Cleaning parakeet‘s butt

[LaurieLJT]

I wonder anyone have this similar problem. I have three parakeets. Two of them don’t have this problem. One of them is. Sometimes she likes sit on platform ( going to take that away ) I think that is causing the problem. Her poops is stuck in her feather where she excreted. vet said use spray water bottle to clean the area out. Does anyone have better suggestions? I did spray her bottom but all of feathers are smeared with poop. . Thanks for your time.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Are you and your vet sure she is well hydrated and not otherwise unwell?

As long as her health is good, yeah it's just a matter of keeping her clean. Yuck. I have a special needs parakeet who lives life flat on her belly due to splayed legs. Her vent gets dirty sometimes also and keeping her clean is just a normal part of life with her. If you can remove the platform without making her sad or making life harder for her(are her feet alright?) then yeah may as well take that out and see if it makes a difference.

To be clear, it's just dirty feathers? Not something more serious like a poop buildup that is blocking the area or anything like that

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I've had this problem too. It's a real drag having to clean a budgies butt! The only way to get it really clean is to wash the area with warm water and mild soap like baby shampoo and rinse well but its very stressful on the bird and the person doing the cleaning. You could try trimming the feathers around the vent so the poop doesn't get stuck in them but I'd have a vet do it.
What I was told is that when a budgie is overweight or has fatty tumors in the lower belly near the vent they have a hard time getting their head around down there to clean it themselves. Plus the bulging tissue from excess fat or fatty tumors tends to partially obstruct the ejection of poop and it gets stuck on the feathers coming out. These kinds of tumors are very common in budgies especially as they get older. Obesity is a big problem if budgies are not given a lot of out of cage flying time. They eat too much and get fat just like other animals and humans.

Getting rid of the platform she sits on should help. Does she like to bathe? Maybe if you gave her a wide shallow bowl of water she would splash around in it and when she preens herself afterward it should be better. You could try putting a bathing bowl on the platform to encourage her to bathe.
Good luck!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Yep, yep, yep.. Since he turned 40 he has had this "pasty vent" issue. And initially i found a hard-as-concrete little "plug". So................. daily, i inspect and rub and clean his privates! Of course, the Rb (aka the Masturbating Patagonian) gets turned on, but hey... I have no pride when it comes to his health.

 

[LaurieLJT]

I wonder anyone have this similar problem. I have three parakeets. Two of them don’t have this problem. One of them is. Sometimes she likes sit on platform ( going to take that away ) I think that is causing the problem. Her poops is stuck in her feather where she excreted. vet said use spray water bottle to clean the area out. Does anyone have better suggestions? I did spray her bottom but all of feathers are smeared with poop. . Thanks for your time.

Hi. I’m so sad to say that my sunny parakeet just passed away. I did email my vet this morning asking about it. I did administer meds but it got went downhill very fast She passed in my hand. I was holding her knowing she wasn’t gonna make it through. I felt shocked. Wasn’t expecting it

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Im so sorry . I've had a few budgies die in my hands and it's always heartwrentching. Your girl must have had some health problem she had managed to hide as birds usually do. A bird that can't or won't keep her vent area clean and groomed is frequently not well but can linger quite a while.
She's at peace now knowing she was loved.

 

[LaurieLJT]

Thanks so much.

 

[TiredOldMan]

I'm sorry for your loss.
I unfortunately know it well

 

[LaurieLJT]

I'm sorry for your loss.
I unfortunately know it well

Thanks so much

 

[Corkscr.ew]

Hi. I’m so sad to say that my sunny parakeet just passed away. I did email my vet this morning asking about it. I did administer meds but it got went downhill very fast She passed in my hand. I was holding her knowing she wasn’t gonna make it through. I felt shocked. Wasn’t expecting it

I'm very sorry. I had this happen with one of my first budgies. She died after I noticed poop stuck to her vent. I believe she had some kind of tumor based on her other symptoms but I wouldn't know because I never got answers. Dirty feathers in any areaacan be very serious because healthy birds spend a lot of time keeping themselves clean.

 

[LaurieLJT]

I'm very sorry. I had this happen with one of my first budgies. She died after I noticed poop stuck to her vent. I believe she had some kind of tumor based on her other symptoms but I wouldn't know because I never got answers. Dirty feathers in any areaacan be very serious because healthy birds spend a lot of time keeping themselves clean.

Thank you so much