Polydipsia Polydipsia is excessive thirst or excess drinking.Porth, C. M. (1990). ''Pathophysiology: Concepts of altered health states''. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company. The word derives from the Greek () "very thirsty", which is derived from (, "mu ...

is an excessively large water intake. Its occurrence in captive birds has been recorded, although it is a relatively rare abnormal behaviour.

Causes

Toxins

Polydipsia can be the result of a bird having ingested a toxin, or overconsumption of natural substances. For example, in pet birds, crackers, snack items, chips, fast foods, and canned vegetables (unrinsed) if eaten in sufficient quantities may cause a mild salt toxicity (5-10 times requirement) and subsequent polydipsia. Polydipsia can result from

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

poisoning to which caged birds may be particularly susceptible because of the zinc coating often used on

birdcage A birdcage (or bird cage) is a cage (enclosure), cage designed to house birds as pets. Antique (or antique-style) birdcages are often popular as collectors' items or as household decor but most are not suitable for housing live birds, being too ...

bars. Polydipsia has been experimentally induced in

pigeon Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

budgerigar The budgerigar ( ; ''Melopsittacus undulatus''), also known as the common parakeet or shell parakeet, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot usually nicknamed the budgie ( ), or in American English, the parakeet. Budgies are the only spe ...

s and

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

s, by the administration of

lithium chloride Lithium chloride is a chemical compound with the formula Li Cl. The salt is a typical ionic compound (with certain covalent characteristics), although the small size of the Li+ ion gives rise to properties not seen for other alkali metal chlor ...

(LiCl). The polydipsic effect was greatest in budgerigars, a desert-dwelling species with a well-developed fluid retention system, and least in ducks, a species with an efficient sodium-secretion system.Hardy, W.T. and Westbrook R.F. 1981. Lithium-induced polydipsia in birds: A comparative study and analysis of electrolyte excretion. Physiology and Behavior, 27: 575-583

Symptom of disease

In waterfowl, polydipsia can be a symptom of duck virus enteritis. Polydipsia has also been listed as a symptom of many diseases, including *Nephrogenic diabetes insipdus *Diabetes insipidus *Diabetes mellitus *Renal glucosuria *Vitamin A deficiency *Liver disease *Renal disease *Hypercalcemia? *Hyperthyroidism? *Hyperadrenocorticism? *Hypervitaminosis D3 *Elevated dietary sodium *Excess dietary protein *Excess fruit consumption

Brain lesions

In hens, lesions of the supraoptic hypothalamus of the brain can result in polydipsia.Ralph, C.L. 1960. Polydipsia in the hen following lesions in the supraoptic hypothalamus. American Journal of Physiology, 198:528-530

Psychogenic

Polydipsia sometimes occurs under housing or experimental conditions which purportedly lead to stress or frustration. Growing parent stock of meat-type chickens (broilers), subjected routinely to chronic food restriction, show increased drinking after a single daily meal along with other oral stereotypies. Expression of these activities is correlated positively with the level of restriction imposed, and is thought to be controlled mainly by central dopaminergic mechanisms.Savory, C.J. and Mann, J.S., 1997. Is there a role for corticosterone in expression of abnormal behaviour in restricted-fed fowls? Physiology & Behavior, 62: 7-13 Under experimental conditions where birds receive

reinforcement In behavioral psychology, reinforcement is a consequence applied that will strengthen an organism's future behavior whenever that behavior is preceded by a specific antecedent stimulus. This strengthening effect may be measured as a higher freq ...

s on a strict schedule, for example receiving one pellet of food each minute often indicated by a tone or other stimulus, the birds may develop polydipsia. Under these conditions it is called schedule induced polydipsia or sometimes, adjunctive drinking.Hamm, R.J., Porter, J.H. and Kaempf, G.L. 1981. Stimulus generalization of schedule-induced polydipsia. Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behaviour, 36: 93–99Palya, W.L. 1980. Stereotyped adjunctive pecking by caged pigeons. Animal Learning and Behavior, 8: 293-303

Genetics

Some strains of hens are polydipsic, drinking almost twice the normal amount of water. It has been suggested that a recessive major gene is involved in this condition.{{cite web, url=http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1217/factors-affecting-water-intake-of-poultry, title=Factors Affecting Water Intake of Poultry, publisher= Similarly, a

quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New Wor ...

line that exhibits

polyuria Polyuria () is excessive or an abnormally large production or passage of urine (greater than 2.5 L or 3 L over 24 hours in adults). Increased production and passage of urine may also be termed diuresis. Polyuria often appears in conjunction with ...

was found to be fixed for an

autosomal An autosome is any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome. The members of an autosome pair in a diploid cell have the same morphology, unlike those in allosome, allosomal (sex chromosome) pairs, which may have different structures. The DNA in au ...

recessive mutation that also induced polydipsia.Minvielle, F., Grossmann R. and Gourichon, D., 2007. Development and performances of a Japanese Quail line homozygous for the diabetes insipidus (di) mutation. Poultry Science, 86:249-254

References

Abnormal behaviour in animals Bird diseases Ethology