very sad day for us

[RLKBLK]

last saturday we got Romeo (rb2) from a breeder in florida (we live in SC)
he was about 5 mths old, hand fed and weened, the 1st night he didnt eat or drink, he was very quick to warm up to us thou, he started drinking and eating the next day. he ate real well, tried and ate everything, didnt really seem to want to play alot ( i assumed he was still to young to want to play much) he definately loved to be held and also loved to be on the floor walking around and exploring, he also really liked baths, and just being around us, he was also quiet would chirp some but otherwise he was very quiet.friday morning when I woke up I found him dead in the bottom of his cage (having a tough time typing this)took him to the vet to get some answers will hopefully find something out within a week or two, the vet did say that he was under weight and that he would let us know the results
The 2 things I really wish that I did was 1 take him to the vet the monday after we got him ( we were going to give him a few days to settle in) and 2 would have weighted him the 1st day we got him. only time will tell if he had issues before we got him, its amazing how fast we bonded to this little guy
and how difficult it is to deal with not having him around, I would like to get another one but my wife is unsure ( she is really having a tough time )
I hope if someone reading this gets a young bird ( or any age bird for that matter)that they take them to the vet as soon as possiable and keep a good log of weight loss/gain, thanks for taking the time to read this and I will post the results as soon as I know something
thanks barry
btw does anyone have an opinion on getting another bird, do most go out and get another or do they wait ( I think we will at least wait till we know the test results)ant thoughts would be greatly apreciated

[LovelySydney]

Oh RLKBLK I am so sorry to hear this = ( Any loss of a pet is hard but having known the loss of birds and the bonds that you are able to have with them it is very very hard to accept that they are gone. I hope you and your wife find solace knowing you provided the best life possible for the little guy while he was on this earth. I know your feeling of wanting to get a new bird and Im sure your wife will come around but both of you need some time to grieve and get over this loss. I am so sorry, you 2 will be in my thoughts. ((Hugs))

[RLKBLK]

Thanks so much for the kind words, it helps. I really hope people do research before they get a bird (or any animal) I did alot of research before comitting to romeo, and can only wonder if I would have taken him on monday would the vet have cought something, that would have made for a different outcome) I do believe its really important to have a good vet

[FirstTimeBirdie]

SOOOO Sorry to hear about your loss. Did you talk to the breeder at all about any of this? What did they have to say?

[failurebydesign]

Did you inform the breeder? If so what did he/she say about it?

Did you drive to pick him up or fly him in?

[failurebydesign]

We posted at the same time! LOL

[Lisa0718]

I recenlty lost my beloved severe Boo. He was only two years old. I decided I wanted another severe right away and I'm glad I did. Angel has been a god send for me. I know she's not Boo but she loves me unconditionally just like Boo did and I can give her all of the love I need to.

[RLKBLK]

Sorry for the delay, yea did forget to mention it about the breeder, she was the first person I called,she said that he was the last one and that the others were all fine as far as she knew, she did not mention anything about money,(I didnt ask, it wasnt on my mind at the time)she did want to know the results and told her I would let her know when I found out, I figure I would talk to her at that time, the vet bill alone so far hasnt been cheap (300)
failurebydesign, he flew delta, he handled it very well (from what I could tell)
when we got him home within 15 minutes he was out of his carrier and letting us hold and pet his head, i took it as a sign that he was very friendly and tame, looking back I dont know if that was the case or he was in trouble and needed help,thats why I really wish I would have taken him to the vet that monday

[failurebydesign]

Alot of pets are delivered by plane but I can't help but think that would be so stressful for a bird, but I do also know alot of parrots get transport that way and most are fine, so I don't think there is any way to tell if that might be part to blame or not..

Do you think she was under a lot of stress?

This scares me because I am bringing a 3 month old parrot home September,
but we are driving 5 hours to get him..

Was the cage you had him in brand new?

[FirstTimeBirdie]

That's terrible. It really is such a frightening thing anymore when it comes to animals. It's very good that you share your grief with everyone. Hopefully it helps you, and it certainly will help others. I now know that even though I'm picking up my baby on my way to move down to FL that I made the right decision that I may not be settled in and not have much time, but I should stop and take him to the vet to have that initial check. Thank you for confirming that for me. I hope all turns out a little better for you in the end. Nothing is going to take away that upset feeling, but don't beat yourself up about it, it was not your fault. The first thing we think when we get a new pet is definitely not that there is something wrong.