Do “rainbow”-tinted pellets change the color of a birds droppings?
Yes, the colored pellets can affect the color of a bird’s droppings. Our members report seeing changes in their bird’s poop after feeding colored pellets. Red, in particular, appeared to show up in the droppings, sometimes alarming the bird’s owner. The droppings also stain fabrics and flooring if they are not cleaned up swiftly. The urate portion of the droppings is most commonly affected by eating pellets and other foods that are brightly colored. Owners sometimes see changes in the urate coloring after their bird ingests berries, e.g. blackberries or raspberries. If you notice a color change in your bird’s droppings that seems to be unrelated to the food they’ve recently even, you should take them to your avian vet for evaluation. For more on understanding your bird’s droppings, see the Poop-ology article on the American Cockatiel Society website.
