My budgie died suddenly and I have so many questions

[Corkscr.ew]

Today I came home from school and found my budgie Thimble on the bottom of her cage. I tried to pick her up and she flinched and tried to run (she doesn't like being touched) but she couldn't stand up properly. I offered some millet and she ate a couple seeds but was very weak and didn't finish eating. I placed her on a towel and monitored her for about an hour until I came back to the cage and saw her dead.

Yesterday she was energetic as usual, and according to my mom was also fine during the day while I was gone. I don't know when she landed on the bottom of the cage because no one saw it happen. I know birds hide their illnesses until the very last minute but I thought I would have noticed something. She wasn't losing weight and her appetite and energy were normal, and her posture was fine and she wasn't tail-bobbing more than usual. We don't have any Teflon, perfume, air freshener, scented candles, etc. There's no lead or zinc in her cage or within her access. She was in her cage the whole time I was gone. Her lifestyle was ok and she had a good diet and plenty of exercise.

Has anyone experienced this and found the cause? I think it's a combination of genetics and potential sickness. I got her from a shelter but most of the birds at that shelter were surrendered after being impulse-bought, so there's a good chance she's from a chain store or breeding mill. I also had no idea how old she was when I got her.

This is more of a question/help post than a tribute so I'd appreciate if you could share experiences or input or information instead of just condolences. Sorry for the lack of emotion in this post. I feel okay at the moment but the emotions will probably hit me in a couple days.

Thanks in advance for any responses

 

[TiredOldMan]

I'm very sorry for your loss and have no answers.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Precious little angel. I'm so sorry. Please draw comfort from knowing se passed while LOVED. That's s gift.

If you want professional advice...


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Avian Veterinarians

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In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.
International contacts, too.
If none are near you, maybe you could call and ask for a recommendation for somebody in your area.
And... sometimes, distant vets will offer brief thoughts or advice...
Or... sometimes I find a place to start just by Googling "avian veterinarian near ((your location))"
Or maybe a local breeder might help... again, maybe Google?

Another thread on vets from Terry57...

Thread 'Avian Vet Resources'

Feb 24, 2022

After a suggestion by a member, @Abu Colo, the Mod Team decided to create a list of veterinarians around the world who see birds. This was something we had discussed a few years ago, but the task seemed so large that we didn't get very far. However, the need is there and we decided that the time was right to get it done.
Not all the vets listed are CAVs, but all treat birds from what we could determine.
To find out if a vet is a CAV, you can search the websites of the ones in your area.
We started working...​

• Terry57
• Replies: 59
• Forum: General Health Care

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[DonnaBudgie]

Ive had budgies die like that quite a few times and never learned why but there are a lot of reasons it could have happened. Birds can have heart attacks and strokes just like humans. Budgies are also very prone to all sorts of tumors that they can live with for a long time before they suddenly seem very sick and quickly die.

Is she the larger budgie in the photo? If so, she's likely an English budgie and they are known for not living as long as regular budgies.
How old was she? At around 5 or 6, English budgies are considered pretty old and sudden death isn't unusual. There's also always the possibility for a female budgie to die from being egg bound without having laid a single egg yet.

If your other budgie is fine it wasn't likely to have been from an environmental toxin or they would have both died.

Having a necropsy performed may or may not reveal the cause and thorough necropsies are expensive. They also need to be done pretty quickly after death unless the body was refrigerated (not frozen) immediately after death.

I hope you get your surviving budgie a new friend. He's used to having a companion and may be unhappy alone.