Stress and a terrible loss....

[slwatson]

I recently acquired a pair of gouldians....a blue bodied hen with a black face, and a yellow bodied cock with a red face. They were both extremely beautiful. I brought them home, set them up in their new cage, and everything was great. I had to add some things to the cage later that day, and while the door was open, the male flew out, landed on the ground, and one of my dogs grabbed him. My son and I got him quickly away (the dog dropped him immediately), but he was so stressed, he died in my hands. It was absolutely heart-breaking My son and I were in complete shock. I had him less than 24 hours, and he was so pretty. I love my cages, but I've always felt like the doors were way too big. Now my husband stands with me at the door if I need to open one so no one flies out. I feel so awful...like I let him down.

[Sally]

So sorry for your loss. I lost an Owl finch the same way, my dog got to it before I did. Many of my cages have large doors on them, and many of my birds head for that opening as soon as they see it, so I now hold a net in front of the door while I open it, and I reach around the net. Others have found ways to prevent this happening, such as hanging something in front of the door. Don't beat yourself up, we've all had accidents happen with our birds.

[debbie276]

Oh my, so sorry for your loss

[slwatson]

Sally

Thanks for the suggestion...I 've been on the lookout for a good net.

[finchandlovebird]

Sorry for you. I hang "Mardis Gras" beads in the doorways & this really prevents them from flying out. Look at a thrift store for bead necklaces

[Hilary]

I'm so sorry! We've all had birds escape, believe me, but that's indeed heartbreaking when it ends badly like that. I ended up hanging a clear document protector (the type you slide a piece of paper into to keep in a binder) across the top 2/3 of one of my larger cage doors since I have four VERY flighty young waxbills in the cage and they always act like I'm trying to kill them when I feed and water. It's worked well and doesn't obstruct the view at all.

Clear Document Protector

[Jen]

I got my very first pair of Gouldian finches home and began to set up the perfect flight for them. One week later I set them outside on my deck to get some "Vitamin D" .... My 3 year old grandson opened the door and my beautiful male got out!!! I was sick....to say the least...he said "Gammie, are you crying?"...."No sweetie, it's all okay"...

[paul-inAZ]

Use a couple of clothes pins to hand a piece of cloth across the door. Then reach under it to get in.

[dunker817]

That's sad. I'm sorry for your loss. What unfortunate accident. Please don't be hard on yourself. Things happen. My dog got into my aviary the other day and went for Kele.

[Derk]

slwatson
Sorry for your loss. And unfortunately stuff like this happens. I was using a smaller 'appropriate' sized finch door, and my finch still flew out passed my wrist but in the process, his wing was badly broken. He died when the vet was trying to fix it. It had broken through the skin so he needed proper care to survive. But even then...

[debbyloo]

You can get an old dish towel or hand towel, cut an vertical slit in the middle about 5 or 6 inches long, and clothes pin it across the top of the door opening. Stick your hand through the slit to access the cage but the rest of the opening will remain blocked with the towel.

[slwatson]

Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories and giving me such great advice. Can't wait to try them all. Thanks again!

[Leo519]

slwatson

So sorry you lost one of your lovely Gouldians

I lost one also a few months ago within 24 hours of getting him and couldn't stop crying for an hour.
He looked beautiful and healthy at first, but I think stress overload got to him
He was my second Gould and I absolutely adored him right away.
My husband and I had a little memorial service for him in the backyard and that helped me deal with the loss.

One of the many good things about this Forum is the support and understanding that us finch folks have
for each other

[slwatson]

Leo519

Laura,

I'm so sorry you went through the same thing! I just couldn't believe it happened when he died. I just held him in my lap for a while and we found a good spot to bury him. My poor dog had this awful guilty look on his face, but I think it was stress overload the killed the gouldian too. Thanks for sharing your story!

[finchmix22]

slwatson
so sorry you lost your pretty golden. Don't blame yourself. We've all lost finches without realizing the danger for one reason or another. We just try to learn from these tragedies and hopefully we can prevent the same problem. I use a hand towel to cover the flight door, so the finches can't get out so quickly. I also turned my study into a bird room because the door can be closed and I can control the vent for A/C and/or heat during the season changes. Those changes were due to losses of finches for various reasons, but he main one was escapees and my cats in the house. Since that time, no unexpected escapes . Thank God!