Ask Lafeber

Death of two female Parakeets.

After a couple of months, getting along beautifully, the female dies seemingly of a broken neck, no other marks on her. Waited a couple months before bringing home a new female, and they became even closer than the first. They did everything together and slept so close, they looked like one bird… They were inseparable. My female died 3 days ago without a mark on her. He’s quiet and still, what should I do before bringing him another mate? Could he have hurt them in some way?

Hi,

When a parakeet kills another parakeet, there is no question about what happened because they are very vicious in their attacks. And females are much more likely to be the aggressor. If you didn’t take either female to a vet to determine the cause of death, you do not know why the birds died. Your male may be a carrier of a disease that doesn’t affect him, but is killing the females. Maybe you just had bad luck and got 2 unhealthy birds. Anytime you get a new bird, you should take it to an Avian Vet for a new bird exam. You should always quarantine a new bird for at least 30-45 days. I wouldn’t add another one without taking the male to a Vet to have him tested for chlamydia and polyoma. There are other diseases that parakeets can carry and pass along to other birds, but those are the two most common.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda