My budgie died suddenly

[budgienewb]

Hello everyone, i''d like to begin with the fact that 2 months ago i bought 2 budgies from the petshop. The budgies were maximum 5-8 months old. They were very playfull and chirping all day. Today i took one of the budgies out of the cage(Rocco) and i was holding him in my hand. He jumped from my hand on the couch. I tried to take him back to the cage but he fell from the couch on the floor. The distsnce was not high, maybe half a metre. He was screaming so i tried to pick him up. He sat there in my hand and in approximately 10 seconds he passed away. I'm creating this thread because i want to know if any of you experts out there now why. Before i finish this thread i'd like to point out the fact that the budgie wasnt showing ant sickness and was happy when i woke up. He was sitting at the top of the cage calmy. He wasnt sitting on the bottom cage as sick budgies do. Also, i clean their cage every week and change their food and water dishes daily. I'd really like to know why my budgie died and if you guys have any advice

[milliej]

Oh dear I'm so sorry but the little bird may have had something wrong with him from birth but it hasn't shown? That happened to me years back, sometimes they look perfectly healthy but what goes on inside their tiny bodies only God knows! I'm sure you'll get some helpful comments from others when they see your post.

[jellybean]

I could be wrong, but it sounds like he has taken a stroke or something to pass away so quickly. You say he fell from the couch onto the floor, budgies don't usually fall, if they lose their balance they will fly to the first available perching place. Which makes me think he fell because he was unwell.
I'm so sorry for you loss.
Rest in Peace little one.

[bichonblitz]

I know exactly how you feel and what your going through, This happened to my Priscilla 2 weeks ago she was only 4 months old. It sounds exactly the same. She fell from her perch screeched really loud then died in my hands. I thought she had a heart attack as it happened after flight. It's so heartbreaking.I feel so sad for you. I really do. Rest in peace beautiful boy.

[weelouie]

I'm sorry to hear about your budgie dying so suddenly. Budgies are prey animals, and have evolved to be skittish. Like many prey species including rabbits, this means they can have a heart attack or stroke if something frightens them suddenly. Rabbits can even break their own spines during a panic.

From your post, I got the impression that your new budgies aren't tame yet, and you were holding yours in your hand? This could frighten some budgies into panicking. It's not your fault at all, it's just the way budgies are. You can't predict it either. A while ago my cats managed to pull a cage containing two budgies down off of the wall in the middle of the night. I had just acquired those budgies that day. I rushed in fearing the worst, but both had escaped the cage and had found places to cling and hide where the cats didn't find them. One had run into a sticky fly tape and was missing a chunk of feathers. Even after all that trauma, both of them survived. So you just never know.

I hope you won't be discouraged from acquiring another budgie. I have found that they are a lot of fun to watch when there are more than one!

[budgienewb]

Nov 8, 2016 19:30:57 GMT weelouie said:

I'm sorry to hear about your budgie dying so suddenly. Budgies are prey animals, and have evolved to be skittish. Like many prey species including rabbits, this means they can have a heart attack or stroke if something frightens them suddenly. Rabbits can even break their own spines during a panic.

From your post, I got the impression that your new budgies aren't tame yet, and you were holding yours in your hand? This could frighten some budgies into panicking. It's not your fault at all, it's just the way budgies are. You can't predict it either. A while ago my cats managed to pull a cage containing two budgies down off of the wall in the middle of the night. I had just acquired those budgies that day. I rushed in fearing the worst, but both had escaped the cage and had found places to cling and hide where the cats didn't find them. One had run into a sticky fly tape and was missing a chunk of feathers. Even after all that trauma, both of them survived. So you just never know.

I hope you won't be discouraged from acquiring another budgie. I have found that they are a lot of fun to watch when there are more than one!

When i meant that i was holding him, i meant that he was sitting on my finger, without me forcing him. It's not the first time poor rocco sat on my finger. I should not have taken him outside of the cage, maybe he would've still been alive. RIP poor boy

[budgienewb]

This was my poor boy

[weelouie]

He was lovely! I have one who's very similar in colour. But don't be too hard on yourself. There's nothing wrong with taking a tame budgie out of his cage. But animals (and people) sometimes die suddenly, and we can't always know why. It sounds like you cared deeply for him and gave him a good life while he was with you. That's what really counts.

[starlingqueen]

Were his wings clipped or did they not grow any flight feathers? I notice his tail hasn't grown either. I am wondering if he had some issues with his health.

[budgienewb]

Nov 9, 2016 12:36:47 GMT starlingqueen said:

Were his wings clipped or did they not grow any flight feathers? I notice his tail hasn't grown either. I am wondering if he had some issues with his health.

The wings were clipped but his tail gradually fell off a coulple of weeks ago. The tail was starting to grow again

[milliej]

Ah good question SQ. Please don't blame yourself though bnb! They are such tiny, delicate creatures really but tough at the same time! He was a lovely boy bless him but I thought looked 'different' it's the wings and tail.

[Hezz]

I think Rocco might have been a French moult budgie, even though his wings were clipped, and you say his tail feathers were growing back. He does not look a fully fledged, properly developed budgie to me. Also with his lack of flight feathers, he had no way of saving himself from a fall, whether these feathers had been clipped or not there anyway. Who clipped the bird's wings?

[starlingqueen]

Nov 9, 2016 21:42:03 GMT Hezz said:

I think Rocco might have been a French moult budgie, even though his wings were clipped, and you say his tail feathers were growing back. He does not look a fully fledged, properly developed budgie to me. Also with his lack of flight feathers, he had no way of saving himself from a fall, whether these feathers had been clipped or not there anyway. Who clipped the bird's wings?

I agree Hezz, he does look different. Who knows what else is going on in these little birds.
Save

[Hezz]

True, SQ, and that was my thought at the time ......that there might have been more going on than just the FM, poor little mite.