# My budgie died today... Did I do enough for him?



## Cmacky87 (Jul 15, 2018)

Hi, I've just joined so apologies if this is in the wrong place. My budgie, Floyd, died this morning and I feel dreadful. He was only seven months old and I want to know if I didn't do enough to help him or what I should have done if I ever get another budgie. Yesterday (Saturday) when I woke up, he seemed a little off. He was sleepy and his droppings were slightly wetter than usual. I thought maybe he just had a bad night sleep with the current heat. I made sure he got an early night but today (Sunday) I woke and he was all puffed up and struggling to stay on his perch as he tried to sleep. I rang an emergency vet but could not get him seen till 2pm. Sadly he passed away in my hands at 1.15pm after a few hours battling to stay alive and with Me trying to give him, unsuccessfully, fluids while comforting him. His droppings had become more diorraha like and were burning hot when they came out. He also suffered a strange seizure which caused him to fly into a wall before fluttering around on the floor in a circle which was very distressing. I'm now suffering with guilt over this. I know now i should have brought him to the vet on Saturday but he didn't seem too bad and I thought the stress of taking him could make the situation worse. How wrong I was.

Other things that may have led to the illness that I feel bad:

I went on holiday recently and left him with a relative for two weeks. He did get a bit stressed when we got him there but he soon settled and they said he was fine there (they did not get him out of the cage for the duration though). When we got him back home following our holiday he seemed fine. He was hand tame, and after an initial flutter around the cage he came to me to get out and play. There were some instances where he put out his wings to say back off and we did so. After a week he was fine and back to normal. Playing on hands, sitting on shoulders and flying around - especially when it was time to go back in the cage of course. Maybe this unsettled him which weakened his immune system and helped him pick up an illness?

He did sneeze a bit but he had done this since the day we got him as a 12-week old from a reputable breeder. 

He had been fine all week leading up to this. Singing away as usual, chirping loudly in the mornings and getting excited by TV.

Any advice on where I went wrong and such will help me in future even if I let Floyd down badly. 

Again apologies if in wrong place or a hard read for anyone.

Just to add. His diet was mainly seed mix and millet. He wouldn't touch fruit or veg either from hand or if it was left in his cage


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I'm very sorry for your loss of Floyd. He was obviously well-loved and will be sorely missed. :hug:

Please don't blame yourself. It sounds as though you gave Floyd very good care and sometimes we just don't know budgies are ill because they are extremely good at hiding symptoms of illness. His diet may not have been the best, but I doubt that the all seed diet would have caused problems that quickly since he was only seven months old.
Without a necropsy, there is no way to know what exactly was wrong with Floyd nor why the issue progressed so quickly. It's never easy losing one of our beloved budgies and my heart goes out to you during this difficult time.

I don't think you did anything wrong. If you decide to get another budgie, then I'd suggest you take the time to read through the stickies and budgie articles offered here on the forum. They offer a wealth of information to help ensure our members are aware of the best practices in caring for their little feathered friends.

Fly high and free sweet Floyd, rest peacefully now little man.*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

I'm so sorry for the loss of your sweet boy Floyd :hug: 

Obviously he was much loved; I agree with FaeryBee that you did your best for him. 

Rest in peace, sweet Floyd.


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## Hunterkat (Mar 29, 2017)

Rest In Peace sweet little Floyd. Don’t blame yourself, it sounds like as soon as you knew something was wrong you wanted to care for him, sometimes there’s nothing we can do.


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

I’m so sorry for your loss of Floyd. Please stop blaming yourself. You cared about him it’s evident, and as Katherine said, sometimes there’s nothing we can do. It’s hard, I know. Take care.


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## sweettreat (Jan 3, 2014)

I am sorry to hear about the passing of Floyd. he was a very much loved Budgie.
It's easy to feel guilt, but it sounds like you did all the right things.


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## PlumpyParakeet (Apr 22, 2018)

I am very sorry for your loss. It is never easy to lose a feather or furry friend. It is difficult to know when to bring a bird to the vet. Animals are very good at hiding illness. You did what you could.

I too like to learn from these horrible events to see if there is anything I can do better in the future. The only thing I can suggest is to periodically weigh your birds regularly such as with a food scale to catch any major weight changes. I learned this the hard way with one budgie and now this is part of my weekly routine.

You did everything you could to love and care for him. Floyd is over the rainbow bridge now where he can fly free.


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