Little Rio

LordTriggs · Jun 9, 2017

Hello.

I feel like I need to air out over the loss of my little conure Rio. I spent so long waiting through his early dies after being hatched at the aviary I bought him from. Finally when I got him home he was special almost instantly, warming up to me very quickly and within a week of owning him he decided he liked me enough that he would fly to me to come play. He wanted nothing more than to be near my hands or my face, playing and attacking my glasses. I couldn't have been happier with him, he was the perfect pet, being closer to a puppy in terms of temperament than a bird. Unfortunately one day he grew very sick very quickly, I thought I was observing him closely and watching for changes but noticed nothing. On a saturday morning I noticed he wasn't up at his usual time, I shrugged it off as I had been out the night before and disturbed him when I got home late at night so just assumed he was tired and grumpy that I woke him up so I left his cover over his cage and kept quiet all day to let him rest. When it got to evening and he was still acting sleepy I could feel something was wrong. I left the windows open all night to get some air circulating. The next morning he tried grabbing my attention so I assumed all was okay and that I was right. I let him out to play and instantly he nuzzled into my neck and refused to leave even to get at the glasses, I instantly knew something was wrong and began phoning every vet that would hear me. Nobody was helping, because they wanted to have their sunday off. I even called zoos in an attempt to find someone but there was nobody that understood what I wanted or nobody bothered to help me. Eventually I got an appointment booked for monday afternoon and just kept him warm and cuddled him as much as I could until I began to fall asleep. I put a bottle filled with hot water under a towel in his cage and put him on his favorite perch, he gripped onto it okay and didn't wobble. Just as I shut off the light to the room to go to bed I heard him chirrup and swear he said "night-night" to me, a brand new phrase from him and what would become the last thing I would hear him say. I woke up over an hour early the next day feeling like something was wrong. I looked in the cage and couldn't see him. My eye glanced down as I opened the door to look inside clearer and I saw him, head first in the towel with his body in the air, clearly having fallen from his perch in the night. I quickly grabbed him and saw he was fighting to stay alive. I kept him close to me and began calling anyone and everyone to try and get help. My sister told me she was on her way and to keep calm. his claws were clenched shut, cold and his wings kept flipping open but he couldn't retract them on his own, needing help to do so. I could hear him clicking whenever he breathed. Eventually my sister arrived and took him from me, putting him in the bathroom and placing him on a towel that was in a bowl so he could pass away peacefully.

I only had him for 5 weeks which is nothing compared to the time some others here have had their birds but we had bonded so closely together so quickly. I haven't had the heart to dismantle the cage and want to try for a new conure but all I really want is my little friend back. I know I'll never have him back but he was ripped away from me way too early.

The house is too quiet now

Scott · Jun 9, 2017

I am very sorry for your loss of Rio. The very close bond we develop with birds make their passing, particularly when young, so devastating.

Birds tend to mask their illnesses so when you see an obvious sign it may have been sick for some time. Unfortunately not all areas offer 24 hour emergency care, particularly for avians. It can be troubling to endure such loss without answer, however at times a vet can perform a necropsy (autopsy) and determine the cause. Nothing can bring back a beloved companion, but an awareness of cause may bring a bit of comfort.

It may be best to make no firm decisions while you are grieving. There is no timeframe, but you'll know if the time is right. If you choose another bird, it will have its own story, nothing can ever diminish Rio's memory. I am sure he passed knowing you loved him dearly.

LordTriggs · Jun 9, 2017

thanks. it's actually been more time since he died than I spent with him now. I do feel like I'm ready for another conure but I want to get something that's similar in terms of taming. With him it was hard but he suddenly just made the decision to come to me and I'm just worried I'll end up with a bird that won't warm up to me leaving me more distraught at having a bird that doesn't like me as opposed to no bird. And with the lack of breeders over here it means I'm stuck. One person I know not too far is selling pearly conures but they seem too good to be true which from past experience of buying stuff too good to be true normally turns out to be wrong. I asked about their rearing technique and if they give a health check to which they said they interact with the birds whilst the parents rear them, that they give a health check and the birds cost only £80. All that together just sounds way too good and I'm worried that they are lying about something or hiding something

Flboy · Jun 9, 2017

I am so sorry! But, thank you for sharing your ordeal!
Ordeal is perhaps the wrong choice of words that you are going through!

wrench13 · Jun 9, 2017

Oh I am sorry for your loss. I made a donation to Cornell University Vet program, designated for Avian Research in Rio's name. Treasure his memory but be open to
another little life, if you think you can do it.

