My GCC died suddenly What happened?

[ZoeyBear]

My GCC Zoey was playing around on the bottom of her cage and then a minute later she was lethargic and unresponsive she died a minute later in my hands. Her symptoms were close to a heart attack do you think that is possible? she was a little over one year and was on a pelleted diet with some veggies mixed in we do not have candles we don't use perfume or strongly scented lotions and we use cast iron pans.

 

[LaManuka]

Oh ZoeyBear, I'm so sorry, that's awful! I'm glad that Zoey got to spend her life being loved and cherished by you but I'm so very sorry to hear of her sudden passing 💔

It's very difficult to say what the cause may have been, it may have been sudden heart failure as you suggest, or Zoey may have had some underlying congenital defect from birth that you could not possibly have known about. You could have a necropsy performed by a certified avian vet to try to determine the cause, although with the upcoming holiday season that may be difficult. You would need to get it done within a few days window, and store her in the fridge (not the freezer) - and even then the results may not be 100% conclusive.

My heart goes out to you ZoeyBear, the shock of losing one so young is so very hard, and you have my every sympathy.

Godspeed to the Rainbow Bridge, sweet Zoey, until we all meet again 🙏

 

[ZoeyBear]

she died about four days ago but we don't live very close to an avian vet. but she seemed very healthy before she died and we took her to an avian vet pretty soon after we got her and the vet said that she was healthy. the only the that worried me was that she sneezed a lot when she stretched but the vet did not seem to think it was a problem. so I think it had to be heart-related.

 

[Laurasea]

I'm sorry for your loss.
Birds hide being sick , until they are critical. Its a hardwired behavior because they are flock creatures and prey creatures. As such a sick burd will be expelled from the flock or killed by the flock to prevent disease from spreading, and from attracting predators. Also the burd evolution to hide it do nit to be targeted by predators.
So most likely had issues for longer than you ( or any of us ) would be aware of.

I've also had sudden death in a bird thst wss playing and took treats just as hour before. She did have a very bad sinus infection, as cause of death.

I've also nursed my sick Penny back to health. But at her sickest I had her out to give treatment and all my birds attacked her !!! Her special bonded friend did as well. They mobbed her and drew blood before I could get the situation in hand. A very first hand experience of the flock in action.....

We only have a few tools to try and pick up problems before they get serious. One is weekly weight checks , for the life of your bird. As nearly all sick birds will loose weight. More than 3% of body mass lost get to vet. Its so much easier to save them if you can pick it up early.
A second way is to monitor poops daily, are there less poops, do poops have less fecal matter than normal, is there a color change, smell change, more liquid, ect. Anything off get them checked. Note burds poop in morning is more green normally, as they fasted overnight, but green urine or really green ooop at other times can indicate a problem, poop will change color with fruits, you can have a loose poop after a bath, or if ate lots of veggies , a stressed if frightened burd can have a loose poop, but it should only be right at tge stress, like at the vets office, or after a panic flight. Otgerwwatwry poop is serious and burds get in trouble quickly with loose stool and need vet care that day or the next day.

Cold snaps and quick temperature changes are very hard on birds. Move them away from windows when it's cold outside.

 

[wrench13]

Oh very sorry to read this, you have my deepest sympathy. A lot of us have lost a loved parrot suddenly with no warning, they just...... go. Know she knew she was loved, and remember the good times.

 

[Miles]

I'm crying for you. I've had nightmares about losing my little guy and I always wake up crying.

Laurasea, what you said about the droppings made me think again. Miles acts extremely healthy and spunky, eats well (he just learned he likes a good boiled egg), responds well, flies with good balance and maneuvering. I assume he is healthy. I have not weighed him, I usually sense changes in his weight just by picking him up or feeling his little belly. I'm thinking it would be a very good idea to start weighing him though. I do not live close to an avian vet and I don't have the money for an expensive visit either. So being able to catch the slightest change is something I really need to be able to do.
Anyway, Miles' droppings seem to constantly change. One time it will be small and pasty and very thick, and the next one will be large and juicy and slimy. Then the next one will be just a small bit of urine with very little fecal matter. But it is always changing. Usually the biggest juiciest ones are first thing in the morning or right after a bath or good snuggle.

Would you see any of the droppings as a problem?

