A new problem. Advice please.

[2keets4me]

I posted yesterday about my little parakeet being sick, and sadly Raine passed away between 12-5 today while I was at work. Now I have a new dilemma.


I'm not sure what caused her death. She had no cold symptoms, no blood, etc. She was VERY well fed and cared for daily. She was always singing and chirping to her favorite song, which I played daily for them.


I now have her mate, Ava, who I can tell is already depressed. My sister has two parakeets in her room, and Ava can hear them chirping and she calls to them etc. I hate to do it, but I'm going to leave Ava by herself for at least a week, to make sure she isn't sick and doesn't give a sickness to any other birds. Here's my problem.

Ava is at least 4-5 years old, which in my parakeet experience, they none have lived to 7 years old. I'd hate to get another parakeet, and have Ava die, then have to get another. It would be a never ending cycle. And I'd already decided after Raine and Ava were gone, I wasn't getting anymore (going to college in Jan.). My sister has already said I couldn't put Ava with her two parakeets b/c she doesn't want any to be singled out. So here's the question: Should I leave Ava by herself and risk her getting depressed, or get another parakeet and have it by itself for years after Ava is gone??? Thanks in advance.

[Soda Pop]

First, Im sorry your bird passed away, that is very sad. Second you have been asked a couple times roughly where you are so other members can HELP you with vet services, finding one that is. In my opinion, you need to go to the vet with your remaining bird and make sure there isnt something seriously going on, I wouldnt risk any other birds till you figure out what is going on. Is it possible that you have been polluting the air some how, candles, incense, air freshner or anything like that? Cleaning products? i SERIOUSLY WOULD LET SOMEONE HERE HELP YOU FIND A VET {oops, caps locked on accident, sorry} before you even concidered bringing another bird around. I would even have yur sister have hers checked.

[Joel]

I was going to say the exact same things as Soda Pop.

Also, is there any chance of non-stick cookware or anything coated with same material etc......being overheated in the house.

[Soda Pop]

I feel horrible for laughing at this moment... but, I just came back to edit my rply to add non stick cookware. You beat me to it. Im also wondering, hair spray, cologne perfume bugspray of anysorts. maybe the heating pad on top of the cage was to close and maybe not the beat idea? Im not sure on how all that works, I was told at one point when my heater wasnt working to put a heating pad on the floor under the cage not to close

[2keets4me]

First off, thank you for the replies and advice.

I live in Kingsport, Tennessee. There is an Avian vet that I found in Abington, Virginia, which is about 45 mins away. But sadly, I found it to late for Raine. And about taking Ava.. Ava has always been hyperactive and a bit crazy (she goes upside down for attention, sleeps upside down, etc.) And she is still doing that so at this point I think she's okay. I will look into taking Ava, I'm going to call tomorrow and ask if I should bring her in.

Nothing new happened in my room. I never burn candles, I never use sprays, cleaning stuff (I dust with a wet cloth) anything. That's what's so bizarre about Raine dying. Also, the kitchen is far away from my room and we do not use the harmful cooking things in our house. And about the heating pad.. she was all fluffy so I put it on her cage and she went straight under it, and was not as fluffy, so I suppose she liked it. But I don't know.

I'll update on Ava tomorrow.

[Monica]

You might want to check out this site, for some other vet listings...
http://www.talktothevet.com/VETERINA...erinarians.HTM

There are of course more out there that you could look for... I just can't seem to find one any closer...

I'm not sure what caused her death. She had no cold symptoms, no blood, etc. She was VERY well fed and cared for daily. She was always singing and chirping to her favorite song, which I played daily for them.
If a bird dies, you can get a necropsy, which most of the time can tell one the cause of death... You would still need the birds body, and it would have to have been refrigerated after you found the birds body or else it wouldn't be too easy to find out for sure... You can still take your current birds to the avian vet to get them checked out with full blood panel and fecal exams, or atleast Ava to see if she might be carying something...


I now have her mate, Ava, who I can tell is already depressed. My sister has two parakeets in her room, and Ava can hear them chirping and she calls to them etc. I hate to do it, but I'm going to leave Ava by herself for at least a week, to make sure she isn't sick and doesn't give a sickness to any other birds. Here's my problem.
Can you please tell us what you fed your birds, what size cage they had, and anything else that you may think could have played a role... It could possibly have to do with the water, however I don't know what you give your birds, and it seems as if the ones you have left are still doing fine...

As far as leaving her alone for a week, that wont tell you anything... If your sisters birds didn't pick up anything from Ava and her lost friend, then you need to make sure that you don't handle your sisters birds, and she doesn't handle Ava without a chance of clothes and a shower inbetween handling them. Otherwise, they all could be at risk for whatever may have happened to Raine. You would have to keep them seperate for ATLEAST 30 days minimum, and up to 60 days. A good well thorough vet check would help as well.


