One lovebird is dying and the other is dead, plz help!

[littleuglything]

Dear All

I am very new to keeping lovebirds in fact i received two as christmas presents yesterday, my mother in law brought them 2 days before christmas and they where fine.
When they gave them to me yesterday, one of them had become very ill very quickly and just laid in the corner of the cage, shortly after it died.
The other one, was absoutly fine, i gave it it's finally feed last night, he happy eating away, then this morning when i woke up it was exactly like the other one, huddle up in the corner gasping, looking like it's dying!
What am i doing wrong? Is this normal? The birds are quiet young and have to be feed by syringe and this feed we where given whe we brought them.
Please could some help me try and solve what is killing them!! I am so upset!

[catschair]

No, this is not normal. Please get him to a vet, preferably an avian vet ASAP. Save the one that died, as well. They may be able to do a necropsy or (worst case), your MIL can get her money back and/or new birds. I really really doubt it is anything that you did, it sounds like they were sick when you got them. We can talk about possible toxins in the home (or you can look through posts) later.

I am so sorry; please don't give up on lovies, we would love to help you with them. Hope your little one is okay. Fly free, little one.

[shosh]

I am very sorry you are going through this.
Please get the 2nd bird to the vet immediately...I hope there is still time, although it may not be by the sounds of it.

NEVER take an unweaned bird from a breeder.....and shame, shame, shame on the person who gave these poor, innocent creatures to you. Handfeeding is not easy and mistakes can be made although it is very possible that it was nothing you did, as mentioned above, but that they were sick to begin with. With handfeeding, if you don't do it exactly right, you could accidentally severely injure or kill a baby bird because, to put in in simple terms, their swallowing pipe and breathing pipe are side by side and if it goes down the wrong one, the bird could, essentially, drown.

This is not the way to begin ownership of a bird...and lovebirds are wonderful birds. Whatever happens, insist on your money back from the breeder and do not get another baby from him. Do some investigating and find someone reputable and make sure the baby is WEANED before getting him....

So sad to hear these stories....most people have no idea what they are doing when buying an animal companion and birds are complicated. We rely on the "knowledge" of breeders and they, sometimes, care little about the bird and steer you in the wrong direction.

Don't blame yourself....the breeder should be SHOT....
Fly free little lovies! So sorry you didn't stand much of a chance.

Make a new start in the new year....but do some research first and prepare yourself properly.

[Lessadalinar]

Originally Posted by shosh

I am very sorry you are going through this.
Please get the 2nd bird to the vet immediately...I hope there is still time, although it may not be by the sounds of it.

NEVER take an unweaned bird from a breeder.....and shame, shame, shame on the person who gave these poor, innocent creatures to you. Handfeeding is not easy and mistakes can be made although it is very possible that it was nothing you did, as mentioned above, but that they were sick to begin with. With handfeeding, if you don't do it exactly right, you could accidentally severely injure or kill a baby bird because, to put in in simple terms, their swallowing pipe and breathing pipe are side by side and if it goes down the wrong one, the bird could, essentially, drown.

This is not the way to begin ownership of a bird...and lovebirds are wonderful birds. Whatever happens, insist on your money back from the breeder and do not get another baby from him. Do some investigating and find someone reputable and make sure the baby is WEANED before getting him....

So sad to hear these stories....most people have no idea what they are doing when buying an animal companion and birds are complicated. We rely on the "knowledge" of breeders and they, sometimes, care little about the bird and steer you in the wrong direction.

Don't blame yourself....the breeder should be SHOT....
Fly free little lovies! So sorry you didn't stand much of a chance.

Make a new start in the new year....but do some research first and prepare yourself properly.

What the heck are you talking about?? Where did you get she was hand feeding them? I read it 4 times, and I don't see it.

How old are the babies, where did she get them? are they warm enough? I agree takeing them both to the vet, you def want to know what is going on and what happend...
Sorry for your loss....

[Poohsbirds97]

The post said the birds have to be fed with a syringe. so, I take it she is hand feeding also. (Almost at the end of post)

So sorry for the loss of your precious babies.

Fly free little ones.

[Astrid660]

Oh god that's terrible, the surviving one needs medical attention ASAP!

Perhaps they were around teflon / scented candle fumes, or maybe they were handfed wrong? I have no idea, they need to be seen by a vet for sure though!!