 

[Scott]

My deepest condolences for your loss of Zoey. The passing of a young bird particularly distressing, may her beautiful memories give a measure of comfort as you grieve.

Your instincts may be correct given youth and apparent health. As others stated, congenital issues and propensity to hide illness problematic with parrots.

 

[Zoruace]

im so so sorry for your loss

 

[Flboy]

I am so sorry!

 

[Laurasea]

I'm just stepping in .....
My avian veterinarian has never heard of a parrot having a heart attack . The chances of this being the cause are way less than 1% .

Edit: older birds that have bern kept clipped and not flighted , who have had a history of a bad diet and obesity , can develop heart disease. The biggest factor in this is not flying . 2 species are more prone to developing heart disease later in life are African grey and Amazon parrots. African greys have a little different diet and sunshine requirements, and can have calcium and vitamin deficiency, like vitamin D. Playing a role. Amazon are prone to obesity also Playing a role. While later in life heart disease seems much more rare in other species.


We should instead promote the truth. Parrots hide being sick. Its not a question of not noticing. By the time you have " sick burd" symptoms things are critical and they can be 24 hours from death. Play on bottom of cage may not have been play but instead weakness. A bird on the bottom of the cage should be confirmed that it just went down their after a toy or piece of food. Any naps on bottom if cage are a huge red flag.

Most likely cause of sudden death are infection, yeast, bacterial, viral. Next are Household toxins, heavy metal. Hypothermia. Poor diet, quick diet changes and bird wasn't eating enough of the healthy pellets...it is beyond rare that it is congenital birth defect in a burd thst lived passed weaning, or a stroke or a heart attack.

Edit : most defects seen in birds are limb and beak, these are caused by improper egg rotation by parents or breeder, improper humidity also a factor. As is substrate chick's are kept on. And issues of hand feeding in beak development, with humidity and rotation prior to birth and parent nutrition prior to egg lay.
We should not perpetuate these myths.
Because then people go out and just get another bird , and do not take precautions, or try to rule things out.

Burds are sensitive creatures. That hide being sick , unlike any other creatures we know.

 

[ZoeyBear]

I'm just stepping in .....
My avian veterinarian has never heard of a parrot having a heart attack . The chances of this being the cause are way less than 1% .

Edit: older birds that have bern kept clipped and not flighted , who have had a history of a bad diet and obesity , can develop heart disease. The biggest factor in this is not flying . 2 species are more prone to developing heart disease later in life are African grey and Amazon parrots. African greys have a little different diet and sunshine requirements, and can have calcium and vitamin deficiency, like vitamin D. Playing a role. Amazon are prone to obesity also Playing a role. While later in life heart disease seems much more rare in other species.


We should instead promote the truth. Parrots hide being sick. Its not a question of not noticing. By the time you have " sick burd" symptoms things are critical and they can be 24 hours from death. Play on bottom of cage may not have been play but instead weakness. A bird on the bottom of the cage should be confirmed that it just went down their after a toy or piece of food. Any naps on bottom if cage are a huge red flag.

Most likely cause of sudden death are infection, yeast, bacterial, viral. Next are Household toxins, heavy metal. Hypothermia. Poor diet, quick diet changes and bird wasn't eating enough of the healthy pellets...it is beyond rare that it is congenital birth defect in a burd thst lived passed weaning, or a stroke or a heart attack.

Edit : most defects seen in birds are limb and beak, these are caused by improper egg rotation by parents or breeder, improper humidity also a factor. As is substrate chick's are kept on. And issues of hand feeding in beak development, with humidity and rotation prior to birth and parent nutrition prior to egg lay.
We should not perpetuate these myths.
Because then people go out and just get another bird , and do not take precautions, or try to rule things out.

Burds are sensitive creatures. That hide being sick , unlike any other creatures we know.

She was eating something she dropped on the bottom of her cage before she started acting lethargic, and she didn't take naps on the bottom of her cage. but she did seem to be doing more stuff on the bottom of her cage in the days leading up to her death (though she was basically always moving if she was on the bottom of her cage) I got her around eight months ago is it possible that she had a disease from when I got her it was just dormant? I took her to an avian vet in June/July down in texas (we are in Spokane right now because we travel a lot and live in an RV) and he said she was a healthy bird, but the fact that she sneezed still worries me. How common is it for birds to sneeze? Zoey sneezed quite a few times whenever she stretched or got angry Is that bad? my other GCC did not do that.

