Parakeet Died while Being Held

User Question
My boyfriend was holding our parakeet in his hand with his hand placed around her body for a minute or two, speaking softly and kindly to her. He did not realize he was hurting her at first because she wasn't chirping or making a fuss. Suddenly she titlted her head back. Usually shes really fiesty and loud. He realized something was wrong and set her on the ground to try to give her breaths, because she wasn't breathing. But she curled up her feet and was dead.

She had diareaha before that and was also pecking at her male friend in the cage. I am confused as to why she died. We've held her like that before to clip her wings. My boyfriend was also very upset, and called me in tears to tell me what had happened.

Lisa's Answer
I'm very sorry to hear about the death of your keet!

If he was holding her gently, I doubt that is what hurt her at all. People do hold their parakeets for various reasons, for example to give them medical exams. If she had diarrhea, it sounds like she was already sick. Keets with signs of illness really need to be taken to the vet immediately, because by their nature they will always hide when they're sick. In the wild, a sick bird would be signalled out for attack by predators. So birds hide their illnesses as best as they can. If you can spot the signs, you need to take action immediately. So it sounds like it was the illness that killed your keet.

As a side note, I really don't recommend clipping the wings of a keet. Keets are birds and are meant to fly. Your job as owner is to build the bond of trust and loyalty so that your keets are friendly with you *without* resorting to drastic steps like chopping off their wings. So I would recommend getting another male bird (to ensure you don't have babies) and this time, if the keet starts to look ill, call the vet immediately.

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