Owning a pet bird can bring immense joy and companionship to our lives. Birds are delicate creatures, and as pet owners, it is our responsibility to ensure their well-being and safety.
Unfortunately, there are instances when our feathered friends can experience sudden and unexpected deaths. Understanding the common causes of sudden death in pet birds can help us take necessary precautions and provide the best care possible.
In this blog post, we will explore nine common causes of sudden death in pet birds, shedding light on potential risks and offering insights into preventative measures. By being aware and proactive, we can create a safe and loving environment for our beloved avian companions.
Stress
Long-term stress in birds can cause them to pass away suddenly and seemingly for no reason. A bird’s heart beats more quickly under stress, especially under extremely high levels of stress. This eventually overwhelms their system, which results in death.
Birds are sensitive to stress, particularly when they are settling into a new environment or meeting new individuals. Unfortunately, birds lead hectic lives that may cause stress.
You can, however, stop your cherished pet bird from passing away from stress. If you are concerned about the stress levels of your pet bird, give them some space and make an effort to help them unwind.
Heart Failure
Your pet bird will die suddenly if its heart fails. The hearts of birds are tiny and beat fast.
Unfortunately, if it begins to beat any faster, especially if it has been beating faster than normal for an extended time, the body will be unable to tolerate the incredibly high blood flow and will get overwhelmed.
If their heart is unable to handle the blood’s input and output, it may also suddenly stop working. Make sure your pet bird lives in a stress-free or very low-stress environment because excessive stress might lead to heart failure.
Food and Water Shortage
Your bird will pass away unexpectedly if it goes for an extended period without getting food and water. A food and water supply should always be available for your pet bird, especially if you plan to be gone for a long time.
Birds must frequently eat and drink because of their incredibly rapid metabolisms. They eat several times a day because of this.
Even if they don’t appear to be skinny, they are going to die from malnutrition and dehydration if they go for 24 to 36 hours without eating. A pet bird shouldn’t lose weight unless it is required.
Toxin Exposure
A pet bird will die quickly if it is exposed to toxins at high concentrations or low concentrations for an extended length of time.
This mostly occurs when a bird is abruptly exposed to large quantities of toxins because they don’t usually exhibit any symptoms of disease. Avoid exposing your beloved bird to possibly dangerous poisons.
You should only feed your pets clean, bird-friendly food because some chemicals and pesticides are hazardous to small pet birds and other kinds of birds.
Genetic Condition
Your pet bird will pass away unexpectedly and you won’t be able to figure out what caused it if it has a hereditary illness. Organs are likely to be affected by a hereditary condition that could abruptly kill your pet bird.
The majority of hereditary bird illnesses that damage their beak or mouth are obvious, and owners usually figure out how to work around the problems they cause, thus those pet birds rarely pass away suddenly. But that doesn’t make it impossible.
Organ Failure
Your pet bird will die suddenly if their organs fail. Unfortunately, not only can organ failure result from a lack of food and water, but also genetic abnormalities, other illnesses, and more.
A necropsy might help you identify whether your beloved bird died unexpectedly from organ failure. A necropsy is an autopsy performed on a pet or animal, and your veterinarian most likely provides this service.
Old Age
Your pet bird can die abruptly from old age. Some birds grow to be exceedingly old, even outliving their owners, whilst others only survive for 2-3 years.
Pet birds commonly die of old age because their bodies begin to shut down, but this does not always happen gradually. Bird owners often realize their bird is dying of old age when they notice their bird behaving unusually, not eating normally, or its excrement or pee changing consistency or color.
However, old age has the potential to quickly kill pet birds since it can cause the bird’s organs to shut down unexpectedly and seemingly for no reason.
Illness or Virus
Your beloved bird could die abruptly from a disease or virus. When your pet bird is ill or infected with a virus, it may exhibit symptoms of illness but appear to be getting better.
However, one day you may come out of your room to discover that your bird has passed away. This is upsetting, especially if you believed they were improving. This is only one of the benefits of scheduling regular vet appointments.
Here are some of the most frequent diseases that affect pet birds, including some of their symptoms:
- Avian Goiter: Canaries, budgerigars, and other non-domesticated birds are frequently affected.
- Avian Tuberculosis: Commonly observed in recently imported birds. Weight loss, sadness, increased thirst, breathing difficulties, the absence of egg production, diarrhea, and abrupt death are among its other symptoms.
- Canary Pox: Even though it only affects canaries, this ailment results in unexpected death. Your canary will suddenly have respiratory problems if it has canary pox.
- French Molt: This primarily affects 5 to 6-week-old lovebirds, budgerigar, parrots, and bird species with hooked beak chicks. Breakage of the feathers on the tail and wings, as well as excessive molting, are all signs of the condition.
- PDD: Weight loss, a potential initial increase in hunger, regurgitation, weakness, and a passage of undigested seeds or other food in the stool are some of the most typical symptoms of PDD. However, this presentation is somewhat less frequent and typically happens in Old World species like cockatoos and African grey parrots. Neurologic indications can also manifest, such as loss of balance, circling, partial paralysis, and seizures.
- Pulmonary Sarcocystosi: Frequently impacts African parrots, cockatiels, and cockatoos. These birds frequently don’t exhibit symptoms until right before they pass away from this ailment, which causes them to pass away abruptly and is exceedingly lethal. If when you remove your dead bird, clear fluid is gushing from its mouth, then this was the sickness that caused its death.
Accidents
Accidents frequently result in the abrupt death of birds. Accidents do, after all, happen. People have been known to accidentally kill their birds by stepping on them when they couldn’t see them on the ground.
Additionally, birds may pass away accidentally by head trauma, cage wire head snaring, choking, being devoured by another animal, or falling from a considerable height. Even if accidents can be avoided, they frequently happen without warning.
Conclusion
It’s hard to be prepared for loss, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of hoping that our pets will live forever. But in reality, as with every other living thing, the eventual end is part of life.
If you’ve recently lost a pet bird due to one of the reasons listed above, take comfort in knowing you can help keep their memory alive by getting them a personalized memorial stone. Visit Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorials to know more.