 

[Laurasea]

Yes they can have chlamydia , its hard to detect unless an active infection, and can be dormant for years even. Most burds have probably been exposed , many never show symptoms and kick it on their own. Younger birds are more vulnerable. It is even possible your other burd was a carrier and spread to the new bird. Its tricky weird bacteria. Its very contagious. I would ask your vet to test your remaining bird, tho its hard to pick up in burds with no symptoms. Keep careful track if weight.

I'm gun shy on this disease as a parakeet brought to my flock, abd despite treating tge whole flock 3 times. Its probably here to stay with intermittent flare ups. ( some strains are more virulent)

Though by no means do I know if that's what your bird had. I dont know all the burd diseases a d viruses st all.

Sneezing often is not normal and should be checked out. Only once in a blue moon do mine ever sneeze, like maybe after a bath. I have 7, I think I only had one sneeze in the past year. Tho during my outbreak I has some sick burds Sneezing. Some just had bright green urine, some just had weight loss, my two sickest had extra naps, one had diarrhea. My very sickest went off food and was fluffed and after a week of meds started having eye squint and intermittent drain from one nostril. Thus chlamydia is systemic abd can cause different symptoms from respiratory to digestive, to kidney abd liver. Classic is to have bright green urine, the liquid around the poop is deep green. Normal first morning poop can be green and that can seep out to urine because tgey are fasted while sleeping. So don't count first morning poop. It's later poops with green urine that are suspect. Also in some burds can cause ocular symptoms iris turns very dark, or red. Eye can be red rimmed and weep. In blue eyed quaker her eyes turned black during her infection though she didn't have order eye symptoms, my green cheek eyes also turned black they are normally brown. When they recover their eyes went back to normal color. Its hard to find documentation on thst with chlamydia but it does happen, I provided documentation and pictures fir my veterinarian. She was able to research it abd us linked with chlamydia abd septicemi in birds. They have a different eye structure. Tho people can have red eyes from parrot fever too its more of a conjunctivitis in us tho.
Anyway you can see i had to learn way more than I wanted to with 7 sick burds!!!

 

[Laurasea]

if you are thinking of getting another bird wait 3 months. Throw away all toys and soft perches. Bleach everything else. Throw away vacuum bag, get a new vacuum filter, Get a new broom through away old one. Get a new mop head. Change a/c filter . Its highly contagious abd can persist in the environment. Very airborne.

 

[ZoeyBear]

Yes they can have chlamydia , its hard to detect unless an active infection, and can be dormant for years even. Most burds have probably been exposed , many never show symptoms and kick it on their own. Younger birds are more vulnerable. It is even possible your other burd was a carrier and spread to the new bird. Its tricky weird bacteria. Its very contagious. I would ask your vet to test your remaining bird, tho its hard to pick up in burds with no symptoms. Keep careful track if weight.

I'm gun shy on this disease as a parakeet brought to my flock, abd despite treating tge whole flock 3 times. Its probably here to stay with intermittent flare ups. ( some strains are more virulent)

Though by no means do I know if that's what your bird had. I dont know all the burd diseases a d viruses st all.

Sneezing often is not normal and should be checked out. Only once in a blue moon do mine ever sneeze, like maybe after a bath. I have 7, I think I only had one sneeze in the past year. Tho during my outbreak I has some sick burds Sneezing. Some just had bright green urine, some just had weight loss, my two sickest had extra naps, one had diarrhea. My very sickest went off food and was fluffed and after a week of meds started having eye squint and intermittent drain from one nostril. Thus chlamydia is systemic abd can cause different symptoms from respiratory to digestive, to kidney abd liver. Classic is to have bright green urine, the liquid around the poop is deep green. Normal first morning poop can be green and that can seep out to urine because tgey are fasted while sleeping. So don't count first morning poop. It's later poops with green urine that are suspect. Also in some burds can cause ocular symptoms iris turns very dark, or red. Eye can be red rimmed and weep. In blue eyed quaker her eyes turned black during her infection though she didn't have order eye symptoms, my green cheek eyes also turned black they are normally brown. When they recover their eyes went back to normal color. Its hard to find documentation on thst with chlamydia but it does happen, I provided documentation and pictures fir my veterinarian. She was able to research it abd us linked with chlamydia abd septicemi in birds. They have a different eye structure. Tho people can have red eyes from parrot fever too its more of a conjunctivitis in us tho.
Anyway you can see i had to learn way more than I wanted to with 7 sick burds!!!

