Yet another finch of mine died. :( I give up.

[LyricalDream]

I'm sure you all remember Sorcha - the little baby who tried. (Zebra finch) I got Papa a bigger cage, pellet food, some toys, took out a nesting box, and gave him lots of fresh water.

I figured I'd just keep Papa until he passed. Someone in my neighborhood heard my struggles and decided Papa was not to be a lonely bird forever. She gave me 3 she couldn't keep - two females, one male. No problem. You guys were AWESOME at helping me! I set up a second cage, and put Snowflake in with Papa since Richard was attached to Elenore. I got them used to each other, carefully watched for signs of stress/aggression, and kept their cages clean.
Three days ago I had to deep clean the cages. I only have two, so I did Snowflake and Papa's first. Two hours later I did Richard and Elenore. They all had to share cage while I did this. Afterwards Snowflake kept puffing up. A lot. I tried putting them in new areas, taking the other cage out of the room, giving her lots of space.
Then Papa started puffing up too. It started two days ago. I kept an eye on them without stressing them, I thought. I admit I did forget to feed them for 2 days. I had the flu and couldn't stand up long enough - it just slipped my mind and I thought they had plenty of food.

Today I was feeling better. I know Papa was okay yesterday as he was peeping. I looked and he wasn't around. So I tapped the cage gently looking for him. Snowflake popped up. Her neck is horribly bald and ripped. Papa didn't come up. And the cage looked... Wrong. I pulled them down and.... Blood. Everywhere. On the wall behind the cage. On the bars. On the floor. Papa is dead in the empty food dish. Snowflake is no longer puffed up. Papa shows no signs of being beaten, so I'm not sure if he starved or was attacked. Snowflake has no damage either. I'm not sure whose blood it is.

I feel like I failure as a bird owner. I KNEW the signs. I should have pulled them apart. I should have kept them fed better. Richard has been sending out mating calls, which I think was stressing out Snowflake. I feel terrible, like I could have prevented this.

Finches are hard, guys. I've buried five in the last year - not one a natural death. I'm going to go find homes for Elenore and Richard. They do well together. I have NO IDEA what to do with Snowflake. I don't think I can re-home her due to risk of her killing someone else.

I guess I'm just not meant to be a finch owner.

 

[Garet]

... Honestly, as long as Snowflake's next owner doesn't let her starve as well, I don't think there will be issues with keeping her with another bird. Triss would attack any male put in her cage for similar reasons before I got her. Now that she has more than enough food and water, she's happily sharing her cage with Steven and no longer chases the boys off of her cage. Snowflake is going to need time, but she's not an evil bird by any stretch of the imagination.

I'm sorry for what happened to your birds.

Please bring Snowflake to a vet before her neck gets infected.

 

[MiniMacaw]

I’m very sorry this happened. I think you shouldn’t feel badly about rehoming in this case. When it’s best for the birds, it’s the kindest thing a person can do and I give you a lot of credit for making that decision.

Taking care of birds is similar to taking care of children. Rain or shine, sick or healthy, the same stuff has to get done. It’s a hard lesson you’ve gone through but I really believe so long as we learn from lessons it’s not a waste.

I also second taking your injured finch to the vet. You can also ask them about possibly helping you rehome them to good homes if you need it. My avian vet takes in birds sometimes and either a tech or vet will be interested or know someone who is.

 

[LyricalDream]

I didn't mean to starve them. She had over a cup of food two days before. I usually only feed them every other day so they eat the old stuff.

Snowflake is VERY angry today. I've cleaned her neck and am keeping an eye on it. Wounds is one thing I'm very confident in.


I've had five cockatiel rescues, six lovebirds, more parakeets than I can count, and cats without any issues. It seems finches are the one I can't handle. It makes me sad. I LOVE rescuing animals.

 

[Garet]

Unfortunately, smaller birds aren't as forgiving. From what I've read, finches are very delicate, and you have to be on top of their care no matter how sick you feel. It's one of the responsibilities of taking in such small animals with super high metabolisms.

 

[Garet]

I really hope you take Snowflake to a vet. I know this is gonna sound very mean and I apologize in advance, but you also sound like you were confident that they could go that long without food, too. Being confident doesn't mean things will turn out alright.

 

[iamwhoiam]

So very sorry for your losses.

 

[finchly]

I am sorry this happened to you. Sounds like rehoming is a good option for you.

In case others are reading this: finches have no way to store nutrients. They can die within. Hours if they are without food or even water. So you’ve GOT to feed them and supply fresh water at least twice a day, every day.

If you find that they’ve been without food for a prolonged period, they often will become sick even though you give them food at the end of that time.

The other thing is finches will not forage. If the top of the food is covered with seed hulls, they will starve even if seeds are underneath the hulls.

 

[LyricalDream]

1) I was in the ER due to vomiting. There was NO WAY I could have fed them. I should have mentioned that. I don't have anyone I could call to take care of them since I cut off ties with my family due to abuse, and honestly I was too zonked out on pills to really think beyond "Where's the nearest bucket?"

2) I don't think it's fair to yell at me for starving them. When I left they had OVER a cup of food - as in a literal measuring cup in their dish, same with water. It takes them 2-3 days to get through it. It's pellets, so no seeds. I did this after careful research and trial and error to make sure they weren't being under/over fed after Sorcha.

3) Snowflake had been puffed up DAYS before this happened. I think the second male may have set her off. I only theorize the food since it was tipped over when I came home. (And fell under the bars)

4) My other two finches had the EXACT same amount of food/water, and they only needed theirs refiled tonight. Both finches go through theirs roughly the same way.

