No, parakeets do not urinate or pee like other mammalian pets, rather they excrete water and waste materials together in the form of feces.
Parakeets do indeed urinate, but unlike mammals, birds don’t have separate openings for peeing and pooping; all bodily wastes pass through the cloaca, and they pee and poop at the same time.
Let’s dive deep to understand the urinary system of the parakeets.
Does a Parakeet Urinate?
No, parakeets do not urinate or pee like other mammalian creatures; rather the urine and feces combine as an excrete and come out of the cloaca. The liquid or white portion of the dropping is marked as urine or pee and the dark portion as feces or poop.
What Stimulates the Excretion Process in Parakeets?
Parakeets release mixed excrete, in the form of pee and poop and this happens involuntarily, when the colon gets full, it causes the sympathetic nerves of the cloacal to become active. This mechanism can also be triggered due to stress. When the cloacal fills, it reduces roosting comfort and this triggers the roosting relaxation of excretion of the waste products.
What are the Different Parts of Urinary Systems of Parakeets?
Here’s an overview of the urinary system of the parakeets:
Kidney
Parakeets have two kidneys located near the spine of the bird and these appear like beans. Its function is to remove metabolic waste products from the body, such as excess water and uric acid, where the end product is called urine.
Ureters
These are two narrow tubes that travel through the kidney and into the cloaca carrying the waste products.
Cloaca
The cloaca is a chamber that is connected to the digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems of the bird. The urine formed in the kidney is carried to the cloaca through the ureters.
Urinary Bladder
Parakeets do not have a urinary bladder to store the urine, so it has to be passed out of the body whenever formed along with the feces.
Excretion
When the parakeet excretes, the urine gets mixed with feces and together they are eliminated through the cloacal openings.
How Kidney Helps in Urine Production in Birds?
The kidney helps to produce urine through 3 steps, filtration, reabsorption, and concentration, where the blood is continuously filtered to remove the water and reabsorb the essential nutrients. Then, the waste gets combined with water and electrolytes which form the urine, finally, the pee is released through the cloaca.
What is the Appearance of Parakeet’s Pee?
The white portion of the parakeet excrete is the pee which is composed of urate. They are thick, paste-like with white to pale color. When fresh, it can appear to be semi-transparent or glossy and with time it turns chalky and powdery like textured. Of the total excrete, 30% is pee and it consists of nitrogenous waste and uric acid. If there is any abnormality, the pee would appear watery, yellowish, or have stains of blood.
What is the Sign of a Healthy Bird?
If the drooping appears to be solid dark green with a white cap of urate, then it is a sign of a healthy bird. So, you need to monitor the poop and notice the normal frequency, consistency, and also sudden changes.
Does the Abnormality in the Excretory System Affect the Parakeet’s Health?
Yes, if there is an obstruction due to grit impaction or egg binding, then it can block cloacal outflow. Also, infection caused due to bacterial or parasitic bugs can infiltrate the excretory system. Moreover, if the capability of the excretory system to filter waste reduces or there is an effect in the elimination capacity, due to gout, kidney, or liver damage, then it can affect the health of the parakeet. In this situation, it is necessary to consult an experienced veterinarian to detect abnormalities and eliminate the chances of organ failure.
What are the Signs of Parakeet’s Abnormal Urinary System?
If the feces have strains, poor appetite, overly watery, or discolored, then there is something wrong with the urinary system of parakeets.
How Can You Take Care of the Gut Health of a Parakeet?
If you are a new parakeet owner, then you must take care of its gut health to keep the bird healthy and also initiate a smooth metabolic function, such as a balanced diet, enough exercise, and giving them the right proportion of prebiotics or probiotics. Along with this, maintain clean and sanitized surroundings. You must also monitor the fecal quantity, urine consistency, color, and texture so that any deviation or abnormality can be reported immediately.
How is not Peeing Beneficial to Parakeets?
Parakeets might not have the peeing system as other mammals, but this adaptation has immense benefits for them, such as –
Water Conservation
The urine gets excreted immediately after its formation as the parakeets do not have a urinary bladder. This helps them to conserve water in arid conditions or during summer.
Prevent Dehydration
Excretion of water can help them to reduce the loss of water, which is beneficial in arid conditions and it prevents the risk of dehydration.
Lightweight
Since there is no urinary bladder, the waste material does not get stored and it makes the bird lightweight, which helps them to fly. Thus, there is no need for an extra organ in birds for waste storage.
Risk of Infection Decrease
Birds have only one opening for excretion, i.e., through the cloaca, which reduces the chance of bacteria entering the body, as separate openings for urine and fecal increase the risk of infections.
Less Expenditure of Energy
A bird’s excretion system combines both urine and feces, which reduces the necessity of energy that would be required for two separate excretion processes.
How Often Do Parakeets Pee?
Parakeets do not pee; rather they release excretions in the form of droppings which contain both feces and urine. On average, an adult Parakeet releases 15 to 50 droppings in a day. They excrete early in the morning and right after eating. However, young parakeets tend to poop 100 times a day, on average, as they eat within smaller intervals of time.
How do Parakeets Pee and Poo at the Same Time?
To understand how the parakeets poop and pee at the same time, you need to understand how they get combined before getting released from the cloaca.
- Urine Formation – Blood gets filtered in the kidney and urine is produced which travels to the cloaca through the ureters.
- Feces Formation – In the intestine, the excess water is absorbed from the waste which produces feces and this moves to the cloaca through the rectum.
- Excretion – When both urine and feces arrive at the cloaca, the excretory muscles contract which helps to push out both the waste products together.
So, even if the pee and poop originate at different places but they get mixed during the excretion.
How Much Water Does a Parakeet Need?
An adult parakeet on average needs 10 to 20 ml of water in a day, based on diet, overall health, and activity level.
How to Maintain Water Balance in a Parakeet?
Here is a general guideline for all the feathered pet owners about the amount of water you must supply to the parakeet:
- If the parakeet is inside the cage, then it must have continuous access to water.
- The water should be changed daily and if it gets soiled then change it immediately.
- To build a natural drinking behavior, you must provide water in a bowl.
- You need to provide more water while offering dry food to the parakeet.
- When the parakeet is molting the water content should be increased by 50%.
- To provide the bird with additional hydration, the parakeet should be bathed twice a week.
- To keep the parakeet healthy, provide filtered and chlorine-free water.
Notice the signs of dehydration, such as lethargy, low urine quantity, and dry skin, then you need to replenish the water supply by supplementing your diet with water-content fruits and vegetables.
Can Parakeets Pee While Flying?
Yes, parakeets can excrete while flying, it is the pressure from flapping the wings which triggers the release of a small quantity of droppings. However, they cannot empty the entire waste while flying, and for that, they need to perch. During flying the strong cloacal muscles keep the vent closed which prevents them from any release during the flight. On rare occasions, if the parakeet gets scared, then a small amount of excrete can be released while flying.
Can Parakeets Pee While Sleeping?
No, parakeets do not pee while sleeping as the cloacal vents remain tightly closed which prevents urine and feces from coming out. Also, to open the vent for excretion, the muscles must relax consciously, but while sleeping the body remains immobile, which prevents the chances of elimination. However, some minimal leakage of waste can occur if the pressure builds up for too long or during digestive upset.
