Generally speaking, no, it's not a good idea to house different sized species together because birds in captivity are frequently raised "incorrectly" and don't learn flocking skills.I'm a little uneasy at the fact that he shared his cage with a GCC, because I thought different species of birds couldn't be housed together?
Sorry for your loss.She's actually climbed into the bottom of another bird's cage and started digging around in an unusual way.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Is there any way you could figure out what caused this? Did you change anything in your routine or offer any new foods? Were there any signs of a fight or any discharge?
He didn't have any signs of injury, and I really doubt it. They used to have separate cages, but the conjure and budgies would cry for each other when I caged them. So, I left them out in the bird room at night during the summer, and they were inseperable. They were together all day, and perched huddled together at night. So when it started to get cold and I needed to bring the space heater back in at night I got them a bigger cage and put them together.I'm a little uneasy at the fact that he shared his cage with a GCC, because I thought different species of birds couldn't be housed together? Is there any way that the conure could've accidentally injured him?
Both Tony and Pearl appear to have been wild caught at some point, and they voluntarily took an active role with Quijote from the moment we brought him home. I was worried at first since he was bigger, but they seem to have done a good job socializing him to other birds.Generally speaking, no, it's not a good idea to house different sized species together because birds in captivity are frequently raised "incorrectly" and don't learn flocking skills.
In the wild though, parrots of all sizes frequently share the same feeding grounds, watering holes and perhaps even perching areas.
I'm really relieved to see this about the cere. It did molt once, but this one hasn't so I was concerned.Some hens may have a brown cere for their entire lifespan once they attain the coloration and some hens can "molt" their ceres. That is, the brown, crusty part of the cere falls off, showing white or white with blue underneath, and as time goes on, the cere will turn tan then crusty brown again. I wouldn't be concerned about it.
As far as the digging... this could be a foraging activity or possibly a hormonal activity. (I have heard of some budgies creating nests in the ground even though they generally nest in cavities inside of trees).
I'll look into that. We've got him in the freezer right now, because we didn't want to bury him before we were sure about what's going on.If you still have Tony's body, it may be a good idea to get a necropsy to make sure he didn't die of anything that could harm your other birds.
Have you tried here?
Association of Avian Veterinarians
Likewise, you can try finding a local agriculture department near you that also treats animals. These places may also perform a necropsy (often cheaper than avian vets).
I'm sorry, I forgot to address that!Both Tony and Pearl appear to have been wild caught at some point, and they voluntarily took an active role with Quijote from the moment we brought him home. I was worried at first since he was bigger, but they seem to have done a good job socializing him to other birds.
Unfortunately, freezing his body destroys his cells, which makes doing a necropsy harder. Not impossible, necessarily, but it depends on what they're looking for.I'll look into that. We've got him in the freezer right now, because we didn't want to bury him before we were sure about what's going on.
I didn't see any blood anywhere, but the nails seemed to have broken pretty high up.If he broke a toenail was there any blood? Did it break at the cuticle?
EDIT: I looked it up and budgies can only stand to lose 10 - 12 DROPS of blood before it's fatal.