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SORRY. You did all you could.

So, it's really bothering me...was it something I did? I mean what happened, does that happen to cockatiels? I got him from the Humane Society six weeks ago. He was a stray. I took him to an avian vet, who is supposed to be the best in this area, and he said Spike looked great. All of his blood work came back and it was all ok. So, does a bird go from great to deathly ill in six weeks?? He was peppy until he went to bed, then sick the next morning. All I fed him was Zupreem pellets and Kaytee Fiesta and millet (about a total of 3 times). He was never left unattended out of his cage or on top of his cage. I cleaned his cage w/ vinegar and water every day or at least every other day. No longer than every other day. I changed his water every day or every other day. I changed his food less frequently than that. Only when I noticed him digging deep for the stuff he liked, but he ALWAYS had food. The house was anywhere from 66-72 degrees. He had 3 light blankets over his cage at night and was in a dark quiet room for 12 hours at night. During the day he was by a window that sun came in for about 4 hours (not hot) and then in the living room in the evening. Did I do everything OK??

It does sound like you did everything right. I would see if the vet thought of heavy metal poisoning. Pellets sometimes get metal shavings in the mix when the grinders are wearing down. A quick x-ray of the pellets will show if it has metal in it or not.

Honestly, you did everything you could. This is the first time I've heard of a tiel going down like this. I have heard a few stories over the years about other birds, but not tiels.

My gut instinct is that he ingested something that he shouldn't have, not your fault at all. You did all that you were supposed to.

Thank you for the info, Christie. I will see about checking the pellets.

My deepest condolences jrm. I was so hoping Spike would pull through, and now, I feel your pain. It's very difficult to lose a good friend and while you did all you could, it just was not meant to be. It will take a while for you to get over this loss, but remember the good times you had with Spike and a good remembrance of those times will help you recover.

Sam

I believe it's important to change the food AT LEAST once a day if not more frequently... especially if you feed fresh foods that should not be in the cage any longer than 2 hours, 4 max (in cold temps).

Cockatiels (like any other parrot), can be sensitive to pellets and food dyes... in tiels I'd suspect it would take years for stuff like that to affect them... unless it's an older bird who lived on a crappy diet, then you switched them to a healthier diet, and their bodies just could not cope.... (think about when you change a dogs food, you are suppose to do it slowly so as to not upset their digestive system)

Birds can also ingest things that may be off, or things that are not edible, which can cause a quick change. Things in the environment, such sa nonstick cookware, things that contain PTFE (hair dryers, coffee pots, toasters, ovens, etc may contain PTFE), air fresheners, cleaners, candles, etc can also all play a role.

The sad thing of it is, is that it's hard to say exactly what something is without getting tests done... and even then there is no definite cause.

Sorry you lost Spike.

I just went through the same thing, so I know exactly how you feel. We take it for granted how fragile these animals are. With all their energy and vigor, you forget just how small they are. On such a minute scale, not much has to go wrong to push them beyond repair. Their absence sure leaves a huge void.

Gosh...A similar story happened to a bird I am caring for (he is fine right now).
The owners are very conscientious about their bird. They hired me to take care of him (and their dog) when the owner had to go in for day surgery. Everything seemed normal except I found the bird at the bottom of the cage. To make a long story short I had to rush him to the vet. The vet had all these theories but was guessing bacterial. When I looked over the cage situation and noticed the water was slimy. the owners changed the water once a day but just rinsed the dish rather than wiped it clean.
In conclusion, as with my birds, I clean the water dish thoroughly at LEAST twice a day. (Anytime I see ANYTHING floating in the water I change it) plus wipe it thoroughly with a papet towel. Bacteria grows so fast in water
I am neurotic clean freak so my guess from what you say "changing the water once a day or every other day" is not enough.
Also, food needs to be changed (and dishes cleaned ) at least once a day. My birds sometimes poop in their dishes.
I change the paper in the cage twice a day and continually wipe the perches.

Again, I am so sorry about your tiel.

thanx to all of you for your kind words, shared stories, and better care advice. it is greatly appreciated. i will definately put all advice to use if/when i get another 'tiel. everyday gets easier, but i sure do miss Spike!! hopefully i will get a chance to own other 'tiel as cool as he was. i will definately change the food and water every single day. it was rare that i didn't, but i will definately wash and refill all dishes every single day. thanx, again!