Active, happy Bourke; dirty vent

[WrenNAustinTX]

My Bourke has bright eyes, is active, is chasing her friends off the best perch (per normal), hasn't been puffed up, has been doing well in her first big kid molt...

And has tower of droppings hanging off the feathers below her vent. Vent itself is bright pink and squeaky clean, but she has droppings sticking to the feathers below her vent hard core.

Is this normal for molting, or is she sick?

Thanks for help, guys!

[vinay]

I don't think molting causes dirt vents . She could have a light case of diarrhea. Does her diet consist of a lot fresh foods ?
But I did have a budgie whose vent was absolutely filthy but was still quite healthy. But generally dirty vents mean sick birds.
You should get her checked .

[cindy]

Dirty vents can be several things.... veggies will not make her sick but can change the consistency of the droppings due to the water.

I agree she needs to be checked by a vet....was he raised outdoors? What color are the droppings? A bit more info is needed.

Typically a bourke dropping is like that of a healthy parakeet or budgie...dry, small and tight and of course more water contained foods may loosen it a tiny bit but the droppings should never stick and cling to the vent like that.

[Atbird]

I don't know about bourkes, but some canaries have "fluffy " soft feathers. One of my canaries had this and her vent would get all dirty. I gave her feathers a trim...just look up "trimming vent feathers"...and this helped.

[WrenNAustinTX]

Atbird I think her bum just needs a trim. Her droppings are normal, but her molting feathers are hanging down at a weird angle before they drop off. i'll get out the scissors

[MiaCarter]

Is this happening first thing in the morning or after a nap?

I see this in my gouldians when they sleep on top of the nest.
It doesn't happen when they sleep elsewhere. And it's not a dirty vent in the traditional sense. It's a healthy-looking (albeit dry) strand of poop, just dangling from the feathers.
It always falls off within a few minutes of activity and leaves no traces of soiling that would make you think they're unwell.

I never really see it during the day. It only arises first thing in the AM, always to whoever sleeps on top of the nest (which varies) and nobody else. (The once exception is my little gouldian with a deformed foot and she spends more time on top of the nest as she doesn't like perching for long periods. So I'll see it on her occasionally during the day after she's been sitting up there.)

My best guess is that they poop during the night when they're asleep and due to the shape of the nest, the poop doesn't fall away totally and a small bit stays in contact with their feathers, drying and sticking to the feathers.

I too was worried when I first saw this.
Then I realized how it was happening and observed that everyone is healthy and happy. And there was no pattern to which individuals suffered this problem - aside from where they slept.

Mine are also molting into their adult feathers so you may very well be onto something with that.
I've never seen it happen to the parents (thought they always sleep *inside* the nest).

Though if you're unsure about this bird's history and there's a chance of protozoa or internal parasites, I might consider getting her treated. Or at minimum, examined, just to rule out any illness.

[cindy]

hookbills according to my avian vet rarely get parasites but there is more of a concern of bacterial, coccidia, giardia, yeast issues...as stated prior bourkes should have tight dry droppings. Do you have a picture of the droppings....you may seriously need a vet. If you post a picture on finchaholics also Terri may be able to suggest something for you.

I raise grass keets....bourkes should not have messy droppings. I hens are nesting they will drop large dropping but never stuck/matted to their feathers. Bourkes also roost on perches not on the floor.