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Why is my cockatiel shaking, frothing, biting cage, and loose poop?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Female | unspayed | 5 years and 5 months old

My cockatiel seems to shake his head to and fro and froth like saliva comes from his mouth.he keeps biting the rods of the cages and loose droppings are noted.please help I don't have a avian vet here.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

Veterinary Technician

Published on June 11th, 2018

Unfortunately, those are very vague symptoms of illness that can be caused by a great number of things including GI upset, nutritional issues, parasites, illness, etc. You can try a few things at home first to see if it helps Ria improve. If you are feeding her many extras such as fruits and veggies, these can sometimes cause loose stool. Removing these extras and feeding only her regular balanced diet for a few days may help this clear up. If the problem continues, she may need to see a vet (if you don't have a bird-specific vet, a regular one may still see her) to check for parasites or other more serious issues which will need to be treated. If she is very ill, moving her to a hospital cage away from other birds to prevent the spread of illness and being picked on, and providing her easy access to food and water may help until you can get vet care.

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    Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on December 29th, 2017

    It's possible there is an underlying issue such as an internal parasite or GI upset that is causing her symptoms, even if she is only on her regular diet. Checking the stool itself for any visible parasites or changes in consistency/color may clue you into this. If the stool keeps getting matted, even with bathing, a vet exam is also a good idea to in order to check for parasites, infections or GI problems such as constipation, etc that may be causing the stool changes. Making sure there aren't perches/bedding she could be laying on and laying in her own stool, and keeping her environment cleaned regularly may also help with any matting/stool becoming stuck.

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