[shosh]

Lessadalindar....you obviously didn't read carefully enough, even 4 times.
Right at the end of the post, she said the birds were very young and she had a syringe and was handfeeding them with food given to them when they bought the birds.
I wouldn't have come up with that out of the blue...

[Lessadalinar]

!!! I didn't see the last lines at all.

I need a drink!

[shosh]

Hey, It's christmas....you're entitled!!! ...

[Indy]

Reading about your heartbreaking experience is a tearjerker.

I don't want to frighten you, but my first impression is infection through pathogen. You should immediately contact local authorities so they can test the birds. Some bird illnesses can crossover from birds to humans.

Other than infection (virus, bacteria, or fungus) here is the basic checklist of what lovebirds require on a DAILY BASIS as a bare minimum to survive:

1. Distilled or bottled-at-source water (NOT tap water which contains fungi and contaminants). At the bare minimum, filtered Brita water will do. Some exotic bottled-at-source waters, if you buy them by the 1.5 liter size, will last for 2-3 weeks.

2. Good seed mix for lovebirds, changed daily or every other day. IMPORTANT: Lovebirds shell their seeds, so it may appear they have plenty of food, when the volume is really empty shells. That's why it may appear you're wasting seed when changing it.

3. Warm cage. Start worrying when their environment dips below 75 degrees, and get really worried when it's below 70 degrees. You can compensate for unpredictable nightly dips in temperatures by getting a large heated perch (plugged into an adapter). You can get this online or at a local pet store. I suggest placing a digital thermometer near their cage and keeping an eye on it.

4. Millet spray to augment their seed. That way, if they run out of seed, they have millet spray to eat. Don't worry, they won't overeat. Hang the millet spray from the top of the cage using a large office paper-clip or strong clip of some sort. You can get those giant office paper clips at a local Staples, Office Depot or other office supply store.

5. Last but NOT LEAST (!!) Lovebirds need the sun, so get an 18-inch (or similar length) U.V. light fixture and U.V. bulb from a local pet store or online. ZooMed is a great brand. Make sure the light is suitable for caged birds. Many people don't know that bird feathers are alive and absorb U.V. light to create vitamin D (including D3) absolutely necessary for avian health! Keeping lovebirds in room lighting or near a window is a grave mistake, because they cannot synthesize vitamin D and other nutrients vital to reforming healthy bones and wings.


Please review my recent postings about how I raised two lovebirds, Indy and Mindy, that I found in a Pet Club of all places (and in a very impoverished area of town) at the following links:

Guide to Happy Lovebirds (Part 1)
Click here: Guide to Happy Lovebirds (Part 1)

Guide to Happy Lovebirds (Part 2)
Click here: Guide to Happy Lovebirds (Part 2)

Guide to Happy Lovebirds (Part 3)
Click here: Guide to Happy Lovebirds (Part 3)

Guide to Happy Lovebirds (Part 4)
Click here: Guide to Happy Lovebirds (Part 4)


By reading what to do right, you may discover areas to improve.


I'm still leaning toward disease, because lacking all of the above for a short period of time will cause a decline in health (not immediate death).

Keeping current on the bird flu crisis worldwide (as a subscriber to Yahoo.com with the keywords "bird flu") I receive a dozen news articles a day in my email box, chronicling the spread of this disease. Although I'm not suggesting bird flu virus is the culprit, I did learn that any disease in birds can crossover to humans. That is why bird health is vital, because our little babies are not only in danger, but their health impacts OUR environment as well!

If you still have the deceased lovebird, place it in a ziplock bag. Take BOTH lovebirds to a vet. Find an emergency vet if possible, and if you can afford to put a few hundred dollars on a credit card (as emergency treatment is expensive).

Perhaps the vet takes Saturday calls?

If not, until you can go to the vet first thing Monday, keep the living lovebird warm. Make sure he/she has access to fresh distilled or bottled-at-source water from the supermarket (or buy a Bita filter) and fresh seed. (Tap water will seriously compromise the health of a lovebird.)

I feel sad for your loss, and for the loss of the living lovebird's mate. Aside from my prayers for you and your lovebird, I can only suggest not giving up to the end. Calling around to vets and vet hospitals, even calling bird shops asking for advice or searching the web, will hopefully yield results!