I'm Heart Broken

[dunker817]

Tonight I came in from work and went to give the finches fresh seed. When I entered the finch room I noticed that both of my cordon bleus were dead. Then I noticed one of my male gouldians was dead. Then I found one of my parrot finches. All of my finches were dead except a female gouldian. My two canaries are still alive. I was just devestated. I don't know what happened that all of my finches would die in one day. They were perfectly fine yesterday. One of my parrot finches is still alive but he looks like he will die soon. To say I am heart broken is an understatement. It's been years since I cried this hard.

[Sally]

dunker817 Layne, I am so so sorry to hear this. Usually, when there are multiple deaths in one day, it is something environmental. When a friend lost many in one day, it was because her air conditioning had malfunctioned in her bird house, and the temp got too hot. Could anyone have used any kind of pesticide, aerosol sprays, cleaners, etc.? Could anything have come through your water supply? Do you live an apartment, where someone in a nearby apartment could have used something harmful? Landlord using pesticides?

It is hard to say exactly what happened, but I would be willing to bet it was not a disease, as you would not have sudden multiple deaths like this. I know how much you have enjoyed your finches, and it is hard to lose just one, but this many is surely devastating.

[kyle]

dunker817
How awful! Loosing one is bad enough! Sorry this happened to you. I hope you're able to find out what caused this.

[Paul's Amazing Birds]

Agree that it's gotta be environmental. Air? Food? Water? Temps?

Absolutely tragic!
So sorry,
Paul

[Babs _Owner]

dunker817

When this happened to me (3 finches dead in one night -another had died a few days before them-for a total of 4- about a year ago.) I found out through the incredible people on this forum it was my room purifier with the ionizer. The ionizer part killed them ( it creates deadly ozone). I got rid of it, now everything is fine.

It was beyond heartbreaking, it was my very first finches. It's hard, but when you lose that many in just a few hours.....it might be environmental, and you have to kinda back track everything that has happened in the house the last few days that may have been toxic.

Things like this......

Perfumed candles lit?
Room ionizer?
AC recently serviced?
Anyone vacuum using carpet deodorizer?

I feel just awful for you

[dunker817]

I live alone and don't use pesticides or harsh chemicals in the house. The finch room is pretty much sealed off from the rest of the house. I have birds in every room of my house and only my finches died. One is acting very sick but I have seen her eating. For some reason my silver gouldian female and my two canaries are none the worse. The only thing I can think of that is different is that on Thursday I changed their bird bath water and didn't have enough bottled water on hand so I had to mix in a bit of tap water. Their diet didn't change and I have no new birds that were added. I have them in the fridge. I'm thinking about dropping them off at the avian vet for a necropsy.

[Spreckles]

This is awful. I can relate. I left my cage door open & lost 4 birds. Test your tap water. Very sad.
Karen

[dunker817]

Babs,

I was re-reading posts and you mentioned the AC. The night before all the finches were sitting on a perch in front of the air duct. This is a new unit that was just installed a couple of weeks ago. I'm wondering if they caught some form of respiratory distress sitting in front of the duct. Yesterday I closed it off.

[Sally]

It could have been the cold air blowing on them, not the temperature necessarily but the fact that it was like a big draft. Or if it is a new unit, I wonder if there was some off-gassing that takes place at first--don't really know if that happens, but just wondering.

In my bird room, there is one duct, in the ceiling and near a wall, so it is right above the cages stacked along that wall. The top cages are quite close to that duct, so I wanted to block the air without closing the duct. I also have shop lights laying on those cages, so whatever I did needed to allow the light to get to the cages. I bought sheets of plexiglass which I lay on top of those cages, then I set the shop lights on top of the plexiglass. Now I have kept that cold air from blowing directly on those birds, yet allowing the light to get through to them.

[Jen]

dunker817 I'm so sorry to hear of your terrible news. I can't imagine your heartbreak dealing with so many and to not know what happened is so terribly hard. I hope you figure it out to at least answer some of your questions. Sending you a heartfelt hug...

[lovezebs]

dunker817

I'm so sorry Layne....

[monotwine]

Tragic, so sorry for your loses.

As I don't keep birds indoors others here have commented with more experience. Definitely sounds like something terrible went on environmentally to affect so many birds at once.

[Jen]

dunker817
I was just thinking of you and wanted to check in. Did your Parrot Finch make it? Don't give up on keeping birds. You have had a huge blow but birds bring such a feeling of peace and enjoyment, you need to continue if you can. Best of luck. Please let us know how you are doing.

[Vera]

Sincere sympathies. I am very sorry for you

[dunker817]

Jen

Thank you. Everything has been fine with the survivors. They are active and eating. Kele is doing well. She has been earth bound since I brought her home. She just wouldn't fly. Now she is flying quite a bit and spending time up on the hanging perches. I guess the poplulation decrease agreed with her. Today they got some apple slices. They really like apples.