioral problem. Hope I helped and good luck!

Kokihi · May 29, 2011

Sabbath said:
Abzeez said:

poo eating is normally cause for a mental problem.

Click to expand...

Where did you hear this? Growing up we had a dog that ate poop. The vet said some dogs just do it. My bull terrier also ate poop as a puppy, and the dermatologist we took her to for her skin, said pretty much the same thing. Sometimes it has to do with vitamin deficiency, but I have never heard of mental problems, so I don't find that comment to be true.

Click to expand...

I was told by my vet up in Maine when we took my friends bull up. That all I was going off of though so just threw it out there as I when he told us about it, it made sense.

Note: that is for the worst case scenario

Its probably true enough for some types of pets, especially the ones you wouldn't typically expect to eat their poo. (like birds, heh.)

Interesting fact: Guinea pigs eating their poo is a good thing. Their digestive track isn't long enough for them to get all of the nutrients out of the food, so when they poop it out, they eat it up again.

aqua · Jun 22, 2011

maybe some other chew/toy options

Autumn · Jun 22, 2011

Dusky seems to run by it and tastes it but that is all, I think its out of curiosity

suebee · Jun 22, 2011

ewww nut does not eat it, but she does taste it! but only when she is away from her cage, (think she is trying to hide the evidance, but can't lol)

glad you mentioned, will keep eye out lol

Lolar · Jun 22, 2011

My bird likes to pick up/chew anything on the floor or wherever he is, so if i dont clean up his poo asap he will dip his beak in it but he wont eat it he'll taste it and shake it off. Also if its dry and he's bored he'll crunch it and spit it out, but its completely possible that my bird isn't eating enough vitamins in his diet, the vet told me to give him more veggies but he has a serious sweet tooth/beak lol.

wibitywab · Jun 22, 2011

She might just be curious!

Poop eating...

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