Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 11/20/2006

Question
After reading your response, I still believe it may be the cold as apparently the house is quite cool in the nights for the past week or so,as per my Fiance, and the temp does drop drastically  during the day as well, as we do not ahve control over the heat.
We purchased him from a pet store 6.5 months ago and he had a viral infection then, but that was cured with anti biotics.  His symptoms this time were very similar, however this time, only the day before his poo was very dark green- almost black, and the white of the poo was yellowish and foamy.  His breathing was laboured just before we put him to bed.  
We cannot afford to get an autopsy for him as we decided to get him cremated, but I was hoping for some form of answer so that maybe we can stop blaming ourselves for his tragic and untimely death.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I had a 9 month old love bird up until Nov 17.  We were going to take it to the vet that morning because he seemed a bit lethargic the day before.  he seemed a bit puffed out and lifeless, until we really pumped the heat out ( I mean we had the oven on for 2 hours at 500F).  Once the house got REALLY hot, he became very active again. Sadly we found that on Friday morning he had passed away and we were wondering if it had anything to do with a dip in temperature, especially during the morning hours.   I hope you can help us to understand what happened to little Jincks.

Roxanne
-----Answer-----
Hi, Roxanne.  Thanks for posting!

I'm sorry about the loss of your lovie.  What you need to understand is that parrots/birds hide signs of illness until they can't hide their symptoms any longer.  This is because birds are flock animals.  A sick flock member means the possibility of predation to that member as well as the entire group.  This is why birds mask their illness so effectively.  By the time you noticed your lovie was sick, s/he had already been sick too long and was likely a very sick bird.  Even the bird vet might not have been able to help your bird.  

If you live in an area with 4 seasons, fall is the time of the year when birds can contract different types of illnesses as a result of temperature change outside.  However, most illnesses birds get with temperature changes are respiratory.  If your bird was inside your home, the temperature change shouldn't have been that drastic I wouldn't have thought...meaning if it's comfortable for you, it's probably comfortable for any birds.  Parrots can tolerate cooler temperatures better than hot temperatures, but the change can't be too drastic at once (needs to be a gradual change).  Also, any cold draft on a bird is asking for trouble.  However, you most likely wouldn't have seen a change in your bird's health as a result of a temperature dip for only 1 morning.  It is more likely your lovie was in too cold and/or too drafty an environment for a greater period of time in order to have become sick (depending on what the illness was).

Your lovie could have also passed away due to something else, such as a bacterial, fungal, viral infection of some sort that is completely unrelated to temperature (respiratory).  Did you recently purchase this lovebird from a pet shop or private individual?  Sometimes birds are ill when purchased or a move to a new environment can result in illness (too much stress compromises the immune system).  Viral infections can kill a bird in a matter of hours...there are no cures nor medicines for viruses.  Bacterial and fungal infections take much longer and you would likely see symptoms of illness in time to seek medical assistance from a bird vet.  Is it possible your lovie was ill for a while and you didn't notice any symptoms (weight loss, abnormal droppings, labored breathing, etc.)?

In summary, I don't know exactly why Jincks passed away.  There are many possibilities.  If you've kept his body refrigerated, you could have an animal autopsy performed (necropsy) by an avian vet in order to find out for sure what happened to him/her, however, you'll need to get the body to the vet ASAP.    

Again, sorry about your loss and sorry I can't be more helpful.

Chrys  

Answer
Hi again, Roxanne.

I provided some possibilities, however, no one can tell you definitely what happened except an avian vet if he does a necropsy.  If your bird's breathing was labored, s/he likely had respiratory problems, which are quite common this time of year.  Could also be the original bacterial infection was not gone completely.  Could be many possibilities like I stated.  You may not have control over the building heat sources, but a space heater of some sort may have helped keep the area warmer for your bird.  But, like I stated, parrots don't usually become ill over night, unless it's viral.

Chrys