My conure died and I had already put down a deposit on a 2nd...

[nicolee003]

My 10 month old pineapple green cheek conure died 2 days ago and I had already put down a deposit to get him a friend The new little guy will be ready in a month and I just don't know if I should still get him or not, and if I do, should I just get him or should I get 2? The reason I was getting him in the first place was so that my Yoshi could have a friend If I end up getting the new one, I have the option to get a second one (they are brothers), but I am worried they won't bond with us if they have each other. Any suggestions? Also, since we haven't found out yet the reason of Yoshi's death (I do know his white blood cells were low which means some sort of virus) do I just thoroughly clean his cage and food dishes and get all new toys/perches or could I keep everything and just sanitize it? I just don't know how he would have caught the virus and I want to make sure our new babies live a long healthy life

 

[Kantia]

Some owners find it difficult to get another companion so soon after one has passed away, they feel guilty or feel like they are replacing the one they lost. Sometimes it is too soon, but I think only you know what's right. As long as you know this new conure will have it's own personality and can accept that, then I don't see why not.

I know if you get two conures (siblings or not) they can bond with each other and not to their owner, or they might fight which mean's you'd have to get a second cage and see if they'll be ok together out in the open. I guess it could go one of two ways.

I think someone said in your last post you can sanatise the cage, toys etc, and I would have thought so too. However someone might want to have more imput on that.

Once again, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, I hope you find out the results soon so you can get some closure.

 

[nicolee003]

Thanks for the response. I know that no bird could ever replace Yoshi. He was one of a kind, that's for sure. At first I did feel guilty wanting to bring another one home but I feel empty and think it would help. Yoshi was a cinnamon and this one is a regular so they don't look alike. I dont think I could get another cinnamon. I already have two cages so I might get two of them but still not sure.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

With that one, let your heart lead you. Also didn't you say you had the vet run some tests on your baby that you lost? I would want to be sure it wasn't a freak infection that could be passed on. I know it sounds 'far out' in a way but i have heard sad stories from people before. I had Georgie's test results before i looked for another bird, and like you, i felt very strange about a sun conure not being Georgie and got the blue crown. I think in time i could do another sun conure but having Gilbert be very similar and also very different made it much easier. And for me personally having Gilbert really did ease my heartbreak. For me it honors my love for her in having another one but only you know when you will feel that way.

 

[ConureLady]

From my experience, I would get one and bond with it then maybe in 6 months get another. As long as there are tons of things to do inside the cage, foraging toys, shreddables, foot toys, etc then everything should be fun enough that your bird wont be bored.

my experience was, I bought a 1 year conure and she was great. always wanted to be with me, never flew off of my shoulder, and was beginning to learn tricks and started coming to me instead of running..
four months later I buy a 1 month old conure and now neither of them want anything to do with me. they dont bite and let me touch them all over, but they run, hide, and want nothing to do with people. they have a serious case of birdie romance.

It sucks because they are so docile, if i had just caged them separately they would have been excellent pets.

 

[nicolee003]

The blood tests for Yoshi will be in on Saturday. My other green cheek wont be ready for another month so I will be sure to make sure it's not something in the house that killed him. I couldn't go through another heartbreak like this again As for the cage, there will be plenty of toys so I think I'll take the advice to only get one for now

 

[ConureLady]

thank you for listening to me. a lot of people think they are smarter than the "experts" not saying i'm a know-it-all but my situation really sucks.
I definitely thought I was smarter than everybody that told me not to.

 

[friedsoup]

Well I'm no expert but I did own two GCC who were brothers from the same clutch and a better pair of friends and friendly parrots I've never since owned. Stanley was smarter than and whip; Ollie on the other hand was dumber than a post but sweeter birds you could not ask for they loved playing with each other and being on my shoulder at the flea market going to everyone adult or child. The big trick (other than the birds attitude) was spending even time with each in a seperate room then socialize, socialize,socialize.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

nicolee, i am so sorry to hear about yoshi. i think it will be wonderfil to bring home a new bird as soon as you r ready. your posts seem to sound like u r leaning toward doing this as soon as the new one is ready. it will be great. i also thing one at a time is a good idea til u get used to ea other. so sorry cor your loss.

 

[Remy]

For me, getting a new bird was the right thing to do. I love having a little feathered buddy. Nobody will replace Puck, but Darcy is really great.

 

[baron1282]

I am sorry to hear about your bird. :-( I am getting a pet bird and I am very worried about all the dangers my house can hold for it.

Please post the results! I am getting a my first bird after thanksgiving knowing what killed your bird might protect mine.

