Help! My Conure Died Suddenly. What Could Have Caused This?

“I recently lost my conure, Samson. I loved him dearly and his sudden death has left me feeling devastated. I got him when he was just a baby and he quickly became a beloved member of our family. Samson was always so cheerful and full of life. He loved to play and would often make us laugh with his silly antics. I am going to miss him terribly. Even though he was just a bird, he brought so much joy into our lives. His loss has been difficult for all of us, but we are trying to remember all the happy times we shared with him. Samson will never be forgotten and will always have a special place in our hearts.”

– Ashton

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“I was so sad when my pet conure died suddenly. She seemed so healthy and I couldn’t see any issues. I did some research and found out that there are many possible reasons for this. It could be due to an underlying health condition, something she ate or drank, or even stress. Is there any way to know what it was? I have another one, a boy, and do not want him to die randomly, too. :-(“

– Meredith C.

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I usually wake up in the morning to the sound of my pet conure chirping. She was always very active in the mornings. However, when I got to her cage, I found her lying at the bottom, motionless. I immediately knew something was wrong. I opened the cage and picked her up, but she was already gone.

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– Alyssa

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It is never easy to lose a pet, and the death of a beloved conure can be especially devastating. While the exact cause of death is often unknown, there are a few things that can help to explain why your conure died. First, even the healthiest birds can succumb to sudden illness or injury.

If your bird was sick or injured, there may have been no obvious signs until it was too late. Additionally, birds are very sensitive to changes in their environment, and even small changes can cause stress.

In this post, we will look at the 18 most common causes of death for pet conures. Hopefully, this provides you with some insight.

Potential Causes of A Conures Death

Many potential causes of conure’s death include: 

• Bacterial infection from being bitten by another bird or insect 
• Being infected with a virus after contact with another bird / contagious disease
• Parasites
• Malnutrition or a bad diet
• Hunger strike (starvation)
• Lack of water and food for an extended period of time (dehydration/starvation)
• Diseases spread through exposure to water (infection)
• Infection
• Trauma
• Stress-related illness or aggression between cagemates (trauma)
• Hypothermia / Excessive cold temperatures (freezing) 
• An injury that is causing the bird to bleed out internally
• Choking
• Conure loneliness
• Overfeeding
• High temperature or high humidity levels in the cage
• Inadequate ventilation.
• Genetics
• Underweight at birth

These are all very possible reasons for your conure’s sudden death. So let’s take a deeper look at the symptoms you may have noticed. This will help determine the cause. It will also provide you with insight if you have other birds or intend on keeping more in the future.

Bacterial infection from being bitten by another bird or insect

If your conure was bitten by another bird or insect, it’s important to watch for signs of infection. Bacteria can enter the wound and cause an infection.

Symptoms of an infection include redness, swelling, and discharge from the wound. If you notice any of these signs, take your conure to the vet for treatment.

Treatment may involve antibiotics or other medication. If left untreated, an infection can spread and become life-threatening. So if you think your conure has an infection, don’t delay in getting it treated.

Parasites

Parasites can cause a variety of problems, including loss of appetite, lethargy, and weight loss. In severe cases, parasites can even cause death.

Your bird may easily have been invaded by parasites if he was attacked by another bird or insect, if he was not kept in a clean environment, or if the water dish had been used before it was changed.

If you suspect that your bird has parasites, please bring him to the vet as soon as possible so we can treat the problem and get your bird back to good health.

How can I prevent this in the future? To prevent this from happening again, it is recommended that you clean the cage on a regular basis, change the water dish often, and keep your bird away from other birds. If you suspect your conure has lice or mites, take them to a specialist vet as soon as possible.

Malnutrition or a Bad Diet

Inadequate nutrition leads to malnutrition or vitamin deficiency. Many conures die due to malnutrition or vitamin deficiency.

One potential cause of this is feeding your bird an improper diet, which can lead to digestive problems and malnutrition. When you feed your conure the wrong foods or toxic foods, he may become malnourished or develop a vitamin deficiency, causing him to die from complications caused by those two factors.

