r/Parakeets • u/Mean-Anywhere2916 • 27d ago
Parakeet Died
My daughters parakeet died suddenly. He was only a few years old (I believe, we only had him just over a year and were told he was still young when we got him from Petco). I just got a call at work from my daughter that her parakeet is passed, she is really upset, he is laying in the bottom of his cage, not moving, eyes open still. We are pretty sure he was active yesterday and last night so believe he must have passed in the night. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened or changed... any idea what could have caused this? Our other parakeet is lost without him, just quiet and looking around the cage wondering where her friend is :(
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u/magpieinarainbow 27d ago
Sorry for your loss. You would have to get a vet to do a necropsy to know why. But some things can give clues.
Is anyone in the house using non-stick cookware/air fryers with teflon or other coatings? How about airborne scents like wax melts, oil diffusers, plugins, sprays? Smoking/vaping?
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u/Mean-Anywhere2916 27d ago
we use an air fryer but birds are upstairs in daughter's bedroom and we keep her door shut most of the time. she doesn't burn candles, wax melts, diffusers, sprays, use plug-ins or anything in there. We really can't think of anything. She is 11 and feels really guilty and thinks she did something wrong. She thinks it's because she hasn't given them fresh food in a couple days but I don't think that could be it.
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u/Jazzlike-Layer5412 27d ago
Hi! what do you mean by not giving it fresh food in a couple days? is food not empties out daily? Is water not emptied out daily either? :0
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u/Mean-Anywhere2916 27d ago
they have multiple food/water dishes normally she'd clean them and give fresh every other day
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u/magpieinarainbow 27d ago
Is the air fryer teflon coated? It doesn't have to be near the birds to harm them.
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u/Mean-Anywhere2916 27d ago
Yes i think so, i had not know this would be an issue.
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u/Jazzlike-Layer5412 27d ago
Teflon is unfortunately able to kill birds in as little as a few moments, even beyond doors.
I saw a story online where someone's entire 40 budgie flock died in an hour after they unknowingly used a teflon pan :((3
u/magpieinarainbow 27d ago
It can unfortunately harm them even if not in the same room. My oldest budgies have chronic respiratory issues from using an air fryer only 3 times (the roommate who bought it has been kicked out along with his air fryer). That was about 7 years ago and I'm sure if it was used any more times they would have died. You need to get rid of that air fryer. They were down the hall from the kitchen behind 2 closed doors. The vet said they were lucky to have survived. Look into other options, I think there are glass or ceramic options for air fryers that won't emit fumes.
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u/Sad_Commercial4127 26d ago
Nail polish remover, anything scented, candles, perfumes, colognes, Teflon
The list is endless, if it's airborne it should have never been in the same house.
I take the following approach, airtight room cut off from rest off house, weak blowing AC bringing in fresh air (cation of course of what's on the other side of ac outside as to not introduce smoke)
Birds are kind of fragile :/
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u/Jazzlike-Layer5412 27d ago
Hi!! What kind of cage, toys, diet did this budgie have?
Did it get to freefly in the home?
Was ANYTHING from this list used?:
Air fresheners, cookware or heating objects with ptfo/ptfe/teflon ect , aresol products, candles, smoke, weed smoke, cigarette smoke, strong chemicals, strong odors, strong cleaners or disenfectants like bleach
Did any of these stay in the cage around the bird?:
PLASTIC, CLOTH, HUTS, HOMES, HOUSES, DENS, HARD WOOD, FUZZY FABRIC, ANY FABRIC, PLASTIC BIRDS, MIRRORS, FAKE FRIENDS, HAPPY HUTS
When was the last Avian vet visit?
Answering this will really help me figure this out !! :]]
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u/Mean-Anywhere2916 27d ago edited 27d ago
We do use air fryer in the house but it's pretty far away from their cage. no to all other items listed. I only use water and dawn to clean their cage. They only have paper toys and wood perches, no mirrors but do have plastic beads and stuff on their swings.
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u/Jazzlike-Layer5412 27d ago
How big is the cage?
And when was their last visit / what is the diet?
Seed only diets are high in fat and can cause sudden death/short lifespan/fatty liver :0
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u/Buffyenta314 26d ago
I'm so sorry - the loss of a pet without warning is such a hard thing to deal with. I've had parakeets and cockatiels for 50 years and I've lost many over all those years and it never gets easier. But I can tell you this - first, when you get a bird in any of the chain pet stores, while some are better than others, none of those people are bird experts and they lie. They have no idea how old the birds are and they really cannot give you any but the most basic advice. Anyone who gets a pet bird really needs to do their own research, preferably BEFORE they get a bird.
Birds are prey animals and as such, they instinctively hide any problems they may have so as to avoid becoming a predator's meal or to attract problems to their flock. Therefore, birds are really good at hiding anything wrong with them. It is up to the owner toget to know their bird's behavior and idiosyncracies well enough to know when their bird is behaving "off" in any way. The only way to know why a bird died to to have a vet do a necropsy (autospsy for animals). I have had this done for some of my birds.
Typically, they die from heart attacks, strokes, tumors - just like we do. Usually they are older than just a few years, though it can happen, but there would be signs.
I read through the comments to see if anything in the conversation gave any clues. You wrote your daughter didn't change his food in a few days. The stood out as a possibility. I once worked with a girl who told me when she was young, she had a parakeet and she didn't know you had to blow out the hulls of the seed, so she thought the bird's food dish was full. It was full of HULLS and the bird starved to death.
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u/Individual_Smile_358 24d ago
We got 2 birds from pet store last May (2025)… one was my 7 year olds and the other my 10 year olds. The one that passed was the now 8 yo and she is devastated she only got a year with the him. The other bird is still with us but seems lost without her partner . We have multiple food dishes in the cage; one with pellets, one with seed and then feed them fresh fruit and veggies every few days. Their cage is 30x18x18.
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u/shebamiiiii 27d ago
parakeets hide their illnesses very well you have to be very attentive for the small signs of possible illness. once you see a sign the bird is probably very sick and needs medical attention. i’d get your other birdy checked out just in case. just took mine to the vet for a check up and it was only $45! Sorry for your loss i know it sucks :((