 

[nicolee003]

Thanks for all the advice and thoughts everyone. Right when Yoshi died I said I never wanted another pet again because it's just too hard to go through when you lose them, but now after a couple of days Ive realized I need another conure. My boyfriend and I literally did everything with Yoshi so now that he's gone our lives have changed and there's just an emptiness. I also feel obligated to purchase the conure we put a deposit on because he was pulled from his mother at that time just for us. The day after Yoshi died I received this email from the breeder "Hi Nicole,

I am so sorry to hear about your conure. Your new little guy is doing well. Just a little fuzz ball at this point but growing a little bit everyday. I will keep you updated."

and it made me smile a little. Can't wait till he sends a picture

 

[strasia93]

We are excited for you to hear about the 'little fuzz ball"!

 

[nicolee003]

Hi everyone. I got the results back today from Yoshi's death. My local vet has never heard of this condition but he sent the results to an expert in Toronto and he said it's something called Conure Bleeding Syndrome and he hasn't seen a case of it in 8-10 years. There was absolutely nothing that could have been done to save our sweet baby Yoshi This disease is caused from either a lack of Vitamin K & D, or can just be brought on from birth (which was the case for Yoshi). The Doctor explained to me that you may find on the internet that you can sure this disease my Vitamin K shots but these shots cause ulcers and retardation and the bird would most likely suffer even more. These results kind of make me feel better knowing that there was nothing I could do to save him, but I miss the little guy so much.

 

[MonicaMc]

I've heard of it... but never knew of a conure that died of it! Glad you were able to hear the results, but sad, too! I would hazard to guess it was something that he had...

Here's some digging I did a few years ago on it...I don't know if the links are still active or not... probably some are.

"Conure Bleeding Syndrome" is suspected to be caused by a lack of vitamin K.


Vitamin K

Function: Vitamin K ensures proper blood clotting through the manufacturer of prothrombin (the factor in blood that causes clotting). Synthesis occurs in the intestines. this is true in both mammals and birds. Vitamin K is vital for the proper liver function. Most diets have adequate vitamin K.
Symptoms of a Deficiency: A deficiency in vitamin K can cause a bird to bleed to death. Anemia, as well as blood and vascular disorders, can occur due to vitamin K deficiency. Deficiencies can also result from prolonged antibiotic use.
Symptoms of Toxicity: Not reported in birds, but in humans can cause brain damage and red blood cell breakdown.
Found: Vitamin K is found predominantly in green vegetables, including broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, peas, green beans, turnip greens, spinach, and cheese. It is also produced by bacteria in the bowels.

pg. 47 of the Healthy Bird Cookbook


I've had no experience with "CBS", let alone heard of it.... But here are some links that mention it...

http://theaviary.com/s1295-09.shtml

http://www.cyberparrots.com/gcconure.html

http://www.californiaavianlaboratory.com/anemia.html

Conure Bleeding Syndrome (CBS) appears in conure species with rapid onset of weakness and somnolence. The patient may be bleeding from the mouth or cloaca. In some cases, the hemogram suggests responsive anemia with no visible bleeding, consistent with internal hemorrhage. Cytologically, CBS appears similar to changes seen with lead toxicosis. This syndrome may be due to a calcium deficiency, which is supported by a finding of hypocalcemia in a historically calcium/Vitamin D3-deficient bird. Clinical response to parenteral calcium strengthens this hypothesis.

http://www.northforkanimalhospital.com/animals/birds/birds_conure.htm

Ihr Internet-Portal


Basically pointing out to the fact that a bad diet can cause this... where-as as long as your conure is eating healthy, you should not have any issues.

I say to clean Yoshi's stuff really well and disinfect it, and get another birdy! If you are using the same breeder you got Yoshi from, then tell them about CBC before bringing a bird home! Or consider going with someone else.

 

[nicolee003]

I got Yoshi from Petsmart and will be getting the new little guy from a private breeder. The doctor and I came to the conclusion that it was something that he was born with because he had a wonderful diet (organic pellets, vegetables and small amounts of fruit)

 

[MonicaMc]

I hope then the breeder has healthy babies and you wont have to go through that again!

 

[baron1282]

I got Yoshi from Petsmart and will be getting the new little guy from a private breeder. The doctor and I came to the conclusion that it was something that he was born with because he had a wonderful diet (organic pellets, vegetables and small amounts of fruit)

Would you be able to get your money back from Pet Smart? If you go in with the results of the Vet and tell them this was something that they can get from birth, if your Vet signs something agreeing with you. I know it won't help bring him back, but if this is something wrong with Pet Smart I would be all over them!!!

 

[nicolee003]

I just contacted Petsmart and the manager asked for the results to be faxed to him. I will have to wait until the vet is open tomorrow because I don't have the physical results. I would hope such a large company like Petsmart would handle the situation properly.