Ask Lafeber

Cocktail passed away suddenly

Our 11 year old cocktail was making a clicking noise and then passed away. She had a yellow like color coming out of her mouth when she passed. Any idea what she passed from?

Thank you for reaching out to Ask Lafeber. I’m so sorry for your loss.  Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know why your bird died.  In order to find out the cause of death a complete necropsy needs to be done within the first 24 hours after death.  And there’s a chance they will not get a clear cause of death. If you have other birds in the home, I suggest watching them very closely for the same symptoms. I would also make sure you have no essential oils or plug in air fresheners in your home.  Also, nonstick cookware is deadly to birds, so if you do have other birds in the home, I would take precautions to make sure there are none of these toxins in the living vicinity of your birds.