shattered by sudden unexpected death of my little friend

[budgiebudgie]

Always wanting to 'help' with anything I was doing.

[budgiebudgie]

Not every budgie has art made in her own image!

[budgiebudgie]

Going on a budgie holiday.

She seemed to enjoy her life, and this is a comfort.

[budgiebudgie]

Well-travelled little birdy.

[budgiebudgie]

I'm so sad

[budgiebudgie]

'Helping' me hang light-stopping curtains when a baby.

[jellybean]

I am so sorry budgiebudgie, I remember when you got Bimbo, her name stuck in my head from the Jim Reeves song.
She couldn't have wished for a more loving home, please don't let the ifs and buts ruin the beautiful memories you have of Bimbo. Rest In Peace gorgeous girl, you will be sadly missed x
Thinking of you budgiebudgie and sending you hugs xx

[Deleted]

I read this post with tears in my eyes and such sadness in my heart for you budgiebudgie. I know how devoted you were to Bimbo and you really have nothing for you or others to reproach yourself for. The 'what ifs' are a natural human emotion in times like this. There was really nothing you could do. We are not equipped with X-ray vision to see what's going on underneath and nesting behaviour is what anyone with a hen would expect.

Look after yourself and it will take time but you will get there. I'm here if you need a shoulder. I'm sending you big hugs and massive love to your Bimbo xxxxxx

[Hezz]

I am very sorry for your loss, budgiebudgie. Bimbo was a beautiful lady.
There will be no easy answer to why Bimbo died. We can guess and speculate until the cows come home and still we will never know. There is one thing I do know, though - that regardless of what we all might do, or not do, these little birds have their own agenda and we are simply the facilitators. Bimbo had a beautiful life, and adding a nest box to her home will not be the reason she has died. It is possible she was already compromised from what you have written, but you don't really know. No one can say that you have contributed to her demise; you tried your hardest to do the very best for her, and I am sure she knows that.

Rest in peace, beautiful girl. xx

[budgiebudgie]

Thank you to everyone for your extremely kind words - it has been a great comfort.

Hezz, it did seem that she was a bit of a lazy devil. Is this something that affects hens more than boys? She was very happy riding around on my shoulder and not much interested in flying. I wonder if perhaps I made her too humanised? Too tame? Although I did think getting another budgie would help her and it did, a bit (but not enough). She was a bit more active when he arrived. Presumably her tendency to inertia would have made her unfit - or not fit enough to lay eggs.

Speaking of which, would you mind looking at this picture of her vent (I am afraid it was taken post mortem
(atrb_partsz) ) and telling me if it looks normal. She was soo proud of her eggs and loved having a nestbox at last!! It is terribly sad that she didn't live to finish her clutch or see any hatch (if indeed they were even fertile).

I wish I knew what it was... but it must have been a heart attack or stroke, surely? It can't really have been any other reason, can it?

When I took her out of the cage and laid her on the bed, her mate flew down beside her in an absolute state of distress and before I knew what was happening - it was very quick - he started... well you can guess. Traumatic for him as well as me. I'm particularly said for him because when I re-homed him he was called Squeak (I renamed him) and he'd had a mate called Bubble, but Bubble died (in an accident - but his owners were very sketchy on the details). So he was already bereaved. Now he has been bereaved again. Poor little mite - he worshipped Bimbo and wouldn't leave her side.

[budgiebudgie]

To anyone who might know: why would a budgie climb up bars and along them, using her feet and beak to propel herself, when she was more than capable of flying or hopping / jumping. She may have been a bit plump but she wasn't disabled or obese! The difference in the way the two birds (close in age) moved around the same medium-sized shared cage was puzzling.

Also, how to avoid having a lazy bird if I get another (eventually)?

[Shirls]

So sorry for your loss budgiebudgie. Fly high beautiful Bimbo.

[budgiebudgie]

So I sent autopsy pics to an avian vet and pics of her when alive and he kindly phoned me.

Her vent was normal, so not injured by laying the eggs.

She was 'a plump bird' but hard for him to comment on degree of obesity from pics as she's covered in feathers,

If I replace her, give pellets. Harrisons or Supreme. Much healthier.

It is not unusual for a bird to die without warning like this - 'very very common', and big show budgies (which she wasn't) often don't live much beyond 2 or 3.

He says it could be anything: ' brain thing', an infection, chronic disease, a stroke, heart attack, etc. But from what I have said, he thinks it would have been quick.

It does 'just happen'.

None of this makes me feel much better.

I'm wondering if it was an infection from water getting in her when I washed the small amount of blood off her vent feathers. I hadn't thought about infection. I wonder if this was it.

I don't want the heartache of bereavement every two or three years! But I am going to get a mature companion boy to give the surviving budgie some company.

[Marianne Marlow]

The vet seems to have confirmed it was not your fault.

There is very little chance (I'd say none) of water getting inside her vent causing her an infection. If you saw the way my girls bathe and soak themselves you'd see why! In fact Polly has just started dunking herself this very second.

[clt80]

Oh I am so sad reading this; I do agree with the others though - this was NOT your fault.

Sometimes these things cannot be prevented, no matter how much we do.

I believe heart attacks with budgie's are usually secondary to another illness. If Bimbo was feeling unwell she'd likely have gone to the bottom of her cage rather than fallen from her perch. I know it's no comfort, but I'd hate for you to think she fell from a high.

I really feel for you, and your other budgie. Look after each other x