Owners of budgerigars are confident that their pets will live long and carefree, delighting their owners with their trill every day. It is believed that in favorable conditions birds can live for decades. But there are always exceptions to the rules. Trouble comes unnoticed, and at one point the owner realizes that the parrot is seriously ill and will most likely die soon. What causes budgerigars, which are bred at home, to die if the birds were cared for according to all the rules? Our article provides an answer to this question.
Symptoms that are life-threatening
Budgerigars are kept as pets quite often. They are beautiful, easy to train and can speak about 100-150 words. It is important not only to bring them into the house, but also to create safe living conditions. Then the pet will live for more than ten years.
However, often the owner of the bird suddenly discovers how, in his opinion, the parrot was vigorous and healthy yesterday, but today it looks helpless and apathetic. The consequences of this can be very sad - often the budgie dies. It is usually quite difficult for a person to understand the reason for what happened. As well as whether he could help his pet.
To prevent such questions from arising, it is important to pay attention to the slightest changes in the behavior of your feathered pets. For example, a parrot becomes less active and shows indifference to what it has always liked. The general condition changes, and appetite disappears.
Signs that a budgie may die in a very short time:
- The bird lies on its stomach for a long time.
- He tries to get up on his paws, which ends in failure. The maximum that can be done is to jump up. Then the bird falls.
- The parrot starts vomiting.
- The neck gets tense.
- Convulsions run through the body.
- The eyes are covered with a white veil.
All this often ends in paralysis.
A budgerigar can remain in this state from several hours to several days. Often the pet dies on the first day, which is explained by accelerated metabolism.
First aid for a pet
If suddenly your budgerigar shows symptoms (signs) that it is dying, you need to provide first aid to the bird, then take it to the veterinarian.
Here's what you can do right away if your parrot behaves as if it were dying:
- Administer Dexamethasone or any other corticosteroid drug. The injection is given intramuscularly and relieves traumatic shock and shortness of breath.
- Wrap up your parrot if he has chills.
- Secure a damaged leg or other part of the body if it turns out that the parrot has a fracture.
- In case of gas or paint poisoning, remove the bird to fresh air. If the cause of poisoning is poisonous plants, poor-quality food, medicines, give a sorbent, and a little later - a laxative.
- For vomiting and diarrhea, it is recommended to drink 1 ml of saline solution with liquid glucose every 10 minutes.
These are first aid measures when a pet appears to be dying. Only a veterinarian can provide proper treatment.
How to treat a cell
If a parrot dies unexpectedly, it is recommended to find out the cause of death
This is especially important if there are other birds in the house. If there is a veterinary clinic and laboratory in the locality and they will do this, then this is an ideal option
Birds can suffer from contagious and dangerous diseases such as chlamydia, tuberculosis, and salmonellosis. Even if it was not possible to find out what caused the parrot’s death, the bird’s cage must be thoroughly disinfected.
You can treat the cage after the death of a parrot using the following means:
- Alkali;
- xylonaft 5%;
- creolin emulsion.
Before starting treatment, wear rubber gloves and protect your respiratory tract.
Disinfection is carried out if the pet suddenly died for unknown reasons or had parasites, bacterial and viral infections.
Probable causes of death of budgies
It is difficult to give parrot owners a definite answer to the question of what usually causes budgies to die at home. There can be many reasons. Some of them are related to the physical condition of the bird and its genetics, others - to the conditions in which the birds live. Budgerigars often die from the carelessness of their owners.
Age
Natural aging - not a single living creature is immune from this. But new owners of budgies do not always guess about the true age of their future pets.
Sellers easily convince inexperienced people that the bird is young and in its prime. It is really difficult to draw a conclusion about the age of a budgerigar based on its appearance; as a result, some time after it appears in the house, the pet dies of old age.
Diseases
The body of small budgies is often attacked by microbes and viruses. These birds often develop the same diseases as humans: malignant tumors and viral infections, cardiovascular and endocrine pathologies. If measures are not taken in time, the pet may die.
Poor living conditions
Here the fault lies entirely with the owner. The budgie, despite its modest size, needs a spacious cage. If there is not enough space, the feathered pet simply will not be able to fully satisfy its needs for movement. And this is one of the reasons why a budgerigar dies before its due time.
Poultry requires a special temperature regime and complete and balanced food. Causes that often lead to premature death:
- drafts;
- dirty drinking water or no water at all;
- monotonous (for example, only grain crops without vegetables, fruits, herbs and mineral supplements) and low-quality food;
- placing the cage in places where direct sunlight falls.
Injuries
A budgie can get injured both in the cage and outside it. In the first case, the cause is ladders, swings and other similar objects for games. A parrot that gets tangled in ropes cannot get out on its own and breaks its fragile bones.
There are many more opportunities for your pet to get injured outside of the cage. Curtains in which he gets entangled, a mirror or glass he “crashes” into, a hot stove if the door of the room is open - these are just some of the traumatic situations. There is no need to guess why the budgerigar suddenly fell ill and then suddenly died.
