Birds eating their own poop can be a concern, especially when they keep eating more often. Perhaps you have noticed your birds eating their own poop, making you ask yourself, “Why do birds eat their own poop?”

Birds eat their own poop due to the following nine reasons:

1. Improper Nutrition

If your bird lacks essential nutrients like vitamins and mineral salts, it will likely eat its poop to gain the nutrients. This can result from poor dieting, hunger, and survival tactics when there is the bare minimum. Feeding your birds enough well-balanced feeds will make them grow healthier and stronger with minimum body issues such as constipation, gastrointestinal problems, etc.

2. Stress

A stressed bird is likely to eat its poop to release its stress. Anxiety causes stress, especially when your bird lacks sufficient feeds, separation from their young ones, new environment, noise, etc. Therefore, ensure your bird is being helped when you notice any stress to restore its normal health.

3. Boredom

If your bird’s mind is not stimulated enough, it will get bored and start eating its poop. Usually, boredom makes birds adopt poor habits such as eating their poop, scratching their beak, and hitting themselves on the wall, among others. Also, boredom can result from deprived attention or a lack of a partner to keep it company.

4. Cleaning Up the Cage

If your bird’s cage is usually dirty, it will try to clean itself up by eating its own poop. A dirty cell threatens your birds as it creates a breeding area for bacteria and fungi that later cause infections. To prevent this from happening, ensure you clean your bird’s cage regularly to create a hygienic environment where they can thrive.

5. Tastier Poop

Sometimes, your bird may excrete tastier poop due to the sweet feeds that it has been ingesting. This is mainly seen when you regularly add sugar to your water, sweet treats, and tastier meals. This taste makes birds get attracted to their own poop. Hence, minimize sugary feeds in your birds’ feeds to make this habit seize.

6. Pungent Smell in the Poop

Birds are susceptible and cannot stay around poop with a pungent smell. They like having fresh and sweet air around them. Therefore, they will eat the poop with a pungent smell to make themselves comfortable.

7. Illness

Some illnesses in birds cause birds to ingest their own poop. When they suffer from malnutrition diseases, they are likely to feed on poop. You can have your bird checked by an avian vet to ensure its health is restored to normalcy.

8. Imitation

When birds are flocked together in one cage, they are likely to imitate each other, especially when they see this behavior. Imitation results from curiosity, where a bird wants to try out what it tastes like to eat its own poop.

9. Seeds in the Poop

Seed-eating birds will get interested in their poop when they see seeds on them. Due to their curiosity, they eat their poop to satisfy themselves. This behavior should not worry you, especially when it only happens occasionally.

Is It Bad for Birds to Eat Their Poop?

It is not bad for birds to eat their poop. However, birds should not regularly eat their poop, as it raises concerns about whether your birds are healthy.

Remind your bird not to regularly eat its poop, as it will get addicted to eating other poops, which can lead to the transmission of bacteria, causing infections.

What Happens If My Bird Eats His Poop?

Nothing critical will happen to your bird when it eats its poop. Instead, your bird will have gained the crucial nutrients it lacked.

However, poop eating, scientifically called coprophagy, should not be done excessively, as it can result in health issues, especially when the poop is infected with parasites and other bacteria.

Moreover, birds eating their own poop is a concern, and it is essential to note what your bird lacks and how to offer it.

How to Stop Birds from Eating Poop

Stopping your birds from eating their poop is simple when you follow these six tips:

1. Offering a Balanced Diet

Birds need a balanced diet to get all the nutrients and mineral salts their bodies need for all their activities, including reproduction. Proper feeding will also prevent starvation, making them less worried about survival tactics like eating their food.

2. Cleaning the Cage Regularly

Birds love a clean environment. They get irritated when they see their old poop still in the cage, which makes them eat their poop to clean their environment. Ensure you regularly clean your bird’s cage and spray the anti-parasites to protect them from being infested by internal and external parasites.

3. Keep Their Minds Stimulated

Since birds can eat their poop out of boredom, keep their minds stimulated to distract them and kill boredom. You can fill their cage with chewing toys, swings, bells, ladders, etc.

4. Spend Quality Time with Your Birds

Once you have a feathered friend, it will always crave your attention, especially when bonded to you. Therefore, spending quality time with your birds will make them happy. Also, it makes you understand their behavior and the attention they need to make them happy and playful.

5. Caging More than One Bird

All birds enjoy each other’s company. If you have a busy schedule, consider caging more than one bird to keep them active and happy. Birds will constantly chatter and play together, making them want less human attention. This will prevent poop-eating since their minds are pretty occupied.

6. Having an Avian Vet Check Up on Your Birds

Sometimes, poop eating can be a result of illness, especially malnutrition. In this scenario, contact an avian vet immediately to check up on your birds’ health, especially when the behavior persists. This will call for treatment, and your bird’s health will be restored.

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