Cures for Parakeet Diarrhea

Parakeets and other domesticated birds can suffer from diarrhea for several reasons. Common causes of diarrhea are pathogenic bacteria in the digestive tract, protozoal infections, a virus or other toxins in the system that the birds are trying to expel. There are several home cures parakeet owners can try to cure the diarrhea. If there is no improvement within 24 hours, contact your avian vet since continued diarrhea may be a symptom of a serious, possibly life-threatening infection.

  1. Kefir

    • Kefir is a type of yogurt made with kefir grains, which are capable of colonizing the digestive tract, rather than passing through it like the bacteria in traditional yogurts. If your parakeet is suffering from diarrhea, it may be because of an imbalance of healthy bacteria in the gut. Kefir is the healthiest option since it is a yogurt rich in probiotic bacteria and lacks artificial flavoring and dyes, which may be harmful to your parakeet.

    Bran

    • Because bird droppings are a mixture of feces, urine and urates, which are a thick, opaque liquid of metabolized proteins, what looks like diarrhea may in fact be healthy feces mixed in with more urine and urates than usual. In this case, giving your parakeet a small amount of bran can absorb any excess water in its digestive tract. Provide you parakeet with a normal amount of water but refrain from offering fruits since they are high in water and may cancel out the effects of the bran.

    Vet Treatment

    • After collecting a sample of uncontaminated diarrhea, your vet will run a series of diagnostic tests to determine what is causing the diarrhea. Special tests can be done to see if your parakeet is suffering from a protozoal infection. Once your vet has determined the cause of the diarrhea, he will prescribe medication for viral and bacterial infections or for other digestive tract problems such as ringworm.