4 in one day

[ann]

completely out of the blue, 4 of my finches died. they just dropped dead. Regis, Kelly, Re (named after the music note, his partner is "Do"pronounced "doe"), and Bumble. Bumble was my last Lady Gouldian finch, the others were Society finches. Re's partner, Do, is barely hanging on. She seems to be twitching and is fluffed and very week, but she is eating and drinking. the only thing i can think of is aspergillosis. i read that it can cause siezures (the twitching?). i have a stacked cage, two divided cages stacked on top of each other. i had Regis and Ray in a cage next to Do and Kelly on the bottom half of the cage. Bumble seemed sick so he was in his own cage. my dove and tame finches (the offspring of do, re, regis, and kelly ) are on the level above them. they are all fine, so is Black Jack, my conure, who is on a desk next to them. im worried more will die, this was so unexpected and i dont have the space to separate everyone. This is Thanksgiving and i want to be thankful, and i am (for the time i had with them and my surviving birds), but i just feel so sad and tired from all this. please give prayers and any advice for my surviving birds. thank you~

 

[ann]

Also, my Lady Gouldian finch Cheeper, died suddenly a while ago. she was given to me as a gift with my other gouldians and Regis. i just wanted to take the time to include her.

 

[QuakerMom]

Goodness I'm so sorry! Carbon monoxide poisoning comes to my mind first. It can kill humans too, just takes longer... please look into this!!

 

[Terry57]

I am so sorry! Is anything in the room different? Have you added anything (heaters, etc) lately? I hope all the rest will be ok!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Gosh, Ann....I am so so sorry!!!

MANY hugs to you, and prayers that nobody else falls ill.

 

[QuakerMom]

Teflon (found on most non stick surfaces including the inside walls in ovens) releases toxic fumes when heated. Doesn't cause humans much harm but can kill birds. They say candles, smoke from fireplaces, cigarette smoke, air fresheners, perfume, etc can all kill birds.

For 4 to die all in the same day is as alarming as it is tragic. Did they all pass throughout the day or in a 2-3 hour time frame? Did ANYTHING change in the house? Does anyone in the house feel weak, nauseated, dizzy, or have a headache?

 

[TessieB]

So sorry for your loss. How tragic to lose 4 and not know the reason why.

 

[ann]

thank you everyone. i have had a bad headache these past few days, but i think its a result of my cold, and i'm the only one with a headache. nothing that comes to mind is different in my home, but i'll think some more. i did get a new cage, but its a good quality cage. i didn't notice they were dead until this afternoon, but i think it was over a period of time (maybe over night). all but one were very stiff and cold, but Bumble wasn't. also, some of them had very sunken eyes, and others did not. this makes me think they died at different times. there diet hasn't changed, and they haven't been under any unusual stress. after they died, i noticed they were all very thin. i could clearly feel their breastbones. also, they all had a little bit of droppings on their vent feathers, but nothing unusual. i baked last night, but i didn't use any Teflon. we have started to turn the heat on recently, and their cage is in the same room as the radiator, but this has never been a problem. the bottom row of cages is low enough that my cats might have looked into it. however i have had the cage like this for almost a month without a problem, and they had no injuries. this is all very confusing, but ill keep thinking.

 

[ann]

i should also mention we very recently got a new water heater, we were having problems with the old one. could that have caused something?

 

[thekarens]

Gas or electric?

 

[ann]

our old one was oil, now we have a gas one.

 

[crimson]

Ann, sorry for your loss, that is rough.... to me it sounds contagious.

the only way you would know for sure is to get a necropsy done on one of the birds.

I highly recommend it, I know you have more finches.

when I had issues with my gouldians earlier this year, someone on here recommended I get a necropsy done, which I did, and thankfully I found the cause, therefore eliminating any of my other birds from becoming ill.

You and I are in the same boat today, my cockatiel passed away, by slamming into a window today.

Hugs to you!

 

[thekarens]

I doubt seriously the water heater would be the issue, but it's a good idea to have a carbon monoxide detector if you don't already have one.

 

[QuakerMom]

I'm with Crimson. Sounds like a necropsy needs done and the sooner the better. I hope you get to the bottom of this and that it's not something that will put you and your family at risk as well! Keep us posted

 

[Megapixel]

Sorry for your loss.

There are just too many sad stories here today.

 

[ann]

im so sorry for your loss crimson, hugs right back to you!
very true mega pixel, hopefully things will start looking up for everybody
how much does a necropsy cost? i have savings that might be enough. i buried them already, i put the pairs together :0(. But Do doesn't look good at all, she's very weak, nearly limp, and sleeping almost constantly. if she doesn't make it, i'll see if i can get a necropsy. never in my life have i ever seen a bird so fluffed up. she is sleeping in a small 6" 4" (about) plastic "critter keeper". i just piled lots of plain toilette paper in there, almost like a cloud. i change it every time i feed her. i don't want her to knock over her food and water and end up sleeping in a wad of wet toilette paper, so i didn't put anything else in there. i will be feeding her every two hours throughout the night. i have been mixing sweet potato apple baby food with warm water, and hand feeding i to her. in the morning i'll put a seed dish back in her tank. then i'll either move her to a bigger tank and put a water dish in, or continue to hand feed her water and baby food. she hasn't been very receptive to hand feeding, so i cut a straw to a point and scooped up the mixture with the straw. then i slide the straw between her beak and drip the mixture in. unfortunately it isn't looking good for her, but there's always hope. if she does not make it, i will see if i can schedule a necropsy.

 

[GaryBV]

Oh my - Ann and Crimson - I am so sorry for the loss of your birds. Ann I sure hope you do find out what the problem is so you don't lose any more. And Crimson, how sad to lose your like that. I am truly so sorry.

 

[crimson]

Ann- believe it or not there about $100.00, which is not much...I thought they would cost more.

not sure what the cost is in the states....should your other little one pass, please take that one and have it done....the results don't take long, you should get the call within the day, but if tissue samples are sent away it could take up to 10 days....depending on what you ask to have done......poor things

 

[MomtoPercy]

Good grief, that is so sad my deepest sympathies on this huge blow! :'(

 

[Terry57]

Hi Ann, how is she doing today? I hope she is doing better! Is everybody else still looking ok?