Oh no, I am so sorry for your loss. And I am so sorry it has taken me this long to get back to you. I have been having a lot of trouble with my internet connedtion today. I have to be honest with you and tell you right up front that not even a vet could tell you what the cause of death was without doing a necropsy. The bird version of an autopsy. What I can do is give you all of the same information that I would give to a brand new Tiel owner and you can use it as a guideline to do some detective work. One of the problems we have with our parrots is their very strong instinct to mask all symptoms of illness or injury, from us. In the wild, they are prey and to show weakness is to get kicked out of the safety of the flock. By the time we see any symptoms, it's because they are too sick and too weak to keep up the pretense. A couple of the first things we will be able to notice is a change in behavior, (less playing, less or no talking, etc.), any change in the appearance of the droppings that lasts more than 24 hours and cannot be accounted for by diet. For example, a lot of fruits or veggies one day can make more runny droppings but it should not last more than a day, then go back to normal. Other symptoms are sitting with feathers fluffed, giving up the perches and staying on the cage floor, and sleeping an inordinate amount of time. As you see, your bird was showing some of these symptoms so it means either that he had been ill for several days and was doing a good job of hiding it, or he had an exposure to some kind of toxic product and it affected him very quickly. We all have so many products and items in our home that we don't think about because they are safe for us and for most other pets. But, they are deadly if used around a bird. There will be some links included that will take you to lists of all kinds of dangerous products, plants, etc. and instructions about how to safely "bird proof" your home to keep a pet bird safe and healthy. You may spot something on one of these lists that you exposed him to, not knowing it was toxic. Or he may have had an illness that could have been fungal, or bacterial, or even diet related. For example, apple is okay but the seeds contain cyanide so we must never give them seeds. Actually we should not give them seed from any fruits. It's just not possible to guess, after the fact, and I would be misleading you if I tried to tell you "it was this" or "it was that". The sad truth is, we don't know and there is no way we probably will know for sure unless you spot a suspect on these lists. I hope they will help you and give you some closure and if nothing else, I hope it will be helpful to you should you decide to get another bird someday. Let me know if I can do anything else for you. My thoughts are with you at this very sad time. Patricia
Click here: BirdsnWays - Articles & FAQs on pet birds, pet parrots & exotic bird species - Cockatiels
Life After Weaning - Your Companion Bird and You
Caring For Your Pet Cockatiel
Fatty Liver Disease in Cockatiels
Click here: Cockatiels as Pets - Choosing a Cockatiel, Cages and Feeding
Click here: More Birds Die as a Result of Air Fresheners: That Stinks!!
Click here: Alerts Dangers and Toxins for Pet Birds Parrots
Click here: Bird; Birds: Safe, Toxic Trees, Woods. Safe Tree Wood. Poisonous. Parrots.
Click here: Toxic and Safe Plants/Trees for Birds - Household Poisons
Click here: Birdsnways - Safe Plants & Trees for pet birds, pet parrots &exotic birds
Toronto Humane Society :: Common Poisonous Plants
Click here: Bird Proofing Your Home: Household Hazards for Birds
Click here: Bird Proofing Your Home - Avoid These Pet Bird Hazards
Parrot C&onsultant
Published author, free lance bird behaviorist, adviser to the parrots at Sarasota Jungle Gardens.