# My bird just died



## Minizoo (Nov 22, 2016)

My light blue budgie died sudden 
Silence was always a very mellow bird but active so I never assumed anything would be wrong and from when I bought him as a baby I'd assume he was barely one 

The larger problem is that even though I had 4 budgies silence and his buddy Jekyll seemed bonded they where always by each others side and would accept attention from the other 2 birds....should I be worried the Jekyll will die too? I was doing a late night check on the birds they have the guest room right now because it's the only non drafty room in the house 

I cracked the door, counted my boys (I've done this since I was given the first two because one thinks he's an escape artist) and my sweet timid boy was face down on the bottom of the cage and I went downstairs to the second living area crying to my bf with silence in a towel and I just sat there for a while with my budgie baby...

So I don't want two deaths on my hands silence was one of my more timid ones Jekyll is a good boy too and I love them all I'm beyond worried about Jekyll I remember when silence first came home Jekyll even made kissy noises at him through the bars at the other cage 

I did switch them to the cage I use when their main cage is getting cleaned and it seems Jekyll is lashing out at the others he's chasing them away and pecking at him when they get near him and that's not like him I was wondering if that had anything to do with me changing the cages (silence died in it just feels right to give the cage a deep cleaning before I put them back in it) 

My male dog even loves the birds he doesn't like strangers getting near them he will watch them and sleep by their cage often (I even call them his birds because it just feels that way) he gave me a funny look when I was putting silence in a little box and I told him silence died he started whining...it was weird too I normally have to bribe the birds out of the cage even the crankiest one (he had some teams happen with a previous owner so I let him be cranky I'd be cranky too if I'd been in a cats mouth before) and they gave me no fuss switching cages 

I don't want anymore of them to die suddenly and I've heard birds can die if their buddies pass away I'm definitely not getting any sleep tonight keeping the rest of my budgie boys with in eye shot


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

I'm very sorry for the sudden passing of Silence. 
It's true that budgies will mourn the loss of their mates, but it's not necessarily true that they will pass away strictly from heartbreak (potential spreading of contagious illness must be ruled out).
You did well in moving your flock to a different cage in order to wash and disinfect their main cage.
For now, it's important to give Jekyll the much needed extra TLC during this time and to keep on watching the interactions he has with his other flockmates.
Did Jekyll only started to show his bully tendencies after Silence's passing or has he always been more of a dominant bird?

If the bullying and chasing persists, then temporarily moving Jekyll to a spare cage next to your other budgie boys and giving him the time to adjust to all of these changes and by giving him one-on-one attention will be the best thing to do.
While Jekyll adjusts to this new reality, you can allow him to have closely supervised out of cage time together with your budgies and if they get along well, you can continue with that arrangement till the time comes when Jekyll is healed from the loss and ready to move back in with his flockmates.

While you mention that your dog is very protective towards your flock, for overall safety reasons it's always best to not allow the budgie to have out of cage time in the same room your dog is in. Even for sweet tempered dogs, there is still the chance for them to one day give in to their natural instincts and for tragedy to happen. 
Sadly, there have been many accounts here of people losing their beloved pet birds in such a way: http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/329945-cats-dogs-predators-birds-prey.html


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## JRS (Sep 3, 2016)

So sorry to hear that you've lost Silence. I think with a sudden death the cause is very unlikely to be something infectious though I understand completely your urge to have a deep clean and it's good practice. It's good that you have the two cages, the group dynamics have changed now you've moved from 4 to 3 birds so keep a close eye on the interactions between them and if Jekyll continues to seem pestered/aggressive then moving him to the other cage might be advisable (you can still have the cages beside each other). Your dog sounds very sweet but be very careful, there have been many incidents when dogs/cats have seemed friendly towards birds and then suddenly an instinct kicks in and injury or fatality occurs.

I'm inexperienced with regards to budgies passing away from grief and how best to help Jekyll move on, hopefully more experienced members will be able to advise you further. 

Sending a big hug your way (& to Jekyll), hope your memories of happy times comfort you.

Edit- must have be writing this at the same time as Aluz.


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## shaz128blue (Feb 18, 2009)

Hello and so sorry to hear about your loss.
You have come the right place for support and understanding. 
The guys have given brilliant advice above. 

It's hard at the moment but do cherish those happy memories of your little baby, and tell those stories to the rest of the flock, they will love it. 
Sending love and hugs xx


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## Therm (Aug 2, 2015)

Aluz has offered you the very best advice. 
I would say that staying up to watch over your boys will not help. As hard as it can be to accept, Silence did not die through neglect on your part. Sometimes it just happens. Staying up watching them will just exhaust you. 

I know how it is to have bonded birds lose a mate and it can be hard. In July one of my pairs lost his mate and he was noticeably mourning her loss. With time and space- letting him pick when he wanted company or to be by himself- he is now enjoying a new bond with a male buddy, a friend he picked out when he was ready. 
Some extra attention from you is bound to make Jekyll feel better.


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## bparakeets (Dec 17, 2016)

Very sorry to hear about Silence.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I'm very sorry for your loss of little Silence. :hug:

It is because of Love we Grieve
and
Because of Love we are also comforted
in our Sorrow

In Memories, may you find Healing
In Time, may you find Peace
In the Power of Love, may you find Comfort.​
Fly high and soar free sweet Silence; rest peacefully now wee man.*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

I'm so sorry that your little Silence has passed on :hug: It's never easy to lose one of our little ones. 

The others have given good advice for helping Jekyll through this difficult time. 

My thoughts and prayers are with your during this time of grief ray: 

Rest in peace and fly high, darling Silence.


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## Minizoo (Nov 22, 2016)

Thank you for your advice and concerns I've actually been trying the keeping him in a separate cage close to the boys because when they where all out the next day for free time Jekyll was chasing Hyde away from him buddy pidgey when Hyde was giving pidgey attention and the time that they where together before I separated them he was acting aggressive and that just seemed to "stir the pot" with the group but yes Jekyll is normally the dominant one they often follow him around like he's leading a group or something (totally amusing when they do it on the floor they look like tiny chickens running around) 

Surprisingly though I do have a dove and the boys never paid him too much attention just let him hang out around them and when the dove would groom his feathers Jekyll would try to help? It didn't seem like he was trying to pull on them or anything and Jekyll followed him around like a lost puppy...which is odd 

I'll probably try seeing if he can't be in the main cage again in a couple weeks but I don't mind the world involved I get the animals people miss treat or can't handle or don't have the time for when I have room (how I got a couple of my dogs, the dove and Jekyll and Hyde and so on) so most of my free time goes to them but I like it that way I don't have kids or a busy schedule so I'm happy I'm lucky enough to have the availability to do so

I'm not much of a forum person I'm surprised by the love and support here thank you ? and I'll be sure to check out the other posts of users with similar experiences

The question mark after thank you is supposed to be a heart I guess it doesn't work like that here LOL

Oh! I also forgot to mention all of my dogs are 60+ pounds! I'd have a heart attack if my birds got smashed or anything!! I don't let them free interactions with each other once my female Sophie was in the crate while they where out and she whined ALLOT pidgey purched on her cage and she fell right asleep but I haven't had the guts to purposely try anything like that! I actually met a person who bred some kind of large bird and he professionally trains dogs and his huge dog chased one of the babies that had gotten out on accident so yes very very very understandable why it was mentioned as a suggestion but I do not allow it


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