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After losing Ozzy on new year's eve, I was stunned to find my 10yr old budgie , Beaky lying dead in the cage this morning ! Its's so unfair !! I suppose I have too many elderly pets......Kerry, my tabby cat is 12......Charlie, one of my 4 guineapigs, and my favourite, will be 7yrs old next month.....Now I'm terrified of losing another pet.....the gut-wrenching pain, one after another like this, is depressing me.....Beaky was a very , very special budgie......He came into our lives, when he was just a few weeks old, and the vets wanted to put him down, because he had deformed feet. He couldn't grip a perch like other budgies, and could only hobble about on the floor of the cage....but he was beautiful !! 2 shades of blue and white. I BEGGED the vet to try something, anything.....So, the vet agreed to try cortisone injections....and we adapted a cage for Beaky, with foam rubber at the bottom for him to land on if he fell, and tree branches as perches, placed low in the cage initially. Then we would massage his little feet, and as we saw any movement, we would try and encourage him to grip and hold onto the perches. He would use his beak to help himself, so that's why we called him Beaky !! We had 2 hand feed him at first too, so he really became my "baby". Eventually, with lots of patience and persistence, he learnt to grip , albeit not perfectly, and would hop aboout his cage happily with his cage mates, and happily fly around indoors, whenever we let him out of his cage, always coming back to sit on our shoulders to whisper secrets in our ears, or a nibble on my hair. A wonderful, chatty, cheeky little bird, always the "boss" of the cage.....I am SO glad we never gave up on him ! So glad he had 10 wonderful years, but am gutted he went so quickly....My heart is broken....

So sorry to hear of your sad loss. It.sounds like you gave him a wonder life. You are in my thoughts. Xxx

Its a bit unbelievable Irene, isn't it. Poor you and your family. As Natalie says, sounds like Beaky had a really good life with you and what more can we ask for than for them to be happy for as long as possible. Also thinking of you xx

Thanks Natalie and Shailen.....Yes, it is so unbelievable......but fortunately my remaining budgie is ok. We moved his cage next to our cockatiel, Groucho's cage, so they both have company....
Thinking of you so much too Natalie....My sister in South Afirca, had to put her beautiful labrador, Narnia, to sleep 2 days ago....he was very old and ill......so sad for her, because Narnie was a hearing and service dog, so very very special. If you look on the f/b page and scroll back, you might find a picture oand story about my sister, with her 1st hearing dog, Snoopy.....It is so weird how we lost so many pets over the festive period......

The timing is strange Irene. Over the years working as a vet, we do seem to notice an increase around the 'festive' period; never really been sure why...

Yes, you are right Shailen...The festive period DOES seem to be a time for this......As a nurse, I have seen this trend too...two of my elderly patients passed on over the Christmas week.....