Diarrhea in Macaws: GI Causes, Warning Signs & Treatment

Quick Answer
  • See your vet promptly if your macaw has true diarrhea, especially with lethargy, weight loss, vomiting, green droppings, blood, or undigested food in the stool.
  • Many pet parents call any watery dropping diarrhea, but birds also pass urine and urates. Extra liquid can be polyuria rather than intestinal disease.
  • Common causes include diet changes, excess fruit, bacterial or viral infection, parasites, toxin exposure, liver or kidney disease, and avian ganglioneuritis in some macaws.
  • Diagnosis often includes a physical exam, weight check, fecal testing, Gram stain, bloodwork, and sometimes radiographs to look for metal toxicity or organ disease.
  • Typical US cost range for an exam and basic workup is about $180-$650, while hospitalization and advanced testing can raise total care into the $800-$2,500+ range.
Estimated cost: $180–$2,500

What Is Diarrhea in Macaws?

In macaws, true diarrhea means the fecal portion of the dropping is abnormally loose or unformed. That is different from polyuria, where there is extra clear liquid urine around an otherwise formed stool. This distinction matters because many birds with "watery droppings" do not have primary intestinal disease.

A normal bird dropping has three parts: feces, white urates, and clear urine. Fresh fruit, stress, and some systemic illnesses can increase the liquid portion without causing true diarrhea. On the other hand, pea-soup feces, blood, foul odor, mucus, or undigested food can point to gastrointestinal disease that needs veterinary attention.

In macaws, diarrhea is a clinical sign, not a diagnosis. It can happen with infections, parasites, inflammatory digestive disease, toxin exposure, liver or kidney problems, and species-relevant conditions such as avian ganglioneuritis, which has historically been called macaw wasting disease. Because birds can decline quickly once dehydrated or anorexic, changes in droppings should be taken seriously.

Symptoms of Diarrhea in Macaws

  • Loose, unformed, or pea-soup feces
  • Large increase in watery droppings or clear liquid around stool
  • Green droppings or lime-green stool/urates
  • Undigested seeds or food in droppings
  • Blood, black stool, mucus, or unusually foul odor
  • Lethargy, fluffed feathers, or sitting low on the perch
  • Reduced appetite or refusing favorite foods
  • Weight loss or a prominent keel bone
  • Regurgitation or vomiting
  • Weakness, dehydration, or reduced droppings despite straining

See your vet immediately if your macaw has diarrhea plus lethargy, weakness, not eating, vomiting, blood in the droppings, black droppings, rapid weight loss, neurologic signs, or known toxin exposure. Birds often hide illness, so even one day of major change can matter.

It is also worth calling your vet if the droppings changed after a new food, a move, boarding, contact with another bird, or chewing metal, paint, jewelry, or household items. In macaws, chronic weight loss, regurgitation, and undigested food in droppings raise concern for more serious gastrointestinal disease.

What Causes Diarrhea in Macaws?

Some cases are relatively mild, such as a sudden diet change or eating a lot of watery produce. Even then, your vet may still want to rule out disease if the change lasts more than a day, because birds can look stable until they are not. Stress can also change droppings temporarily, especially after travel, rehoming, or a major routine change.

Medical causes are broader. Your vet may consider bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic disease, including Giardia and yeast overgrowth in some birds. Liver disease can change dropping color, and kidney disease or some toxins can increase the liquid portion. Heavy metal toxicity is especially important in parrots that chew cages, hardware, costume jewelry, stained glass solder, or old paint.

Macaws also have species-specific concerns. Avian ganglioneuritis, linked with avian bornavirus, can affect the nerves of the digestive tract and may cause chronic weight loss, regurgitation, passage of undigested food, and abnormal droppings. Psittacine herpesvirus infections such as Pacheco's disease can also cause diarrhea or green droppings and can spread through contact with infected birds or contaminated feces.

Because the same outward sign can come from the intestines, liver, kidneys, or a toxin, treatment should be based on diagnosis rather than guesswork. Human antidiarrheal medicines and home remedies can delay proper care and may be unsafe for birds.

How Is Diarrhea in Macaws Diagnosed?

Your vet will usually start with a detailed history and a hands-on exam. Helpful details include how long the droppings have changed, whether the feces are truly loose versus just wetter, recent foods, access to metal objects, contact with other birds, appetite, body weight trends, and whether you have seen vomiting, regurgitation, or undigested food.

Testing often begins with weight check, fecal evaluation, and crop or fecal cytology/Gram stain. These tests can help look for abnormal bacteria, yeast, parasites, and inflammatory changes. Bloodwork may be recommended to assess infection, hydration, and organ function, especially the liver and kidneys.