Ladyhawk · Jun 9, 2017

LordTriggs said:
Hello.

I feel like I need to air out over the loss of my little conure Rio. I spent so long waiting through his early dies after being hatched at the aviary I bought him from. Finally when I got him home he was special almost instantly, warming up to me very quickly and within a week of owning him he decided he liked me enough that he would fly to me to come play. He wanted nothing more than to be near my hands or my face, playing and attacking my glasses. I couldn't have been happier with him, he was the perfect pet, being closer to a puppy in terms of temperament than a bird. Unfortunately one day he grew very sick very quickly, I thought I was observing him closely and watching for changes but noticed nothing. On a saturday morning I noticed he wasn't up at his usual time, I shrugged it off as I had been out the night before and disturbed him when I got home late at night so just assumed he was tired and grumpy that I woke him up so I left his cover over his cage and kept quiet all day to let him rest. When it got to evening and he was still acting sleepy I could feel something was wrong. I left the windows open all night to get some air circulating. The next morning he tried grabbing my attention so I assumed all was okay and that I was right. I let him out to play and instantly he nuzzled into my neck and refused to leave even to get at the glasses, I instantly knew something was wrong and began phoning every vet that would hear me. Nobody was helping, because they wanted to have their sunday off. I even called zoos in an attempt to find someone but there was nobody that understood what I wanted or nobody bothered to help me. Eventually I got an appointment booked for monday afternoon and just kept him warm and cuddled him as much as I could until I began to fall asleep. I put a bottle filled with hot water under a towel in his cage and put him on his favorite perch, he gripped onto it okay and didn't wobble. Just as I shut off the light to the room to go to bed I heard him chirrup and swear he said "night-night" to me, a brand new phrase from him and what would become the last thing I would hear him say. I woke up over an hour early the next day feeling like something was wrong. I looked in the cage and couldn't see him. My eye glanced down as I opened the door to look inside clearer and I saw him, head first in the towel with his body in the air, clearly having fallen from his perch in the night. I quickly grabbed him and saw he was fighting to stay alive. I kept him close to me and began calling anyone and everyone to try and get help. My sister told me she was on her way and to keep calm. his claws were clenched shut, cold and his wings kept flipping open but he couldn't retract them on his own, needing help to do so. I could hear him clicking whenever he breathed. Eventually my sister arrived and took him from me, putting him in the bathroom and placing him on a towel that was in a bowl so he could pass away peacefully.

I only had him for 5 weeks which is nothing compared to the time some others here have had their birds but we had bonded so closely together so quickly. I haven't had the heart to dismantle the cage and want to try for a new conure but all I really want is my little friend back. I know I'll never have him back but he was ripped away from me way too early.

The house is too quiet now

I recently lost my nearly thirty-one-year-old Amazon parrot. He seemed so much better on the Thursday before a three-day weekend, I made a video to show people how much better he was. Then came the three-day weekend and a huge storm with inclement weather. Gabby got much worse.

The local vet had already done everything she could do, so my only course of action was to take him to Dr. Brian Speer in Oakley. Gabby passed away in the hospital there. It was probably too late long before this, but like you, I was distraught because I couldn't get him to the Medical Center for Birds where he belonged.

Birds hide illness so well and it's a shame we can't always get them the veterinary care they deserve.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Grieving seems to come in waves. I'm experiencing the latest wave right now. Since his funeral, I've been dreaming about Gabby again, disturbing dreams that are always a little "off." I'll miss him forever and you'll always miss your little conure, too.

