FINCHforum

I can't believe it. My male cordon bleu died today. I have no idea how or when exactly - last night, when I went to feed the birds, he flew away to the other side of the flight cage with the rest of them, and looked active and fine. He was singing like he always does (he was a fantastic singer). Today, I came home from work with a ton of stuff to do - I had to get straight to the kitchen to finish making dinner because we had company coming for dinner - the missionaries from our church, believe it or not. So, I didn't get to go check on the birds at all, but as usual, with 10 birds, there was plenty of chirping and chattering coming from the living room.

Anyway, I made dinner, we ate, we all visited for a while, and then we went into the living room to talk for a few minutes before they had to go. I was sitting right by the cage when I looked over and saw the CB face down on the bottom of the cage. Of course I was devastated. He has always been my favorite. But with company here, and them sharing a passage from the scriptures with us, I couldn't exactly say much. I did mention it, in case they noticed - it would be hard not to.

Anyway, after they left my wife came over and gave me a hug, knowing I was having a hard time with it. I went and got him out of the cage and looked him over as well as I could - he wasn't missing a single feather, nothing was out of place that I could tell. His vent was totally clean, his eyes totally clear. There was absolutely no sign of illness or injury. All the other birds are eating and drinking, flying and chirping like normal in there, so I can't imagine what it could be. It really stinks - the CBs are so hard to find these days, and I can't really afford to replace him anyway. That's why I never replaced his mate who died 8 months ago. Now, the lone OC waxbill will have to find a new sleeping mate, since he'd paired up with the CB for the last 6 months.

Sorry this post is so long. It's always a heartbreak when you lose a bird. And he was my favorite.

Oh, Steve, that sucks - I'm so sorry! What is it with CBs and people in this forum? Everybody has had the worst luck lately. I've had that happen - they look FINE, then you find them on the bottom of the cage with absolutely no explanation.

Hey, I'm still bird-sitting Roger's cb male. If he doesn't hurry up and take him back home, you can have him!

What a rough end to your day! I'm sorry to hear about your CB. He sounded like he was very dear to your heart, and I'm sure he will be missed. You have my condolences.

As for causes of sudden death in an adult waxbill which otherwise appeared healthy (i.e. not emaciated, no obvious injury, etc.):

Infectious Causes

• polyomavirus
  herpesvirus-cytomegalovirus
  chlamydophila
  salmonella
  mycobacteria
  yersinia pseudotuberculosis
  macrorhabdus
  candida
  aspergillus
  PMV-1

Parasitic Causes

• isospora
  sternostoma
  cryptosporidium
  sarcocystis
  toxoplasma
  blood parasites
  microsporidia
  syngamus
  spiruroids

Other Causes

• Inhalant toxins (e.g. carbon monoxide)
  ingested toxins
  head trauma
  starvation
  visceral gout
  blood loss
  predators (e.g. cats, dogs)
  cancer
  urogenital disease
  heart disease
  liver disease
  iron storage disease
  ingested foreign bodies

The above list was derived from Volume II of Clinical Avian Medicine by Greg Harrison DVM and Teresa Lightfoot DVM; obviously not all of the items listed apply in your situation.

It's an extensive list, but it may help you in your search to figure out what happened. Sorry again for your loss.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Steve. Seems like the CBs are just more delicate, as so many have been lost. I have lost my share, and it is always heartbreaking. The last male I lost, I was working in the birdroom, and he had been just fine, flying around--suddenly, I looked at his cage, and he was on the bottom, face down just like yours. I never knew what happened.

Oh Steve, I am so sorry. It does sound like he was happy right up to the end, you sound like an excellent bird parent.

sorry to hear your sad story Steve. It is always heartbreaking when a bird passes away, we've not had ours as long as you but it still hurts when one goes

Thanks, everyone.

Sorry to hear about your cb.

How old was he?

hi steve
sorry to here about your loss

ken

Sorry!

It's so hard when they 'just die' like that...with no indication of anything wrong...

Sorry Steve, for the loss of your beautiful bird. It truly is sad when there isn't any obvious reason for the sudden death. I hope you are feeling a bit better today.

Well, I'm going to research Crystal's great list, because I just found one of my favorite gould hens (a GREAT mom) face down. She'd finished her post-baby molt and was just fine yesterday.

That's a shame about your hen, Hilary :/ I know how it feels to lose one's favorite gouldian hen. So hard to find good parents!

Sorry to hear about the loss of you your CB Steve.


Sorry about your Gould hen Hilary.

Always frustrating to lose one, but more so when you have no idea what the cause was.

StevePax and Hilary, so sorry to hear your losses. I'm feeling a bit paranoid when I hear experienced birdkeepers losing their birds for no apparent reason. I have the most wonderful Gould pair and would be devastated if anything overcame them.