Yesterday I noticed Mischief's(DNA'd 5 yr old male Scarlet) abdomen is swollen and you can see traces of droppings on his vent feathers.(Not caked or anything,just light traces)I just checked again when I got home and it is still the same.I checked his cage papers and his droppings all look normal,he is eatting fine and he is still trying to live up to his name with his energy level.If he wasn't DNA'd I'd really think he was "with egg". Any ideas? Even if I can find a Vet to see him,they won't be Avian so I would like ideas to offer them on what could be the problem and what we can do to figure it out.TIA

I don't have any ideas about what it could be, but if you have to take him to an emergency clinic Dr. O may still be able to consult with them. I had a friend with a very sick tiel who had to go to the emergency clinic one night and Dr. O consulted with the vet there over the phone and told them the proper setup to have and things like that.

Also, maybe the DNA test was a fluke? It can happen in the lab.

That is what I was thinking. We all know DNA are not always accurate.

I've wondered if the DNA could some how be wrong too.That would be nice as a simple solution,but then heart breaking because he acts 100% boy and I always tell him " He's the little boy only a mother would love" I've had a consult with DR O one time before at the ER Clinic,so that might be an option.

I hope dna is wrong, alternative not so good.

Can't a regular Vet take samples & test?

Ours is and does....BUT.....when it's anything potentially serious we just aren't comfortable with her level of expertise. I would, and do, opt to take them to someone more experienced in such cases. I find (personally) that most regular vets just are not comfortable with birds...especially the big ones with scary big beaks! My vet had a hard enough time collecting blood for DNA testing.

I sure am interested to see how this turns out. I am praying that everything is ok and the outcome will be a good one here. Please keep us updated.

Poor Mischief! Poor you! Maybe you will get a little egg! My thoughts are with you! Let us know as soon as you find anything out! Hang in there!

No, I don't think it's an egg. For one thing, if the DNA test was done by a reputable lab (here it's done by the University of Pennsylvania Avian dept), the chances of it been wrong are slim to none. Secondly, there is no diarrhea associated with egg laying if the bird is healthy and this bird has it (that dirty vent is a sure sign of it) so it has to be something else and, if I were you, I would not wait to see how he fares in a day or so. A swolen abdomen is not something you want to waste any time on. It's a symptom of Polyoma, cancer, infection, intestinal parasites and organ malfunction among others. You do not want to waste any time taking him to a vet even if you have to drive a couple of hours each way to find either an avian or a vet that treats exotics.