Ladyhawk · Jun 9, 2017

LordTriggs said:
thanks. it's actually been more time since he died than I spent with him now. I do feel like I'm ready for another conure but I want to get something that's similar in terms of taming. With him it was hard but he suddenly just made the decision to come to me and I'm just worried I'll end up with a bird that won't warm up to me leaving me more distraught at having a bird that doesn't like me as opposed to no bird. And with the lack of breeders over here it means I'm stuck. One person I know not too far is selling pearly conures but they seem too good to be true which from past experience of buying stuff too good to be true normally turns out to be wrong. I asked about their rearing technique and if they give a health check to which they said they interact with the birds whilst the parents rear them, that they give a health check and the birds cost only £80. All that together just sounds way too good and I'm worried that they are lying about something or hiding something

I don't know what that translates to in USD, nor does it matter. In some areas of the US, prices are much lower than in others. The local breeder I know says there is very high demand for his birds, but in other areas, not so much. As a result, I've seen birds at all kinds of prices. When I was looking for blue-fronted Amazons, I discovered a breeder in Pennsylvania who charges almost twice that of other breeders. She must get her price, otherwise she'd be swimming in babies. A higher price doesn't necessarily make her birds better, but caveat emptor and all that. Be careful!

Ask if you can visit the facility. Most breeders don't like to have their breeding pairs disturbed, but most will let you visit the babies. Ask questions about how the birds are raised. You might bring up the topic of aviary diseases and see if the breeder has dealt with any of the biggies. You should ask if there's any kind of guarantee. When I bred, my contract gave the new owners 72 hours to take the bird to a vet of their choosing to verify it was in good health. If you're concerned about the bird not taking to you, visiting a brood of tame babies, perhaps multiple times, could help you make the decision. When I was a breeder, I was only too happy to have people come in and interact with the babies. Once I was assured the client hadn't visited other birds that day and had disinfected his or her hands, I was glad of this chance to help socialize the babies. They needed to be OK with various people and situations, so the more people that showed up, the more socialized the babies were. It worked out for both me and the clients.

LordTriggs · Jun 9, 2017

I would like nothing more than to do this but every single Breeder I have come across here just doesn't do any of that. With the industry being completely ruined over here Breeders get to do what they want and often just want to get the birds out the door. The place I got Rio from didn't interact with the birds at all only knowing exactly what they had when the birds emerged from the nest of their own accord.

With the pearly conures I am going to see if I can go see them once before deciding and I am going to ask for either a document proving he took the babies to a vet or if a wellness check comes back with the bird being ill that I get either the cost of treatment or my full money back whichever is cheaper. He says he checks them but I think he mis-understood and where I mean a vet check he thinks I mean he checks the birds which is not what I want

LordTriggs · Jun 9, 2017

I do want to get another one. He brought such joy to me and helped with my mental health condition so much I feel like I'm suited to having a bird. I just don't want to go through such a nightmare all over again

Ladyhawk · Jun 9, 2017

LordTriggs said:
I would like nothing more than to do this but every single Breeder I have come across here just doesn't do any of that. With the industry being completely ruined over here Breeders get to do what they want and often just want to get the birds out the door. The place I got Rio from didn't interact with the birds at all only knowing exactly what they had when the birds emerged from the nest of their own accord.

With the pearly conures I am going to see if I can go see them once before deciding and I am going to ask for either a document proving he took the babies to a vet or if a wellness check comes back with the bird being ill that I get either the cost of treatment or my full money back whichever is cheaper. He says he checks them but I think he mis-understood and where I mean a vet check he thinks I mean he checks the birds which is not what I want

Any decent breeder should let you look at babies, IMO, provided you follow any rules they have to keep their babies healthy. I used to make visitors remove shoes and wash / disinfect their hands. I told them ahead of time not to visit any other birds before coming to my place. As far as my babies were concerned, this worked out very well. The only baby I lost while hand-feeding was a poor little CAG with a congenital heart defect. I'm hand-raising a blue front now, so I'm knocking on wood. Once you've lost a treasured family member, you become afraid of losing even more.

Scott · Jun 10, 2017

LordTriggs said:
I do want to get another one. He brought such joy to me and helped with my mental health condition so much I feel like I'm suited to having a bird. I just don't want to go through such a nightmare all over again

We are finally learning how valuable furry and feathered companions are to our well being. Their love is unconditional, and they help us work through our invisible barriers.

Little Rio

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Tomorrow, I have to bury Gabby.

Lost my green cheeked conure last night

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