Ava is at least 4-5 years old, which in my parakeet experience, they none have lived to 7 years old. I'd hate to get another parakeet, and have Ava die, then have to get another. It would be a never ending cycle. And I'd already decided after Raine and Ava were gone, I wasn't getting anymore (going to college in Jan.). My sister has already said I couldn't put Ava with her two parakeets b/c she doesn't want any to be singled out. So here's the question: Should I leave Ava by herself and risk her getting depressed, or get another parakeet and have it by itself for years after Ava is gone??? Thanks in advance.
My oldest budgie is currently around 9 or 10 years old. I've had since he was about 5, 6 years old. My other budgie is about 6 years old now. Besides a good seed mix (from a birdstore or pet supply store), they are also offered fresh foods whenever possible (carrots, lettuce, apples, bananas, corn, parsley, bell peppers, etc). If budgies are given an adequate sized cage (one that they can comfortly fly in and/or get plenty of out of cage time to fly around, each day), along with a well balanced diet they can live well into their teens.

If you are going to collage in January, will you still be taking care of Ava, or might you become too busy and not be able to spend time with Ava??? If so, is your sister willing to take Ava, or would you be more interested in finding Ava a new home? You could wait till November before finding her a new home, if you whish. It's not a good idea to give or sell birds in December because of Christmas and the bird would be a 'fad' for several months for a new kid before being forgotten after some time (I've seen this before, though it was during the summer). If you wait till January, then you might just overload yourself with too much and get overly stressed about it that you wont know what to do. So start thinking now if you want to keep your budgie, or maybe find her a new home before it's too late.

In the meantime, try to get Ava checked out by an avian vet, and be sure to provide her with extra toys, and extra attention so she wont feel so lonely.

[2keets4me]

Thanks for the advice!

I called the Avian vet and told him my situation. He said since my Mom had already buried Raine, that there was no reason to bring Ava in?? He said that if Raine did have something, we'd never know what it was and the stress of the poking and proding could make Ava sick. My parakeets aren't tame.

I fed my two parakeets the KAYTEE Fiesta food. It's like 15 bucks for 6 lbs around here, and since it is the most expensive, I figured it was the best, so that's what I've fed them since the beginning. I don't give my birds water from the sink. I give them purified water from our water purifier, in fear of chemicals in the city waters around here.

My parakeet's cage was meant for cockatiels. It's huge, has a variety of perches, toys, millet sprays, everything. Plus they had room to fly inside it whenever they want. My sister's parakeets are in another room and have had no contact with Raine or Ava, so there is a slim chance they could catch it.

My parakeets have never liked fresh veggies and fruits. I have offered it to them may a time, and they never eat it.

Also, I will be going to college, but I am still living at home during it, so Ava will still be loved and cared for. I'll just be gone longer during the day so I was afraid she would get lonely. Ava isn't tame at all but she still loves to be talked to, sang to, etc.

I thought about asking my Aunt if she would take Ava. She has two untamed parakeets already. One is either Ava's age or older, and one is probably 3-4 years old. My sister has already said she will not take Ava.

I'll be back on later for more responses. I'm going to go buy her some more millet and some toys. Poor thing, I can tell she's already depressed.

[Monica]

Have you tried feeding carrot tops, fresh parsley, whole grain breads, broccoli??? Some of these foods birds take to first, even lettuce, which is a start to a better diet. You must be persistent and keep feeding it to your birds in various ways so that they learn to eat it. You can try hanging it up like a toy, weaving it through the bars, dicing it up into small pieces, eating it yourself and making it a big deal about it, etc!

You might even try sprouting your own seeds. You will need seeds that do not have any dried foods inside, no pellets, no dyes (especially the dyes). You can even buy some seed from a health food store. Try checking out www.sproutpeople.com for more information on sprouts!

As far as the seed, please read this site... http://feistyhome.phpwebhosting.com/diet.htm especially on the letters in bold that says "My Seed is Better Than Your Seed...". There are of course some seeds that you don't really want to feed, such as feeding your budgies wild bird food (huge no no, since it contains so many fatty seeds meant for wild birds), and foods with dye (another big no no, as this can change the color of the birds droppings, and you wouldn't be sure if there is a problem or not). This is a good reason to stay away from dyed foods.

As far as the water, that is great! Bottled water, or purified water tends to be better in many places as to tap water.


As far as the no contact, well maybe not between the birds themselves, however have you ever thought about airborne diseases? Or even something that can transfer via being touched? Such as you touching Ava's cage, and later in the day, touching your sisters birds, or vice versa? Even something in the room that is around the cage could be transferred to another area of the home. So, there is still a chance that if it was a disease or virus, the other birds could get it, too.

The cage itself though sounds great! As far as collage, you'll have to consider if you'll still be able to give Ava attention, even if it's talking or singing or even reading, just to make sure that Ava stays happy. As far as the vet, he may be right, however if Ava does have something, it's better to be safe than sorry to know if Ava may be sick or not, and if Ava is sick, she could be hiding it. In the wild, birds must hide illnesses or else they are easy prey to predators. So usually when a bird is extremely sick, it can sometimes be too late to take action, though it's always worth a shot to try.