Post by chiprockskip on Jan 15, 2015 16:23:12 GMT
As some of you may or may not know last year (i'm counting the 3rd when poor Sparky died) i lost 5 of our little friends and in a recent post i said no more. The reason for this being 1, i blame myself for causing or cotributing to some of there deaths and 2, the pain it causes me to watch there struggles then having to say goodbye. I dont breed or show Budgies i only keep them for ....well my pleasure for some reason these happy little birds have touched my heart, yet at the same time i look apon keeping these birds like this. We have a duty of care for any bird we take into our homes not just there physical well being but also there mental health too. So this is the reason for this post. I need to understand more, when i think about all those birds that as we speak are going to well meaning and yet ignorant people (and i count myself amongst that number). And for that reason i now say yes there will be other birds in my life but first i need to understand more about them. And sadly why at least two of mine died so i'm hoping to draw apon the experiance of anyone who reads this to help. I've been looking on the internet and that can only take me so far i also plan on paying the vet to sit down and talk to me. But now i ask you to read on and offer opinions i know you are not vets. So all i'm asking for is opinions. But your informed opinions will will help me no end.
Rocky and Sparky out of the 5 that i lost these where the two i cannot explain possably Skipper as well. Rocky died in Aug Skipper 10 days later Sparky died on the 3ed Jan 2015. Skipper was the bridge as Sparky and Rocky never met but Skipper was with them both if only with sparky briefly and thay were never in the same cage only the same room. So i think seeing as after Skipper died it was 5 months till Sparky went there was nothing transmitted. Still Rocky and Sparky shared almost identical symtoms.
I went like this for both of them Day 1 i noticed thay were a little fluffed up. Day 2 fluffed up not eating or drinking just sleeping all day. Day 3 trying to act normal. Eating/drinking still fluffed up sleeping more than usual. Day 4 as day 3 but more strange behaivour, Rocky was running under the T V and i remember him going mad to get some minced beef of my plate. Sparky was flying off to parts of the room he'd never shown any intrest in (and you know how hard it's to get them into somthing new). Both were going to the bottom of the cage and picking at the sand sheet. Through day 3-4 neither of them wanted to be alone and yet both would suddenly take off to parts of the room thay had never shown intrest in. Day 5 thay both passed after having some sort of small fit. I was with Rocky but i could see the sand sheet had been disturbed where Sparky lay when i fuund him. Now aftermy research on the net and from what i can remember i'm fairly sure it's some sort of respiratory problem. As both had started sneezing possably 3 weeks prior to any other symptoms and i could hear both breathing but only now and again. Sparky was bobing his tail from day 2. Skipper also sneezed but poor Skipper had no tail to bob but just the proximity to Rockys death makes him suspect but with his liver problems and being smaller and weeker it's hard to tell however he too had taken to going to the bottom of the cageand on his last morning i remember he fell asleep twice no the top of his cage again not normal behaivour.
I dearly loved all my birds so it pains me when i come to the conclusion that Rocky and Sparky died of Goiter brought on by malnutrition. Although both had accsess to a iodene block but i never saw either of them use it I think Rocky had started to eat mainly millett as i had made it readily available for Skipper, Sparky too even though i changed his other seeds reagulary he never seemed to eat much and looking back there where always plenty of millitt husks in the bottom of his cage.
I still haven't finished my investigations yet and eventualy i'll talk this through with the vet. But for now will you please give me your opinions it's very important to me to try and understand why these birds died. Oh yes Sparky did have some tests done on his poo and it was negitve for parasites. And one last question that i can't seem to get an answer to. Is tempreture, what tempreture vairyations can a bird stand regularly in 24hrs ? As it can get quite cold in my house at night i cover them with a double fleecy blanket but in the day the heatings on and it can get quite hot. This is just a guess but i'd say down to 10/11 at night and up to 22/23 in the day. Will that harm them ? I've had candles around the room and there's no drafts. Anyway thanks for reading this and i hope you can help.
Rocky and Sparky out of the 5 that i lost these where the two i cannot explain possably Skipper as well. Rocky died in Aug Skipper 10 days later Sparky died on the 3ed Jan 2015. Skipper was the bridge as Sparky and Rocky never met but Skipper was with them both if only with sparky briefly and thay were never in the same cage only the same room. So i think seeing as after Skipper died it was 5 months till Sparky went there was nothing transmitted. Still Rocky and Sparky shared almost identical symtoms.
I went like this for both of them Day 1 i noticed thay were a little fluffed up. Day 2 fluffed up not eating or drinking just sleeping all day. Day 3 trying to act normal. Eating/drinking still fluffed up sleeping more than usual. Day 4 as day 3 but more strange behaivour, Rocky was running under the T V and i remember him going mad to get some minced beef of my plate. Sparky was flying off to parts of the room he'd never shown any intrest in (and you know how hard it's to get them into somthing new). Both were going to the bottom of the cage and picking at the sand sheet. Through day 3-4 neither of them wanted to be alone and yet both would suddenly take off to parts of the room thay had never shown intrest in. Day 5 thay both passed after having some sort of small fit. I was with Rocky but i could see the sand sheet had been disturbed where Sparky lay when i fuund him. Now aftermy research on the net and from what i can remember i'm fairly sure it's some sort of respiratory problem. As both had started sneezing possably 3 weeks prior to any other symptoms and i could hear both breathing but only now and again. Sparky was bobing his tail from day 2. Skipper also sneezed but poor Skipper had no tail to bob but just the proximity to Rockys death makes him suspect but with his liver problems and being smaller and weeker it's hard to tell however he too had taken to going to the bottom of the cageand on his last morning i remember he fell asleep twice no the top of his cage again not normal behaivour.
I dearly loved all my birds so it pains me when i come to the conclusion that Rocky and Sparky died of Goiter brought on by malnutrition. Although both had accsess to a iodene block but i never saw either of them use it I think Rocky had started to eat mainly millett as i had made it readily available for Skipper, Sparky too even though i changed his other seeds reagulary he never seemed to eat much and looking back there where always plenty of millitt husks in the bottom of his cage.
I still haven't finished my investigations yet and eventualy i'll talk this through with the vet. But for now will you please give me your opinions it's very important to me to try and understand why these birds died. Oh yes Sparky did have some tests done on his poo and it was negitve for parasites. And one last question that i can't seem to get an answer to. Is tempreture, what tempreture vairyations can a bird stand regularly in 24hrs ? As it can get quite cold in my house at night i cover them with a double fleecy blanket but in the day the heatings on and it can get quite hot. This is just a guess but i'd say down to 10/11 at night and up to 22/23 in the day. Will that harm them ? I've had candles around the room and there's no drafts. Anyway thanks for reading this and i hope you can help.