My other GCC died before we got Zoey (from a cat) and it is too late to perform a necropsy on her. would chlamydia cause sudden death? (Zoey died within two minutes of showing serious symptoms) and my bird has only come in contact with three of my friend's budgies once a few months ago. but she didn't have any symptoms of being sick and I have her out of her cage with me for a few hours every day. there is a possibility that I missed the signs before she got really bad. Her body did kinda seem a little underweight so I guess I just kinda missed the symptoms. This is a real wake-up call and I will have learned from my mistakes if I get a bird again and I will be paying close attention to weight and stools thank you so much for the infomation it has been really helpful and i will continue to do more research.

 

[ZoeyBear]

if you are thinking of getting another bird wait 3 months. Throw away all toys and soft perches. Bleach everything else. Throw away vacuum bag, get a new vacuum filter, Get a new broom through away old one. Get a new mop head. Change a/c filter . Its highly contagious abd can persist in the environment. Very airborne.

I will make sure everything is cleaned if we get another bird

 

[Laurasea]

Birds hide being sick. Sometimes sudden death is the only symptom....we all wish they would let us know sooner.

Any symptoms in bird should be taken very seriously. And gotten to an avian veterinarian.

My advice with bringing home new bird of any age, is to keep them on the food they were being fed. Give them a month before big diet change and push of changing to pellets. Its fine to offer new food and pellets on day one but in a separate dish while still offering their previous diet. Offering veggies day one is also fine. Just don't try to force or limit their previous diet. Its a big stress on birds to change homes. I also am a big believer in supporting warmth during the first week in a new home. A radiant heat is best, k abd h bird Warmer , I use sweeter heater as sold on Amazon. Keep away from drafts even keeping home set at 74f is helpful. Burds are under a lot if stress with a move. Oftentimes eating less or even fasting the first couple of days in a new home . Burds don't have a lot if reserves or extra muscle mass to draw from, and few have fat stores. For those who are fat, thst fasting effects their fatty liver causes big problems. ( I don't remember the medical reasons) . But parrots are sensitive so extra care is best fir a new bird. If they had a hidden health issue they often flare up in a new home. So many times we here of people burds who pass shortly after bringing them home. So I try and be risky supportive abd careful. I usually have a millet spray available fir new burds as its high in calories abd many birds will eat and nibble on even when stressed .

 

[wonderfulworld]

Sorry to hear about your loss! Saying a prayer for you!

 

[auntiebah]

My GCC Zoey was playing around on the bottom of her cage and then a minute later she was lethargic and unresponsive she died a minute later in my hands. Her symptoms were close to a heart attack do you think that is possible? she was a little over one year and was on a pelleted diet with some veggies mixed in we do not have candles we don't use perfume or strongly scented lotions and we use cast iron pans.

So very sorry! I lost my CAG after cooking a lot bacon in the oven with an oven mat. Didn't realize it was coated with dangerous materials. Tragic and avoidable had I known.

 

[MykaMom]

I'm crying for you. I've had nightmares about losing my little guy and I always wake up crying.

Laurasea, what you said about the droppings made me think again. Miles acts extremely healthy and spunky, eats well (he just learned he likes a good boiled egg), responds well, flies with good balance and maneuvering. I assume he is healthy. I have not weighed him, I usually sense changes in his weight just by picking him up or feeling his little belly. I'm thinking it would be a very good idea to start weighing him though. I do not live close to an avian vet and I don't have the money for an expensive visit either. So being able to catch the slightest change is something I really need to be able to do.
Anyway, Miles' droppings seem to constantly change. One time it will be small and pasty and very thick, and the next one will be large and juicy and slimy. Then the next one will be just a small bit of urine with very little fecal matter. But it is always changing. Usually the biggest juiciest ones are first thing in the morning or right after a bath or good snuggle.

Would you see any of the droppings as a problem?

I suggest Journaling his food and his poops, look for correlations. If nothing else, it can help the vet spot a problem.

 

[LostStonerBoy]

My condolences. I can't imagine what I would do if I lost my baby girl, she is my whole world.