My Pet Conure, I lost my beloved bird Options

[Erik]

I've been devastated by the sudden death of my eight and half year old cinnamon green cheek conure named Chicken. He (or she...never had him sexed) was in perfect health early Sunday, and when I came in from shoveling the driveway, I was absolutely horrified to find him laying dead at the bottom of his cage. He had only been in his cage for an hour and a half, so I'm confused, angry, upset and just downright depressed about the whole situation. Everyone keeps telling me it wasn't my fault, but I still feel guilty like I might have been able to prevent it or do something. The little guy was bonded with me, and the feeling was mutual. Whenever I was home, he was with me most of the time and wanted little to do with anyone else (including my wife). I feel like I lost one of my best friends, and I've never been hit this hard by the loss of a pet.

I dropped Chicken off at the vet yesterday for a necropsy, because I'm beating myself up wondering how this could have happened. I often wonder if I made the right decision in doing this! He'll also be cremated and the leg band (he's a banded bird) will be returned to me.

I'll deeply miss my little pal, and I will always have fond memories of all the joy he brought me over the years.

[Erik]

Thanks, SummerHolly. Yeah, I think you're right. The vet called today and said she doesn't think it had anything to do with my care of Chicken. She did the examination and found that it may have been a liver issue. Plus, the heart was a tad larger than normal. And...she found ovaries. So Chicken was definitely a girl. It feels so weird to finally know for sure after calling her a "he" for well over eight years. I'm just waiting for the lab results to know more, but that'll take longer.

I'm hanging in there. It's getting better every day, but I still have my moments. I'll always miss her, but one day soon I'll be smiling at all the great memories.