u/chrerymoon

Hey i just need to cry it out a little bit.

I've had my birdie for almost a year. He was 2 when i got him.

He passed away 3 days ago.

I can't understand what did i do wrong.

He had wonderful feed. He had grit with sand, seashells, eggshells, charcoal and algae. He had cuttlebone. He had a mineral block. He had vitamins sneaked to his water every now and then. He got fruits and vegetables almost everyday.

He was free roaming my house most of the time i had him. He had a small cage for eating and sleeping, and the whole room for himself. I've build him a huge tree with natural branches, from floor to the ceiling. He had numerous natural perches around the house. He had water to bathe in. He had millet branches hanged around so he could graze on them.

When i needed to transport him to my parents' house for holidays, i've build him a big cage, 1,5mx1mx1,2m so he would have plenty of space when he can't be let out.

And then he passed away one night. Just like that, no signs of illness, no possibilty of poisoning or animal attack. He was in this big cage, safe and with everything he needed. With no one bothering him. And I just found him laying down like that.

I'm still shocked, i don't know what to do, if i did something wrong, maybe i didn't notice something. I know that they don't usually show signs of illness until it's too late, but i just can't get over it. I miss him so much, i want him with me, i want to hear his chirps again, i want to hear his little footsteps again. I can't understand why that happened. If i did something wrong. Or was it just meant to happen.

He was my best friend for almost a year. He was always there with me, when i lived alone and for majority of time he was the only thing i could talk to. I'm going back to study in a month and i just can't imagine him not being there. His little cage is still in that room and idk what i will do when i come back there without him. He was the most precious little thing that i ever met and i just don't know. Like, anything. ;((

Hello!

My boy is with me for almost a year. He has a cage but it's always open, so he roams freely around my small two room place. I was trying to tame him but he's very slow about it, and everytime he's starting to trust me more i have to catch him to clip his nails. I mean, the same amount of time he needs to start trusting me again after every time i need to clip his nails, is about the same time it takes for his nails to get too long. So we are in this weird cycle when he's having literal panic attacks when i enter the room for the first couple of days after clipping his nails, panting and flying around like crazy, then being comfortable when i'm in the room, then taking treats from a nightstand when i'm laying just next to him, and then i need to take care of his feet again and he's terrified of me again.

Another thing is that he has pretty scaley feet. Idk what it is, it doesn't get any better or any worse, however whatever it is, i would need to treat him, and i wouldn't be able to do that without catching him numerous times to put a medicine or something.

I'm wondering what to do? because i won't neglect his health just for me to have a satisfaction from a cute little pet liking me. And he hates me everytime i need to do that to him. I was even thinking about catching him regularly, to get him used to being handled, but he's so stressed everytime i need to do it and i don't want to cause him discomfort, so i figured it wouldn't be a good idea. So i don't. It would be just learned helplesness, wouldn't it?

I really want him to like me. But he hates me. Birds in a park are more tame than him, even tho they're not domesticated. I love him and i prioritise his wellbeing so i don't want to force anything, but i'm sad that he's just so much happier when i'm not around.

Do you think this guy is just too timid to be tamed?

Do you think i should maybe put some more pressure, idk try to force my presence to get him used to me, or should i give up and just continue this weird cycle of tolerating me and then completely hating me? I really want him to be happy, but i want him to not freak out everytime i jave to act like a human around him. Do you think that's possible?

Don't take it wrong, i will still love him and take care of him if that's just who he is - a loner bird who would rather be alone. But on the other hand, i thought that maybe i'm just tiptoeing around him too much? Maybe that's my too careful behaviour that makes him this way?

What do you think? Did you have a similiar experience?

I just don't want to be scared everytime i need to catch him, that he'll die of heart attack because of me. And i need to do that, unfortunately, or else he will have his nails overgrown and his feet left untreated.