5) I DO know how to wrap and take care of wounds. I'm interning at rescue after Sorcha, and I've dealt with wounded animals tons of times before. If it looks like she needs medical help I will be the first to rush her to the vet at 2am. Remember, I set up a nest cam for Sorcha and checked on her every two hours during the night.

6) I feel miserable killing them. Now I feel worse. Whether or not it was my fault, Snowflake is a bully, the cage change, or the male, I still feel horrible. I won't be getting more, no matter how desperately they need a rescue.

7) I'm not a moron, you guys taught me a lot about finches. You were so kind last time I thought I could express my frustration and sadness. I must've phrased it wrong, or I'm still far too upset. I'm going to go make a gravestone for Papa instead. I miss him. He had the prettiest song. And white lined wings. I feel bad that he never was able to become a proper parent. He tried SO HARD with Sorcha.

8) I've no idea what to do with Snowflake. I don't know what could have triggered her, and if I could rehome her without worry of her murdering someone else. Cleaning blood off walls was very sad.

 

[finchly]

Whooooooa there. Please take a breath.

When I said “In case anyone else is reading” what I meant was “this is a sidebar since these issues have been raised and I want to educate people who might be reading the forum and needs to know a,b, and c.”

The part following that phrase was not about you.

I’m REALLY sorry this happened. It must have been horrific. It is really scary no matter what type of pet kills another, and especially when you own them both.

I know you are not a moron! I’ve talked with you a lot! And of course this is the place to come and talk about it — because — we are the ones who understand your pain. I’m sorry I came across as lecturing you. I guess I get over eager to help people understand finches.

 

[finchly]

OH and Snowflake. You are right; you might need to keep her, so that she doesn’t kill any more birds. Unless you can get the new owner to understand SHE KILLS BIRDS and should be kept singly ... but in my experience people don’t listen and would try to put her with another one anyway.

Or if you live near @Garet he’d take it I am sure. [just hassling Garet]

 

[Garet]

1) This is why you need to make plans with a friend or get a medallion. My aunt has a bracelet that says that she has a dog at home if she winds up getting ill. It has us listed as an emergency contact.

2) No one's yelling. We're explaining what happened and why Snowflake killed her cagemate.

3) She needs to see a vet.

4) If the food bowl tipped over and fell under the grate as you hypothesize, they didn't have access to the same amount of food as your other birds have. If you decide to keep any of them, please don't use a grate anymore. They may have been able to get at their food if it hadn't been for the grate. This is something you should keep in mind for your future animals.

5) You should still take Snowflake to the vet. She could be suffering from internal injuries or fractures or might need extra care you can't provide.

5) Snowflake isn't a bully. She was hungry and did what comes natural to a bird when it's starving. She saw Papa as a competitor for what little resources they had access to. Heck, he might have tried to kill her for the food and just came out as the loser.

7) Please go make that gravestone and come back once you've had some time to clear your head and really read what people are saying.

8) The lack of food is what likely triggered the attack. We don't even know if she initiated the attack or not because no one was there to see it. For all we know, he went after her and she killed in self-defense.

 

[Garet]

OH and Snowflake. You are right; you might need to keep her, so that she doesn’t kill any more birds. Unless you can get the new owner to understand SHE KILLS BIRDS and should be kept singly ... but in my experience people don’t listen and would try to put her with another one anyway.

Or if you live near @Garet he’d take it I am sure. [just hassling Garet]

.......
You know me too well.
(no seriously I would take her).

 

[finchly]

.......
You know me too well.
(no seriously I would take her).

I KNOW YOU WOULD.

 

[LyricalDream]

First I want to say a huge I'm so freaking sorry for yelling at y'all! I was very upset with all the blood and personal issues. I shouldn't have taken it out on you.

Second - we discovered the reason Snowflake killed Papa. Snowflake's feathers came back in super quick. Guess what came with them? She now has lovely cheek patches. Turns out she is a he. And two males + 1 female = disaster. I'm keeping HIM due to aggression, but I found someone to help me close by who walks me theough it.

 

[Clairecanary15]

Your alright..all these emotions we feel when one of our birds are ill or die is normal..you have to vent it somewhere hey. It would be more worrying if you wasnt upset and angry. .its the grieving process.

Glad uve managed to get to the route of whats happened and now you know. We can only learn from our experiences and put things right so it doesnt happen again.

 

[Fergus Mom]

I'm SO so sorry @LyricalDream. That is heartbreaking. There's just no words that come to me right now, so I'm sending a big hug.

 

[Garet]

I thought you had them in separate cages? I don't think the presence of a female in a completely different cage could have caused what happened, especially when there were other extenuating circumstances that likely caused the fight (the lack of food and water, for instance).

 

[Sylvester]

I really hope you take Snowflake to a vet. I know this is gonna sound very mean and I apologize in advance, but you also sound like you were confident that they could go that long without food, too. Being confident doesn't mean things will turn out alright.

I don't know why you take this route, every single time. If your response had been before the death of the finches, then it would have come across as constructive. Now, it is just coming across as insensitive, and preachy. It is already done, lesson learned, and she feels horrible about it. So quit twisting in the knife already.

 

[Sylvester]

I am very sorry about your loss. When I got my parakeets I would go for days sometimes without adding food to their bowls because it always looked like the bowl was full. Then it hit me, that those were empty shells. I also know what it is like to be completely on your own and falling ill.