Ask Lafeber

Sudden death

My white cap pionus died today all of a sudden. We grew up together so I’m really heart broken he would of been 25 in September. I’m trying to think it was just his old age and it was his time he wasn’t showing many symptoms of an illness but I did notice the last couple days he was more to himself in the back of his cage on a swing. At the time I didn’t think much of it since he was still eating and drinking. Do birds not have many signs that they are dying? Could sudden death be old age or is it only for When they are sick?

Hi Courtney,

I’m very sorry for your loss. Losing a parrot after 25 years is like losing a family member. Bird generally do seem to die suddenly, regardless of the cause, because issues progress quickly due to their high metabolism. At his age, it’s likely that whatever happened was due to age related issues.

Take care,

Brenda