Why is my budgie's poop weird after starting a pellet diet?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My budgie's poop is light brown and sometimes string-like after introducing him to pellet diet, is something wrong?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on March 15th, 2021
Hello there, Sometimes diarrhea can be caused by any change of diet. Pelleted diets are overall much better for budgies though, so your choice of diet is great! If the diarrhea continues or any other signs develop, such as lethargy or decreased appetite, please seek care of your budgie's veterinarian. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on November 17th, 2018
Thanks for reaching out about Quiz. It is great that he took to the pellets easily. Changing slowly is important to allow the bird's digestive system to adjust to the offering of different nutrients. New nutrients can definitely change the quality and quantity of the feces. As long as the pellet brands lists the nutrients as "a complete diet", no additional food items need to be offered. But offering only one food can become boring over time, so adding fresh vegetables, cooked beans another human tables foods can provided variety. Good luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Food & Nutrition
I've had my budgie for 13 days now his poop was dark green and and rather firm his urates white and urine clear and dried blackish looking he was on a seed diet, I've changed his diet to a seed and pellet mixture when I got him A few days ago his poo
Diet changes can affect the stool, and if you're feeding any extras in addition to the diet change, this could be causing the change you are seeing. It is also possible that his current diet is causing some minor GI upset if it changes immediately after eating and then returns to normal. Other issues such as internal parasites can also cause stool changes, so ruling out and treating for any parasites may be a good idea. Removing any extras such as fruit and veggies and providing only his balanced diet for a few days may also help him adjust and his stool return to normal. If the problem persists, or you see any other symptoms or changes such as reduced eating/drinking, lethargy, etc, then seeking vet care in person to rule out any more serious issues is best.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Hi there, I recently bought a packet of pellet crumbles at the pet store from my budgie and I read that you are supposed to put new food in a little but at a time but he ate it straight away so I just replaced it straight away. But I noticed since t
Thanks for reaching out about Quiz. It is great that he took to the pellets easily. Changing slowly is important to allow the bird's digestive system to adjust to the offering of different nutrients. New nutrients can definitely change the quality and quantity of the feces. As long as the pellet brands lists the nutrients as "a complete diet", no additional food items need to be offered. But offering only one food can become boring over time, so adding fresh vegetables, cooked beans another human tables foods can provided variety.
Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
I got my male Parakeet 11 days ago, his feces were dark brown and firm his urates white and his urine clear, I've been around my parents budgies a lot so I assumed this was normal. But ever since last night they became a lighter brown and they are sl
Thank you for your question about Pecker, and I really appreciate you including pictures as they are very helpful! The droppings overall look very normal and appropriate, which is great. The urates are bright and white and the amount of urine is appropriate. I see what you mean about the difference in color - the lighter brown are less concerning to me than the darker colored ones. The reason for that is dark brown to black stools can be indicative of digested blood in the feces, also known as melena. In Pecker's case, with him being very new to you and you doing a diet switch (which is great, by the way - I recommend that budgies eat at least 50% pellets and then the rest of the diet can be made up of seed and produce items), I wouldn't worry too much because it may be due to the transition. However, if the dark stools continue, it would be advisable to take Pecker in for a wellness examination to have him (and his feces) evaluated. When you go, please make sure that you bring some of
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 5 year old parakeet's droppings are recently watery band unformed.3 weeks ago I changed his seed(after 5 years) from Hagens regular to Hagens gourmet. Could this change have caused this recent development? Otherwise he is a happy,singing,flying p
A change in diet can certainly change the stool consistency and color, especially if the new food has different colored pellets in it, different seeds, or has changed his drinking habits. Giving it a few more days to see if it returns to normal is best, as well as removing any extra treats for a few days to reduce stress on the GI tract. If he doesn't return to normal, or shows other signs of illness, bringing in a stool sample to a local vet for a fecal or having your bird examined in person is best.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My parakeet has diahrrea. What should I do? It started today. He eats a regular seed diet and spray millet.
Discontinue the millet temporarily. If possible, transition him to a pelleted diet. Recommended brands include Harrison's, Lafeber, Pretty Bird, KayTee Exact or Roudybush. You can still give seeds, just limit the amount. Once the droppings normalize, supplement with fresh greens, vegetables, cooked grains, pastas and beans. Submit a sample of the droppings to your veterinarian to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite or persistent loose droppings. Have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian vet if necessary.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My budgie has watery stools, but id otherwise extremely playful and eats and drinks normally. It is only occasionally, however. What could it be?
If you're only noticing the watery stools on occasion, one of my first thoughts would be diet-related. Some veggies and fruits can cause watery stools, and if you notice this happens after giving them a new treat or something to snack on, it could be related. Removing all extras for a few days and seeing if the stool improves can help determine this. If it isn't food related, additional issues such as internal parasites, stress, diet changes, GI upset, infections, etc can also be possible causes. Keeping them in a low stress area, and scheduling a veterinary visit if the loose stools continue or other signs of illness such as listless behavior, weight changes, not eating or drinking, etc appear is best.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
What happens when my budgy has feces stuck to his bum?
Budgies hide ill-health well, and a dirty vent might be your bird's only symptom. Sometimes diarrhea only lasts a day or two, but longer-lasting problems indicate a more serious condition, requiring a visit to the vet. Dangers of diarrhea include waste build-up due to clogged vents, and intestinal damage from blocked ducts. Diarrhea makes him at risk from dehydration, weakness, lack of appetite and weight loss. Extreme cases lead to fits and starvation. Checking your bird's poop when he has a dirty vent can give useful information. Normal droppings are soft, olive-green to brown and coiled or cylindrical. Poop that's very dark, very pale, liquid, lumpy, dry, sticky or bubbly mean illness and need vet attention. Green-stained vents often mean poor quality feed and usually appear within 24 hours of eating new food. Providing healthier food should make symptoms disappear. One check of feed quality is biting. Grains should split cleanly and be hard to bite. Intestinal inflammation cau
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Why is my budgie's poo gray?
Changes in feces is usually related to diet and/or stress. If this is normal feces for you bird I would not be too concerned. If however this is a sudden change in the appearance of droppings I would recommend making sure he is on a well balanced diet (high quality pellets, fresh fruits and veggies, and little to no seeds) and that he has access to plenty of clean, fresh water. Also try to ensure that nothing in his environment has changed that could cause stress. If everything else is normal and the diet is good you may want to consider taking a stool sample to your veterinarian to be examined. I hope this helps. Best of luck. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My budgie is puffy, which could be explained that he is keeping warm, because it is winter, I hope. But he starts to have dark green poop that's mostly white and has clear liquid and he sometimes bobs his head trying to vomit. I give him a diet o
Thanks for reaching out ab out Beau and including photos. Agree that if too cold with fluff feathers in an attempt to increase insulation. But they usually do not decrease eating, as calories needed to make heat. A darker green stool is often a sign of decreased appetite, increased white and clear urine is increased drinking. Millet is a poor diet as devoid of many vitamins and minerals and is basically the equivalence of potato chips. A wide variety of vegetables is needed, a plant based protein source (beans, legumes, tofu) and avian pellets are recommended. As he is likely ill, a veterinary visit is highly recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Provide heat support 24/7. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I recently just got my parakeet this week. It just started Thursday that I saw poop stuck on her feathers near her vent. Her poop looks normal not funny or anything. She's active and eats, no wet nose or anything. However I recently did change her fo
First of all it's very good that you changed the food but i would recommend doing it gradually over a period of 10 days. start with only 10% of the new food the first day and 90% of the old food, each day increase the new food by 10% until you reach 100%. hopefully this should solve the problem.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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