# Parrotlet sudden death



## LDVet (Jan 31, 2013)

My little celestial parrotlet, Luna, suddenly died today. She was staying at my mothers house during this semester while I'm busy at uni but she didn't change the husbandry I had set out for her. She was on Harrisons pellets and she was a very young bird (less than a year old) which makes this even more tragic.
Apparently there were no signs of overt illness right up until she died, apart from her being slightly quieter than usual (although she was always a quiet bird). She always had slightly poorer plumage than my other parrotlet and had slightly crusted nostrils a little while back. Her faeces was a little bit green according to my mum. It makes me think of PBFD with secondary infections but I'm not sure how likely this is. I'm currently finding out more about the original breeder and what health tests his breeding stock were subject to. I regret not finding out more about the original breeder in the first place (I practically rescued her from a pet shop as she was stressed/in a pretty sorry state). 
My worry is that I have another parrotlet and my mum was looking after a budgie which were both in the same room as the one that died. 
I actually quarantined Luna for over a month when I first got her but I will admit I was ignorant of the main infectious diseases of birds at the time so I didn't get her tested for anything. 
Can anyone think of a reason for a young parrotlet to die so suddenly? And if I wanted to get any post mortem tests done, does anyone know of places in Scotland to do this (plus costs)? I just want to make sure the other birds stay healthy.
Still so sad about this, I feel so awful about it...

RIP Luna xx


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## LDVet (Jan 31, 2013)

The above photo was taken fairly soon after we got her btw, she was quite "dusty" and had quite a few irregular feathers. She was very stressy at this time and had not been well handled. She was around 4 months old then.


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## poohdog (May 16, 2010)

Shame when you lose a friend..but that's birdkeeping.
There are many infections that can affect birds and no way you can guard against all...especially with a bird that wasn't 100% in the first place.

Go get yourself another more healthy bird.All breeders and pet shops will have birds that are not the healthiest...unfortunately many will be sold off,especially at bird shows and fairs.I wouldn't worry about your other birds...just thoroughly disinfect the cage your poorly bird used.

I wouldn't worry about post mortems...spend the money on a new bird.

Good luck.


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## delca1 (Oct 29, 2011)

I don't know about birds but couldn't read and run. Sorry for your loss, always very sad x


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## AlexArt (Apr 25, 2010)

Sorry your little bird died, but birds in general are very good at dying suddenly - it doesn't take much to kill them and they tend to hide any symptoms until it is too late, they crash very quickly especially the smaller they are. 
If she had a snotty nose at some point it was more than likely to be a respiratory infection - birds are very susceptible to them and they are very hard to get rid of due to their anatomy so can grumble on and linger for ages gradually dragging the bird down. 
If she came from a pet shop then more than likely a crappy breeder who churns them out then you have no idea what conditions etc they came from or how inbred the birds were, at least this little bird had some nice life and was cared for at the end which is far more than most birds get!
I'd get a new bird too, a pm will cost you a bomb and may not show much at all, if your other bird is healthy and happy then I wouldn't panic, just make sure you buy from a reputable breeder - there are parrot clubs around the country and they maybe able to point you towards a good breeder. Pet shop birds are very hit and miss and although tempting to rescue an animal or bird from one they often lead to heartbreak, a ton of vet bills and fills the demand for more to be bred by crap breeders.


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## Freya'n'Sassy (Aug 13, 2008)

Sounds like a respitory infection from what you have said about the nostrils, but it could have been as simple as chemicals... Birds can die in minutes if there is some sort of chemical smell around and you might not even smell it. I was reading the other day about 38 budgies who died within minutes of each other at a show, and no one has ever found out why or how.


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