parrotlet health

Question
I have a 7 year old parrotlet who has always been healthy. Lately, his droppings are more watery than usual with a slight green tint to them. His solids are not watery and look normal. I took him to an avian vet and she tested his stool for infection and it came back negative. My bird is acting just as active as ever and is eating and drinking normally. The vet said the watery stool my be due to fat deposits on his liver or it could be hormonal. Any ideas?

Answer
Hi Joy,

 If the urates have a slight green tint to them, I am betting your vet is probably correct. I certainly would not want to question the diagnosis of an avian vet as I have had nowhere near the training that they have. Had you told me that you took your bird to a vet who only sees birds "once in a blue moon" I would tell you to find an avian vet but in this case, you have done the right thing.

I have heard that a slight tint in the urates like you are describing can be caused by the liver and associated problems. Fatty liver syndrome is common in small birds, especially those who are on a seed based diet. I havent had to deal with that in any of my birds yet as all are on pellets with seed only as a treat. My parrotlet on the other hand has steadfastly refused pellets so I may end up with the same situation as you have soon. I do know that 7 years in a parrotlet is moving in to the "elderly" category and so this is the time to be watching for changes such as you have.

 I would do a little research on the net on fatty liver syndrome and also try to find some parrotlet experts out there who may have experienced this sort of thing. Two good websites to go to are plannedparrothood.com and birdsnways.com

 Unless you have made any drastic changes in your birds diet, or brought a new bird in to the house that could have carried some sort of disease in and passed it on, I would trust in the findings of your vet. You might ask if there are any further tests such as blood tests that can be done to determone the exact cause. Then do all you can to learn about the best way to care for your bird with whatever your diagnosis is. Other than that, just continue to love and enjoy him in his senior citizen years.

Thanks for being such a good bird Mom, best of luck to you and your little green person and let me know if I can be of anymore help.

Jan