How can I prevent this in the future? To prevent sudden death by malnutrition, we recommend feeding your conure a balanced and healthy diet full of vitamins and minerals it would receive from a natural diet. We recommend mixing their usual seed with this organic natural blend of grains and legumes for a fortified, nutritious meal. Also, avoid anything toxic to the conure – we have detailed all toxic foods in our expert conure owners guide.

Hunger strike

Yes, birds can go on a hunger strike!

If your conure was looking malnourished or started to exhibit strange behavior such as pacing, drooping wings, and was uninterested in food for several days, he may have been on a hunger strike; it may be the case that your conure died suddenly due to starvation.

How can I prevent this in the future? conures have small bodies and fast metabolism, so they can’t afford to be without food or water for long. In the future, if your bird refuses to eat or drink, he may be trying to tell you that he’s not happy.

You should consult a veterinarian as soon as possible if your bird is going on a hunger strike since this can lead to other health problems such as organ failure and death.

Disease

Your conure may have been suffering from a disease.

Diseases are the most common cause of sudden conure death. Viral diseases like psittacosis or coccidiosis are easily contracted by birds who spend time outside and are then brought inside. Birds can also catch viral diseases like psittacosis or bird flu from humans.

Respiratory problems, mouth rot, beak, and foot infections are some of the other symptoms that may indicate a conure is suffering from a disease.

How can I prevent this in the future? We have written all about diseases conures carry in this post. We explain how to prevent and what symptoms to look out for as well as the risks some may pose to humans.

Trauma

This could be as simple as hitting their head on something or another animal biting them. For example, if your conure was perched high up outside, he might have been attacked by a predator. While he may have survived the attack, the trauma to his body may have been too much, and he died from the impact.

How can I prevent this in the future? Accidents do happen and cannot always be prevented. Keeping your bird in a larger cage or restricting their designated flying area is an option if you are worried about predators.

Infection

There are many infections that may cause your conure to die, including beak and foot infections. These types of conditions can result from unclean water or food bowls.

How can I prevent this in the future? If you clean them properly, this risk is significantly reduced. An untreated infection could possibly have lead to your conure‘s death.

Stress-Related Illness or Aggression Between Cagemates

This falls in the category of trauma, also. Conures can become stressed or aggressive when they’re caged together, and there’s not enough space for them to fly.

Similarly, if your conure is living in an area where there are a lot of people coming by and making loud noises, it could be very stressful for them, and they might die suddenly due to being over-stimulated. The stress that they can endure in such instances is enough to cause death as their bodies become very weak, rendering them unable to fight off any diseases that might be present.

How can I prevent this in the future? If you suspect this was the case, in the future, make sure your conure has more room or let him be on his own.

Hypothermia (getting too cold).

Hypothermia could be the cause of your conure’s death if he was exposed to a draft, such as an open window. If your bird died during the winter season and was living outdoors, he could have flown into the cold air where his body couldn’t produce enough heat to survive.

How can I prevent this in the future? This would only happen if it’s not warm outside, so make sure you are aware of this if you have outdoor birds who may be prone to fly off during the winter months.

An injury that is causing the bird to bleed out internally

Your conure may have had an injury that caused it to bleed out internally, caused by an accident or some other traumatic event.

How can I prevent this in the future? It is hard to look for symptoms of internal injuries, so there is not much you could have observed that would have prevented the death.

Choking

Conures have a small beak that is not very good at chewing, so if the bird swallows a sharp object, it may cause an injury to the esophagus, which could lead to death. A conure can also choke on the grit in its cage or other debris.

How can I prevent this in the future? To prevent your conure from choking in the future, make sure you take care of your bird’s nails and only give them food that is the right size for their beak.

Dehydration

A healthy conure will drink water and perch to maintain hydration, but as a pet owner, it can be hard to know whether or not your bird needs more fluids, so dehydration may happen on occasion.

How can I prevent this in the future? There are a few simple things you can do to ensure your conure does not die due to dehydration. Ensure he has a water dish that you have cleaned regularly, and place it where he will see it.

You can also provide him with fruits like strawberries or apples, which contain plenty of water to keep him hydrated. You can also buy a conure cage water dispenser, which will ensure it always has enough clean and fresh water.

If you notice any signs of dehydration, call your vet for advice on how to proceed.

Conure Loneliness

An elderly conure may die suddenly due to loneliness if they do not have company from a mate or friend at home.

