Lovebird unexpectedly died

[zoinksberg]

Hi,

So I got my lovebird less than a mouth ago and I woke up to him dead. I've heard of the test you can get from a vet to see why he died but I don't have the money for it and my parents won't pay for it. I was wondering if anyone had a similar situation and could help give me some possible ideas.

I fed him a lovebird seed mix with pellets mixed in. I was trying to switch him to pellets but it wasn't really working that well. Also I did try to change the water daily but I may have slipped up yesterday and forgot. I used bottled water not tap. I have an air purifier in my room and it's really far from the kitchen. I also have a humidifier with a filter. All of his toys are safe to play with and he honestly didn't play with them that often anyway he was normally out of his cage. The one toy I heard him play with the night before wasn't anything he could have hurt himself on or anything like that.

The night before he was really active and playful. He flew from place to place in my room and chirped a lot. He was really energetic and excitable. Once it got later he calmed down a bit and I held him to my chest and petted him and he slept in my hands for around 30 minutes. If I moved too much eh would wake up and be his chirpy happy self though it wasn't like he was lethargic. He had been drinking water and eating some millet and food and his poop was normal and regular. I put him up and put his cage cover over his cage and he chirped for a bit and tried to come back out as usual. After a while he settled down. I think at some time during the night I heard a thud and I figured it was this cuttle bone he always knocked down or a toy. When I woke up this morning I noticed he wasn't chirping like normal so I went to check and he was dead on the cage floor. His eyes were closed and he was gripping the grates of the cage as if he were still alive when he fell but died soon after. I was awake when I heard the thud and I was in the same room as him. I didn't hear him sneezing or anything and he looked perfectly healthy before. (no nose discharge no ruffled feathers no tail bobbing nothing like that) if anything he seemed more active and more alert than normal.

Here are the things that I'm a little worried about: The day before I fed him his food with sunflowers mixed in because I didn't have time to pick them out. He ate a few of them but it was in the morning. I know changing a diet can affect birds but I don't think it can cause them to suddenly die. My humidifier has a wicking filter??? I don't know what wicking means and I looked up a lot of things on it to see if it's bird safe and I couldn't find anything about it but my mom said that it just filters the air or water and that shouldn't be a problem. Like I said before I didn't change the water and there was poop in it. Also he drank out of a water dish I had filled a few days before in my room for him but that water had been sitting out. I really don't see how it could have got to him so suddenly but I don't know I'm just listing everything. Also I have noticed his feathers seemed a little dull I mean they had been dull since I got him but he could have had some deficiency,, but again I feel like if he did he wouldn't have been so active hours before his death. I got him from this breeder who doesn't seem to knowledgeable or good with lovebirds and it could also be possible that he was bred poorly in some way I don't know much about that though. Also he was picking some millet that had fallen into the carpet out of the carpet. I try to stop him when he does that because my cat tracks litter everywhere and I don't want him to accidentally eat that. I really don't think he ate any but that's a possibility. Also the carpet has been cleaned with chemicals and stuff but not recently. He also ripped a piece of plastic and I saw the piece fall of his mouth but it may be possible that he swallowed some idk I really doubt it I'm just trying to list everything.

Please if you can think of anything say it I just want to know what happened so I can know if I decide to get another bird and just so I can have some closure I guess.Thank you.

 

[texsize]

I am truly sorry for your loss.

This is just my best guess and that's all it is ok.

Most things he might have ate or drank that he should not have would take time to cause problems. I am talking about for instance that piece of plastic you mention or a piece of cat litter.

It sounds to me like something airborne that overcame him suddenly. You mentioned a number of things that could be a problem but one thing stands out.
Air purifier. Most air purifiers can generate negative ions. I have read that that is not good for birds. Still I would not think it to be deadly.

Does anyone in your family cook with Teflon cookware?
That's one of the quickest ways of poisoning the air for birds and you would never smell it.

again I am very sorry for your loss.

texsize

 

[Kentuckienne]

What brand of seed mix did you give him? And what kind of pellets? Sometimes birds have congenital problems like heart trouble, that don't show any symptoms but can kill them quite suddenly. PTFE fumes - they can come from a space heater, a toaster oven, a non-stick pan, a hair dryer ... all kind of things have non-stick coatings on them.

 

[Kentuckienne]

I'm sorry, I meant to start by saying how sorry I am.

 

[zoinksberg]

Thank you for your responses and condolences.

I am truly sorry for your loss.

This is just my best guess and that's all it is ok.

Most things he might have ate or drank that he should not have would take time to cause problems. I am talking about for instance that piece of plastic you mention or a piece of cat litter.

It sounds to me like something airborne that overcame him suddenly. You mentioned a number of things that could be a problem but one thing stands out.
Air purifier. Most air purifiers can generate negative ions. I have read that that is not good for birds. Still I would not think it to be deadly.

