You do everything right, but...

[Moon]

My only hen died early this morning. I'm not sure why, I don't know how. She was just gone. She was fine when I went to bed. The only thing I did was a treatment for mites and added grit to the birds diet.

I'm not sure what to do with the males. My Houdini male zebra is from the same clutch as Soprano and he fake dies every other day.

I don't know what went wrong. I don't think zebra finch are a species I'll be able to handle. This is the third bird from the same breeder to die at three years.

[Finchluv]

Hello. Im jai, sorry to hear about your zebra hen. Its always tuff when one moment they are fine, and the next just gone i have had a couple hens die pretty randomly before. Not sure why this happens every now and then. I hope you have better luck with them

[Fraza]

Sometimes it happens they could have been a random change in temperature in the night or anything maybe an attack or a bang on the head so you never know it’s sad tho maybe get from another breeder

[Moon]

I've found two local options are PetSmart and the FinchFarm. Both have areas here in my state that are close and won't impact the birds when I make the orders. I intend to save my money at this point so I can get a 'cat' safe cage (something with thicker bars and a divider) and order some in spring. Other breeders.... smaller, local breeders around here came from the same origin. I'm not sure why, but most of the hens and some males have dropped dead pretty much overnight after 3 years old.

I'm angry and sad and just....

I love my birds. I wasn't a bird person before I got them, but I fell in love with them because of their natures, the joy and humor they brought me. I don't like this.

[lovezebs]

Moon

I know what tou mean.... and I'm sorry for your loss.

It can be heartbreaking and so frustrating sometimes, that you feel like crying and pulling your hair out all at the same time.

We have all had birds just suddenly die on us for seemingly no reason, and I for one always tend to blame myself... what did I do wrong, what didn't I do right, what signs did I miss, and so on.

The thing is, that our tiny feathered friends are so instinctively good at hiding any health issues, that at times it's practically impossible to know that there is or was anything wrong with them until it's too late to do anything about it.

Even if we do see some subtle signs of a bird feeling under the weather, it's very very difficult to know what exactly is wrong with them, unless there are very obvious symptoms.

Even taking them to the Vet is very often not at all helpful, as most Vets know very little about birds. Even if you are lucky to have an Avian Vet in your area, it's not always a guarantee, as most Avian Vets tend to have a lot more knowledge when it comes to larger Species, like Parrots, etc.

I hope you have better luck in the future.

[Moon]

I don't have easy access to an avian vet except for one a good hundred or so miles away. Local vets are either into dogs and cats (what every adoption fair does) and can't find anyone who knows birds in particular.

I've developed some kind of first aid kit and treatment deal, but for anything hugely chronic....

I've been told Baytril, DMSO, Neosporin CREAM, Corn Starch, tweezers, good clippers, bird safe towels, a bird safe hair dryer, heating pads, heating lamps, a 'treatment cage', cotton balls, assorted other things I've learned.

Hypothermic bird: Close hands around it, blow gently around it's body and face. (A similar version can be used for cpr type treatments).

I did and keep asking myself what I did wrong. I know there is nothing I can do or did wrong.... Thank you. Your words brought me a lot of comfort.