How can I prevent this in the future? Get your conure a friend or mate! Most birds need companionship to live happily.

Being Overfed

Your conure may have died due to being overfed. You may not have even noticed you were overfeeding your bird.

How can I prevent this in the future? To prevent this, make sure you only feed your conure a small amount of food every day.

High Temperature, High Humidity Levels In The Cage or Inadequate ventilation.

If your conure’s cage is not adequately ventilated, the temperature and humidity levels may have been too high. A conure’s cage should be at a temperature of between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If you notice the temperature of the cage was significantly higher than this, this could have been the cause of death.

How can I prevent this in the future? Ensure that your bird has a large enough cage with proper ventilation to avoid these issues.

Genetic Problems

Birds in captivity are often inbred. In some cases, they are too inbred, which can cause genetic problems that will lead to death.

How can I prevent this in the future? You may be able to avoid this by shopping around at different pet stores and asking about their birds.

You can avoid breeders altogether and buy from a pet owner whose unrelated birds have mated. Inbreeding is also seen with some of the wild populations of these birds, so make sure you don’t have any related pairs living together or within close proximity.

Conures should never be purchased from an aviary where sick birds are housed, as the chance of an infection spreading is too great.

It is important that your conures are active, have eyes that are bright and clean, and that they are fluttering or walking around in the cage. Except during their normal nap time, birds shouldn’t just remain motionless in a corner. The store employee should hold the individual birds so you can carefully inspect them while they’re being held.

Your Conure Was Underweight

If your bird was underweight at birth and has lost weight over time, it’s likely that your pet has a medical condition. Conures often have some degree of beak malocclusion and will require periodic adjustments to their diet and feeding routine by a vet.

 How can I prevent this in the future? Bring your bird to a vet to have them assess him periodically and move forward from there. Your vet will know the best course of action.

Old Age

Conures that are between five and eight years old can start to show signs of aging. Birds will often have a thinner body and lose some of their feathers which will eventually lead to a weakened immune system.

For example, if he was experiencing kidney failure before his death, this could have led to respiratory problems, which caused him to die suddenly as it would be difficult for him to breathe.

 How can I prevent this in the future? Unfortunately, old-age gets us all… conures included.

Dealing With The Loss Of Your Conure

Although birds are long-lived pets, eventually we must say goodbye to them. Children may have more difficulty when it is time for this goodbye than adults do.

Helping Children Deal With Their Conure’s Death

To calm your child down after the loss of a pet, have him or her create a photo collage about the bird with pictures from magazines. Explain that these feelings will pass in time.

Regardless of your child’s age, it is important to be open about the loss of the conure in order to address and work through their feelings together.

Parents need to remember that, while helping the kids cope with their pet’s death, they themselves may experience sadness. They should not feel like they have to say “They’re only animals” or lessen their feelings of loss by saying “It’s just a conure.” Pets play important roles in our lives and families. When we lose people who are close to us, it is appropriate for them to also grieve.

Pet Loss Resources

If the death of your conure has severely affected you and you need help or support, please use the resources below. Everybody takes the loss of their conure differently but you are not alone.

Organization	Contact
Pet Loss Phone Support	(855) 955-5683
Chicago Veterinary Medical Association Pet Loss Support Helpline	(630) 325-1600
Blue Cross Pet Bereavement Support Service
ASPCA End of Life Care

Conclusion

We have tried to cover the most likely scenarios and possible causes why your conure died suddenly, but it is important to remember that conures are living beings, and just like us, they will all die of old age at some point, and in some cases, it cannot be prevented.

How to help your Conure live a longer life:

If you want to ensure your pet’s death isn’t as sudden as this article has mentioned, and give them the best chances at living the fullest life they can, there are a few things you can do:

– Keep an eye on your bird for any signs of change or symptoms mentioned above.

– Make sure their cage is cleaned often and that they have enough space to maneuver freely.

– Ensure they eat a well-balanced diet and get enough vitamins.

What to do if your Conure dies suddenly:

– Contact an avian veterinarian for assistance.

– If you’re not sure what caused the death, they may be able to help you find out.

– They can also provide a postmortem exam and histopathology report of tissue samples from organs and tissues in order to try to determine the cause of death.

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