Died for no apparent reason

[adunn]

One of my parrotlets, Kermie, died Saturday and I have no idea why. One minute he was singing and playing and the next minute he was lying face-down at the bottom of the cage. Any idea what happened? My vet was closed so I wasn't able to have an autopsy done. His feathers were not fluffed up or anything.

I am taking Kiki to the vet Wednesday to get her checked out. She seems to be doing fine. I thought she would be grieving, but they had been separated for awhile b/c he kept beating on her. Last night, she really seemed to come around. She actually wanted to be held and she did NOT want to go back into her cage. I went to Petsmart today and bought her $100 worth of toys (don't tell my husband...LOL) so hopefully that will keep her busy while she's at home by herself.

Usually when we go out of town we leave them there with plenty of food and water, but I think that when we travel for Thanksgiving I am going to take her with me. It's only a 4-hour drive...do you think she will be OK?

Let me know what you all think.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Momma

[dlaura]

I am so sorry to hear about the death of your bird. Were you using any aerosol sprays, cooking with teflon or burning candles at the time? As these type of things can be toxic to birds. I suspect not though as your other bird is OK. It may have been a heart attack or something.

As far as travel my only concern would be warmth (don't know what part of world you are in) but if it is cold you should warm the car up before bringing your bird out. Have your bird in a carrier with towel over it to keep it from getting a chill. As long as you keep the car warm and follow same procedure taking the bird inside again I think it should be OK.

[Pepsidoodle]

So very sorry. It could have been a number of things that would have caused him to go, like dlaura said. I am glad you are going to get Kiki checked out. As far as taking her with you I think it depends on her stress level. If she is mellow and laid back I certainly would take her but if she is easily stressed maybe keep her home and have a good friend check on her twice a day. Just my opinion.

Again so sorry for your loss.

[krazy4birds]

Oh gosh, what an awful thing to happen, I am so sorry. As far as the trip goes I agree with Diane and Pepsi. Another thing to add though is to make sure there are no other pets to spread any type of diseases. (other birds) another thing too, I would not let anyone pet or hold her unless you are 100% sure their hands are sterilized. You can never be to careful!

[adunn]

Thank you all so much for your tips and condolences. I took Kiki to the vet last Wednesday and she had a great check up. I was telling the Dr. about Kermie and as we discussed his behavior pattern, she concluded that he had a brain tumor. This explained a lot since he used to start beating Kiki out of the blue. Apparently, the tumor would press on a certain nerve every now and again and cause him to be mean to her. We would have to separate them every 3-4 months.

As fas ar Kiki goes, she is a totally different bird now. She has really come out of her shell. She plays more and sings more...she even comes out of her cage willingly now! I thought at first that it was b/c she was lonely, but the Dr. said it sounded to her as if she was just relieved that he was gone and happy that she could be herself. I think she is 100% correct. It was a tragedy to lose Kermie, especially at such a young age (2 yrs.), but I am glad that Kiki feels more comfortable at home now. I just wish I would have known that for the past 9 months. :(

Oh, and we did take her with us and she had a blast! She was a great travel companion. She now has another cage set up in another state. She will definitely be going with us every time we go to Alabama!!!

[Pepsidoodle]

Oh how bittersweet! I am glad Kiki is healthy and happy. Wow and brain tumor. Poor little Kermie-may he be at peace. Thanks for the update.