Sudden Death of Green Cheek Conure

Help, I came home this afternoon to find my 7-year-old green cheek on the ground of his cage, claws tightly curled around the bars, eyes open and beak biting into the bar. As if he'd had a seizure. I'm so sad. Angel was very violent, aggressive and strong. He couldn't sit with me without tearing into my flesh or ripping into my hands. His strength was unreal. He could do a hummingbird, flying in one place while looking right into my eyes. I had a very hard time trying to calm him but I did adore and care for Angel despite his violent behavior. I was told that some conures are mentally ill and that an avian expert could test him, which I never ended up doing. I had a feeling that there was something not right with him. Could birds be mentally ill? Was epilepsy a possibility for the aggression? I'm adding his last image that I took from underneath him. You can see how strong his hold was. It was so hard to unclasp his claws and beak from the bars.

So sorry for you and angel.

This is horrible! I am so sorry!

Thanks so much.

I am so sorry.

Thanks so much for your kind words.

I’m so sorry for your loss. Animals can have severe anxiety which is a diagnosable disorder in humans. I’m sure that isn’t the end of the spectrum for emotional/behavioral/mental disorders that can be seen in animals other than humans. However, certain parts of the human brain that are involved in higher functioning are simply not present in animals. That would eliminate a large portion of disorders. I don’t know anything about the physiology of a parrot’s brain, but I do know that no animal is aggressive without reason. Whether it be a learned response or a physiological reason, there is always a reason.

Some zoo animals do suffer from a breakdown of sorts due to being in a cage. You’ll notice the unnatural pacing of big cats frequently. That isn’t a natural behavior, it’s notmally due to small enclosures without the proper enrichment/diet/space to do what big cats do.

Have you assessed your little one’s cage setup, diet, etc in regards to whether he had the necessary things to thrive? It’s unlikely that he was born with a mental disorder, that doesn’t even hold true for humans anymore. There is, in the vast majority of human cases, an environmental trigger that awakens a predisposition. It’s more likely that a physiological factor (brain structure, hormone imbalance, etc) or an environmental factor triggered something in your little guy.

Again, I’m so sorry for your loss. Have you considered a necropsy? It really helped my grieving process with all of my lost fur babies.

Good advice and support above. I am so sorry. Seven years is a lot of love. And there should have been more. I'm glad you came here.

I'm very sorry for your loss. So sad to lose your friend of seven years and in such a shocking way. You'll be in my thoughts.

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk. I feel so guilty for not spending time with him before going out. He died within two hours. And so violently.

My deepest condolences for your loss of Angel. There is much we don't understand about animal psychology. It is difficult to transfer our knowledge of humans to an entirely different species. What matters most is you loved and cared for Angel despite his aggression.

Oh I’m so sorry [emoji22]


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