Does anyone in your family cook with Teflon cookware?
That's one of the quickest ways of poisoning the air for birds and you would never smell it.

again I am very sorry for your loss.

texsize

I know there is no way of knowing if he ate something but I do know that I did watch him carefully and that's all I could do.

The air purifier doesn't have an ionizer I checked that after you told me. thank you for bringing that to my attention I didn't know about that and I'm really glad mine didn't have one.

Thank you again for taking the time to help me.

What brand of seed mix did you give him? And what kind of pellets? Sometimes birds have congenital problems like heart trouble, that don't show any symptoms but can kill them quite suddenly. PTFE fumes - they can come from a space heater, a toaster oven, a non-stick pan, a hair dryer ... all kind of things have non-stick coatings on them.

I gave him Vita Prime Cockatiel & Lovebird formula mixed with about 20% of Zupreem Natural pellets for medium birds. I also gave him All Living Things millet. After buying the bird I noticed the breeder was a little uneducated and didn't seem to know much about handling lovebirds. I'm worried that he may have over bred a bird or that it wasn't on a good diet. He fed his lovebirds a cockatiel seed mix. I don't know much about breeding but I know that it doesn't have all of the nutrients needed for a bird being bred. I checked the heater I bought for my room and made sure it was safe but he died probably around 1 am. The heater wasn't on and no one had been cooking. I know that that wasn't the cause because I've read that birds who die from an issue in the air would sneeze and stuff and I was in the room and didn't hear anything.

Thank you for your response it means a lot.

 

[wrench13]

I am sorry to hear abut the passing of your lovebird. Its hard especially when there is no obvious reason for him going so quickly. Think really hard before you decide to get another parrot, you may not be ready for the responsibility, the cost and the control of his environment to assure a long healthy life for another bird. Everyone in the family must be on board in order to make a safe home for parrots, you've just learned of a few things that can harm them ( teflon cookware, ion type filters), but there are more and if your folks are not willing to help keep the household safe for a parrot, it moight not be a good idea until you have some independance. I may sound harsh, but I am sure you wouldn't want a new bird to go the same way as your lovie did. I am really sorry this hapened to you and to your ovebird.

 

[Scott]

My deepest condolences for the loss of your lovebird. This is always difficult and I respect your attempt for an understanding leading to healing.

A necropsy (bird autopsy) by a certified avian vet may determine the cause(s). Sometimes tissue samples are sent to a lab. You've provided many clues to suspect it may have been illness or an accidental ingestion. Birds instinctively hide sickness as long as possible for protection from predators. Often there is literally no advance warning.

 

[LordTriggs]

very sorry to hear. With what you have said it sounds to me like a very sudden onset of Teflon poisoning. I assume the cooking in the house is done with non-stick cookware which would most likely contain Teflon, like others have said other things use Teflon. Pretty much anything designed to heat up can contain Teflon so I would pin that as the culprit

 

[Soyajam]

Hi there, I'm sorry for your loss. It's heartbreaking to lose a pet.

There are so many things that can make birds sick - you may have seen everyone here harping on about it but the reality is, these creatures have delicate bodies and our modern homes are full of dangerous crap.

Some possible candidates that may have contributed to your bird's death, if he came too close to them:

* Air fresheners
* Insect Sprays (repellent, insect killer, etc)
* Perfumes, Deodorants, Hair sprays, Dry shampoo
* Anything covered in teflon non-stick coatings (not just pans, but things like George Foreman grills, electric frypans, self-cleaning ovens)
* Scented candles
* Cleaning chemicals (particularly anything in an aerosol can)
* Cigarette smoke

He may have ingested

* Aluminium (window frames e.g)
* Material fibres from frayed ropes, fabric perches or toys
* Zinc (Bolts, screws, nuts, particularly old ones)
* Lead (curtain weights, metal parts of furniture or appliances)
* Toxic foods like avocado, onion, chocolate or alcohol

There are so many possibilities, and to be perfectly frank, without a necropsy (the test you mentioned) there's no way of knowing for sure. Like others have said he could have keeled over with a heart attack.

While having your bird in a safe area is helpful, it's really most ideal if everyone in your household is on board with the responsibilities of living with a bird. Usually it's as simple as people remembering to open a window and ventilate a room if they must spray something, or to try and use a roll-on deodorant as opposed to an aerosol deodorant.

Again I'm so sorry, and I hope we've helped to give you some clarity on the situation.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Hi,

I'm terribly sorry for your loss. Heartbreaking.

Where are you located roughly? No way of knowing if this is related, but it is worth being aware of certainly..

http://www.parrotforums.com/general...se-read-many-birds-dead-rehab-food-blame.html