Poisoning
Here, too, there may be several options. Parrots that eat house plants often die. Many of them are poisonous to birds. In other cases, glue or medicine was left somewhere. After use, do not close the paint can or detergent.
The parrot is naturally curious, and therefore it tries everything with its beak. You should always remember this, including when purchasing a cage. The budgie will definitely start gnawing on the bars, and if they are painted, poisoning will hardly be avoided.
Stress
In order to understand in time that a parrot may be dying, you need to know the characteristics of these birds. Budgerigars in their natural environment live in a flock and are sure to have a mate. Loneliness often causes stress and depression. The pet begins to feel sad, and therefore needs more attention. The male experiences the death of the female especially painfully.
Sometimes he refuses to eat or play and starts to pinch himself. This condition often leads to the death of the pet.
Stress in budgies is also caused by a change in environment, moving, and loud equipment. The weak heart of birds sometimes cannot withstand strong fright. The result is sudden death and confusion among the owners as to why the pet they cared for so much died.
Other reasons
Budgerigars die at home and for other reasons:
- Gender. Females have a shorter lifespan: reproduction of offspring affects their health. Typically, budgerigars hatch chicks at least twice a year. The more often a female lays eggs, the weaker her body becomes. In addition, sometimes during laying the egg cannot come out. It remains inside and begins to compress the internal organs. As a result, she dies.
- Genetics. Often a parrot inherits a genetic predisposition and dies from the same diseases that killed its parents. Sellers, even if they know about it, prefer not to talk about it.
- Drowning. Budgerigars are attracted to water, but they cannot swim. For this reason, feathered pets often drown in aquariums, vases and other containers with water.
- Flying out onto the street. A window opens the way for budgies. Not everyone comes back. Most often, pets die.
- Parasites. A dying pet becomes a victim of worms and ticks. Death occurs if he does not receive qualified help on time.
To avoid sad consequences, your budgie needs to be given more attention. If there is anything alarming about his behavior, you should immediately contact a veterinarian.
Sometimes it may be better to put your parrot to sleep rather than watch it suffer from a terminal illness or injury. You need to entrust this to a specialist.
Poor nutrition
You can kill a pet out of ignorance. Little children often want to pamper their pet and feed them something tasty. But there are some foods that are strictly contraindicated for budgies. First of all, these are fruits in sugar, melons, watermelons, mangoes, persimmons, papaya. Potatoes in any form are prohibited for budgies. The causes of death can be herbs, some types of nuts, salty and canned foods.
Watch what the bird eats, explain to children what can be given and what cannot be given, and buy only high-quality and proven food.
As you can see, if you follow some rules of caution, monitor the cage and clean it in a timely manner, and also feed your budgie correctly, you can extend its life. Monitor the condition of the bird, especially during changes in environment or other stressful situations, and do not hesitate to contact a specialist if necessary.
What to do if the parrot died
A beloved pet needs to be buried. Owners of dachas and their own houses can do this in the far corner of the garden. Those who live in an apartment will have to go to the nearest forest. An alternative is to contact a service that bury or cremate animals that die at home.
How to bury
To bury a budgerigar, dig a hole - a depth of about half a meter is suitable. The pet is wrapped in a piece of cloth and placed in a box. The top of the grave is sprinkled with pebbles or covered with turf to protect it from animals.
Those who plan to visit the parrot install an identification mark at the site of the hole.
Cell disinfection
The next step is complete processing of the cell. It is not always possible to fully understand why a pet died, and budgies often become carriers of infectious diseases.
The cage must be washed with a disinfectant. Ecocid-S is suitable, a tablespoon of which must be diluted in a liter of water. After thorough washing, leave the cage for 30 minutes, then rinse well with water. A new tenant can be moved in no sooner than in a week.
Food poisoning
Remove anything from the parrot's access area that could poison it. Budgerigars are curious and love to taste their surroundings. Any chemicals, electrical wires, and some types of house plants should be excluded.
Many breeders, when interacting with a budgie, let it close to their face. However, it is better not to do this. Some bacteria that cause diseases in humans are also dangerous for birds.
Do not cover the cage tray with newspapers. Change the water in the drinking bowl regularly and prevent mucus from forming in it. If you suspect poisoning, add activated charcoal to your parrot's food.
It is best to keep birds out of the kitchen, especially while cooking. Open fire, boiling water - all this can easily lead to tragedy. To avoid this, designate one specific room for your pet to walk around.
How to cope with the death of a pet
No matter how difficult it is, you should not dwell on a situation such as the death of a parrot. You can contact people on the Internet who have experienced a similar situation - their advice will definitely help.
Pets rarely live longer than their owners, because their lifespan is initially shorter. Therefore, when buying a budgie, you need to remember: birds are exposed to great dangers and often die prematurely.
