My baby girl is gone.

My heart feels so broken. It all happened so quickly. I wasn't ready for this.

A few days ago, I noticed Bandit seemed more tired than usual. She took three naps in one day, which is odd. I decided to keep an eye on her, but I figured she just wasn't getting enough sleep and I put her to bed early. The next morning I noticed she had lost weight. She felt much smaller and weaker in my hands. I could see in her eyes that she wasn't feeling well, so I called the vet.

They took x-rays and did bloodwork. Her digestive tract was inflamed and her white blood cell count was high. She had lost 20% of her body weight despite the fact that she was eating normally, which is insane. This literally happened overnight. I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep track of your bird's weight. If you see any change at all, even a small one, contact an avian vet. It could save your bird's life.

The vet wanted to keep her over the weekend. They put her in an incubator and tried to get her weight up as well as treat the infection. We said goodbye to her and she snuggled up against me and made soft, happy peeping sounds. They stayed at the clinic until late that night taking care of her. The vet said she seemed very happy because of all the attention she was getting. She passed away early in the morning.

I can't stop crying. This hurts so much. She was my best friend.

I'll know more about what happened after the necropsy results come back. I was told it wasn't anything I did wrong and she's probably been fighting and hiding this for a long time, but I can't help but feel guilty. I feel like I should have known my baby was sick long before she started showing any signs of it. I should have called the vet the minute she took that second nap. Maybe she would still be alive today.

And the timing is so horrible, but I paid the deposit for another conure just before I found out Bandit was sick. I'm supposed to pick her up in 2-3 weeks, only now I'm terrified of bringing another bird into the house until I know this won't happen again. I feel so lost.

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I love you, Bandit. I'll miss you every day.

So sorry for your loss!

So sorry for your loss!!! Birds are so fragile. I think you should go ahead and get the other conure. It will help heal your heart.

I am so sorry for your loss My heart goes out to you.

I am so sorry to hear that you lost your baby! Keep us updated on the necropsy and the new baby please.

Sorry for your loss.

I am so sorry for your loss of Bandit.

please keep us posted on the necropsy, at the very least you will know what happened.

I'm so sorry to hear about Bandit

hugs to you!!!!

I'm very sorry to read this. Please keep us posted about the necropsy. That's so important to know if it was a virus or not before bringing another baby into the environment.
Don't blame yourself please. You noticed it as soon as humanly possible. I'm afraid a few hours earlier wouldn't have made a difference. It's not your fault. I'm so sorry for your pain

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Sorry for your loss.

Oh gosh, I'm sitting here crying....I am SO very sorry for your loss of your sweet Bandit.

Many MANY hugs to you.

Rest easy, Bandit. You were much loved, have left an enormous hole in your mommy's heart, and you will never be forgotten.

How awful for you. Please try not to feel responsible, it was not your fault. Vale Bandit.

So sorry for losing your little buddy. If you are worried about the new bird, maybe just take it a step at a time. Get the necropsy results first and if it is something that would make you want to wait a while to bring a new bird home, explain the circumstances to the breeder?? I'm sure they don't want to jeapordize their bird either.
If it is just a matter of grief, you never know...maybe the new bird was "meant to be"??? You have a deposit on a new baby waiting to be loved at a time when you have a hole and all the love to give....
In any case, i'm very sorry. I still miss Georgie and feel sad over her sometimes too. I am thankful little Gilbert eased my pain.

I am so sorry to hear about Bandit. The worst thing about birds is they hide so well when they are sick and by the time they show symptoms or anything that makes us think they are ill, its usually so late.... I am so sorry, you got Bandit to the vet as soon as you knew there was a problem, there was nothing more you could have done. Its the hardest part about birds, they keep up the happy face even when they feel terrible.

I hope you are obtaining a necropsy report. You need to know what and why. If it was viral, you may need to make sure your home is clean and safe before a new baby comes home. Or if it was something Bandit got a hold of, you want to be sure what it was to eliminate a threat to any other birds that come into your life.

These are by far some of the hardest lessons to learn in life. We had a similar experience years ago, still one of those things that bother me, the what ifs...

I am so so sorry... big hug to you...

Thank you for all the kind comments.

It turned out to be a fungal infection in her stomach. Usually it passes through and can be detected by testing the poop, but somehow her results came back negative when I took her in a few days ago AND when he ran the test during her last check-up. Strangely, this is usually acquired through contact with other birds, but Bandit hasn't had any contact with other birds since she came home with me. It doesn't make any sense...

Again...I am so sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to lose a beloved pet more than once.

Disease AND infection particles can be passed on by toys and supplies purchased in an environment that has birds, or people bringing in pets for grooming (bird store). Not sure how long fungal infections stay stable in the environment, but I'd throw out any old items which cannot be thoroughly sanitized. Good luck to you as your heart heals.

Have you been anywhere that you visited with birds? Even a pet store....

I am so sorry...

I just bought her a whole bunch of new toys a few weeks ago. Some of them hadn't been given to her yet, but now I don't trust any of it. I'll have to throw all of them away and sanitize the hell out of my home.

jenphilly said:

Have you been anywhere that you visited with birds? Even a pet store....

I am so sorry...

Click to expand...

I've been to two different pet stores in the last few weeks, but I never handled any of the birds and I know I washed my hands before I handled Bandit. I really hope I didn't bring something home with me...