Why did my cockatiel die suddenly after being fluffed up and weak?

Thanks for reaching out about your birds. First thoughts are of a tracheal obstruction, possible infection or aspirated seed. Either of these can lead to acute death. Ticks are extremely rare in birds and can usually be removed manually. Mites or lice are more common. Treating them with organophosphates might be risky with chicks around. If possible, wait until chicks are weaned and out of the nest. Then the cage can be thoroughly cleaned and the birds treated. A veterinary visit will be needed to prescribe a treatment. Good luck.

Sorry about your bird. First thoughts are a respiratory infection, causing the wings to held outwards, then respiratory collapse. Respiratory problems can be caused by inhaled toxins, infections (bacterial, viral, fungal), metabolic disorder (liver, renal), and others. A veterinarian might be able to provide a necropsy for more answers. Good luck.

Sorry to hear about Iago. Concerns might consist of a seizure or other neurological event (i.e. stroke). Liver, renal and cardiac disease can all show similar signs. As Iago was middle aged to older, metabolic disorders are a little more common. Once again, sorry for your loss.

A more fluffed up appearance is usually symptomatic of high temperature which can cause lethargy as well. High temperature is usually caused by an infection which is very often of respiratory origin. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear you've lost two parakeets recently! There are many possible causes of sudden death, but if you've had this happen twice in a row, some sort of toxic exposure would be my biggest concern. Something infectious would be another possibility. If your parakeets have access to flying around your house, then there would be many possibilities - but if they stayed in their cages, I would be looking for a toxic exposure they could come in direct contact with. Newspaper lining the cage (the ink can be harmful if the birds chew on it), moldy food, unclean water, etc. I recommend carefully cleaning everything you can, replacing anything that can't be well cleaned, making sure you're using safe substances in the cage, and when in doubt, you could consult with either the pet store (about your habitat) or your vet. Hopefully you don't experience the loss of another bird - but if it were to happen again, I recommend promptly bringing the bird in to a veterinarian for a necropsy (the animal version of autopsy). By doing a visual exam, and potentially getting tissue samples of different organs for analysis, your vet may be able to determine the cause of death, which will hopefully help prevent any further issues! Again - I'm sorry you're dealing with this,and I hope this helps!

Thanks for reaching out about your cockatiel. Lethargy and weakness are only general signs of illness. Possibilities range from metabolic problems (kidney, liver), infections, nutritional deficiencies, inhaled or ingested toxins, and more. A veterinary visit is needed to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. This sounds serious and should be dealt with today. Good luck.

Hello, I am very sorry to hear about Kiwi. Situations like this can be so challenging and hard to experience. When birds are not feeling well they often spend the majority of time at the bottom of their cage. It is very hard to know what happened without having evaluated Kiwi, however upper respiratory infections secondary to bacteria are not uncommon in parakeets, many of these are contagious among birds. Other systemic infections due to bacteria are also seen in Parakeets. I hope this helps. Losing multiple pets in such a short period of time is incredibly saddening, I am very sorry for your loss.