If your vet suspects metal toxicity, organ enlargement, obstruction, or chronic gastrointestinal disease, they may recommend radiographs. Additional testing can include fecal culture, PCR testing for infectious disease, cloacal or choanal swabs, and repeat monitoring over time. In birds, several problems can happen at once, so a stepwise plan is common.

If possible, bring a fresh photo of the cage paper or a fresh dropping sample, plus a list of all foods, supplements, and household items your macaw may have chewed. That can make the visit more efficient and help your vet choose the most useful first tests.

Treatment Options for Diarrhea in Macaws

Spectrum of Care means you have options. Here are treatment tiers at different price points.

Budget-Conscious Care

$180–$450
Best for: Mild, short-duration droppings changes in a bright, eating macaw with no blood, no vomiting, and no major weight loss.
  • Office exam with body weight and hydration assessment
  • Review of diet, recent stressors, and possible toxin exposure
  • Basic fecal smear or cytology/Gram stain
  • Supportive home-care plan directed by your vet
  • Diet adjustment, cage-rest, warmth, and close monitoring instructions
Expected outcome: Often good if the cause is minor and your macaw stays hydrated and eating, but follow-up is important if signs persist beyond 24 hours or worsen.
Consider: Lower upfront cost, but fewer diagnostics can miss liver disease, metal toxicity, infectious disease, or chronic GI problems.
Most Common

Recommended Standard Treatment

$450–$1,100
Best for: Macaws with ongoing diarrhea, reduced appetite, weight loss, green droppings, undigested food, or concern for infection, organ disease, or toxin exposure.
  • Exam by a veterinarian, ideally with avian experience
  • Fecal testing plus cytology/Gram stain
  • CBC and chemistry panel
  • Radiographs if indicated
  • Targeted medications or antiparasitic treatment based on findings
  • Subcutaneous or in-hospital fluids, assisted feeding, and recheck plan
Expected outcome: Fair to good in many cases when the cause is identified early and treated promptly.
Consider: More complete and practical for many birds, but costs rise with bloodwork, imaging, and species-specific infectious disease testing.

Advanced / Critical Care

$1,100–$2,500
Best for: Severely ill macaws, birds with dehydration, weakness, blood in droppings, neurologic signs, persistent vomiting, suspected toxin exposure, or complex chronic disease.
  • Emergency or specialty avian hospitalization
  • Intensive fluid therapy and thermal support
  • Tube feeding or assisted nutrition if not eating
  • Advanced imaging and expanded infectious disease testing
  • Heavy metal testing and treatment when indicated
  • Ongoing monitoring of weight, droppings, hydration, and response to therapy
Expected outcome: Variable. Some birds recover well with aggressive support, while prognosis is guarded with severe systemic disease, advanced avian ganglioneuritis, or serious viral illness.
Consider: Most intensive option with the broadest diagnostic reach, but it requires higher cost, more handling, and sometimes referral to an avian or exotic hospital.

Cost estimates as of 2026-03. Actual costs vary by location, clinic, and individual case.

Questions to Ask Your Vet About Diarrhea in Macaws

Bring these questions to your vet appointment to get the most out of your visit.

  1. Do these droppings look like true diarrhea, or more like polyuria?
  2. What causes are most likely in my macaw based on age, diet, and history?
  3. Should we test for parasites, yeast, bacterial imbalance, or viral disease?
  4. Do you recommend bloodwork or radiographs to check for liver disease, kidney disease, or metal toxicity?
  5. Is my macaw dehydrated or losing weight, and how should I monitor that at home?
  6. What foods should I offer or avoid while my macaw is recovering?
  7. Which warning signs mean I should come back the same day or go to emergency care?
  8. What is the expected cost range for the next step if my bird does not improve?

How to Prevent Diarrhea in Macaws

Prevention starts with daily observation. Learn what your macaw's normal droppings look like on plain cage paper, and weigh your bird regularly on a gram scale if your vet recommends it. Sudden changes in stool consistency, urine volume, appetite, or body weight are often the earliest clues that something is wrong.

Feed a balanced diet built around a quality formulated parrot food, with produce introduced gradually rather than all at once. Wash produce well, remove spoiled food promptly, and keep water bowls clean. Avoid abrupt diet changes, overcrowding, and unnecessary stress when possible.

Good biosecurity also matters. Quarantine new birds, avoid sharing bowls or perches between birds without cleaning, and schedule routine wellness visits with your vet. If your macaw chews household items, reduce access to lead, zinc, old paint, hardware cloth, costume jewelry, and other metals that can cause toxicity.

Finally, keep birds away from unsafe household exposures. Kitchens, aerosol sprays, smoke, and some toxic foods or contaminated standing water can all create health risks. Prevention will not stop every illness, but it can lower risk and help you catch problems before your macaw becomes critically sick.

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