don't know what to do...need advice

[babylilly11]

my name is cassie and i am new to the site. this may be a little long but im very confused:confused: ive had my lovie lilly for about 5 years now. about 2 years ago i was getting busy and felt bad leaving her alone, so i got her a friend, baby. they got along so well and it was unique that they became mates and i could still handle both of them as if i were their companion.

the other day baby passed away. she wasnt moving when i woke up to let them out in the morning, i was worried so i took her to the vet, and she passed away under the vets care:very_sad: they did a necropsy and still dont know what caused her death. i was wondering if this has ever happened to anyone, where the bird was just very still and weak, cause of death unknown.

also, i dont know what to do about lilly. since i was her first and only companion for a couple years, i think she might be ok, but i feel terrible leaving her alone all day. she seems to be acting fine, maybe just a little more baby-ish towards me, so i cant tell if she is upset or not. i dont know if i should just accept what happened and give her all the love i can, or get a new birdy to keep her company. i would hate to feel like i am replacing baby, and i dont know if the age difference would be a problem. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cassie

[thebubbleking]

First off my condolances i know how hard it is to lose a companion you love.

If lilly is acting ok with you i would hold off buying another bird for her to be with, besides the age there is no way to know how she will accept a newcomer Also if you do decide to get a newcomeer i would dna sex lilly to make sure she is a female and dna the newcomer to make sure they are compatiable.
Just my opnion but once again sorry for your loss.

[babylilly11]

when baby died i had lilly examined to try to prevent whatever happened to baby from happening to lilly, as well. we were curious if an infection or virus was involved, but the vet said that doing any blood work to lilly may be too much for her (or him) to handle at the time. How would they test to see which sex lilly is? if the doctor advised against blood work for now i want to be very cautious.

[Kali]

:2cents: I would like to say I am sorry that you lost little baby. Sometimes we don't get an answer to why things like this happen.

Maybe you could get lilly some new toys to keep her a little more occupied for a while, and some extra treats.

I finally got a new companion for Sam after I lost Junior, and they mainly don't want anything to do with each other. Just my:2cents: worth.

[thebubbleking]

Besides the obvious signs like laying an egg lol you can have a vet do it or there are some members here who have sent one of thier lovies feathers to be dna'd someone will chime in with the link or name of the company.

[babylilly11]

the feather idea sounds good, better than blood work right now. as im typing lilly is sleeping on my chest:rolleyes: shes been clinging to me like her life depends on it, but i cant say that i mind when its this adorable:)

[tokameaki]

hi..i dont know if this is a good idea...my urpi is a 6 year old parakeet that just lost her 6 year old male mate because of cancer....she was very lonely and sad...and i adopted her...and she is in love with my lovebird...chichi would never hurt her...when they are out of the cage i am always watching...maybe another kind of bird will give ur lovebird company....i also adopted another lovebird tootee...and my lovebird chichi hates tootee!!!...they dont get along!...

[michael]

Hi Cassie. I agree for now another companion should wait for quite some time as depending on how close they were Lilly may be protective of the home that her and Baby once shared. Of course, if she appears to do well on her own it may be best to keep it that way. As indicated by Tessie and Kali you might end up with two birds that just won't get along. Finding a friend/companion for Lilly can go either way so you'll need to consider having to spend time separately on two birds instead of one to provide for their care.

'Age' and sex can make a difference when when pairing two birds. Although some get along fine with various age gaps others may not fair so well. Should you decide to go ahead and introduce another bird it would be best to stick with an appropriate age. Sex can create some issues too, so now I have to ask whether you have ever known the age and sex of either Lilly or Baby as usually two females don't pair well and obviously a male/female pair could produce unwanted breeding.

I must add, I'm very sorry to hear of Baby's sudden passing. Prayers for her, Lilly, and you. While its not unusual for a necropsy to lack the evidence needed to exact a cause of death, many viruses/illness can be ruled out depending on the symptoms associated with them. Although this may not be 100% accurate, it can help to give some peace of mind knowing that likely its not PBFD or some other dreadful illness. Really, Baby possibly could have passed from a heart defect. This may have been age related or not depending on those exact numbers. Hopefully Lilly is just fine and will continue to do well despite Baby's passing. Like Kali suggested, adding some new toys along with treats and a little extra time can do wonders to help keep Lilly happy. Adding another lovebird at this point could add salt to the wound. Please keep us posted as to how Lilly is doing and here's a link for DNA testing thats also provided in the "Lovebird resource library". http://www.avianbiotech.com/sexingcenter.htm ..............Michael and Goofy lovebird

[LauraO]

I am soooo sorry to hear about your loss. It's never easy losing a beloved fid :( .

I agree with others about waiting awhile before introducing another lovebird to Lilly. I would, however, try and spend more time with her to help her get through this time. Lovebirds do mourn, but how they mourn is unique to the bird and the situation. If Lilly is eating and is active, then it sounds like she is adjusting to life without Baby, but I'm sure she misses him.