My cousin just called , and says she gave a bit of apple and apple peel to her daughter’s parakeets. Today they are dead! She has been accused of killing them. Did she?! I told her I would come here and ask for wisdom form the great minds of COTH.
apples are safe but like any novel food should be fed in very small amounts to start.
with both birds with sudden onset of death, without digestive symptoms etc, I would look towards the air quality in the house (CO2 levels)
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Did she use any air fresheners? New pots or pans? Candles? New appliances? Any sprays? Birds are EXTREMELY sensitive to anything in the air.
they weren’t her birds. She knows nothing about them. She is moving in with her daughter. she is freaked out about it. (her mom just died, and now she has to move in with her daughter, and she has killed their birds.] She said they had no water, at least twice in two days. She of course thought she was helping.
Once, about 20 years ago, I helped out a friend of a friend, and kept their two gorgeous parrots for a winter. I managed not to kill them, and I loved spritzing them with water. They said the word APP-le, SO cute!! I don’t remember what I fed them, but I cleaned up feathers for a year!
No, apple peel should not kill parakeets. No water will though, especially if its hot. Birds in general don’t show that they are sick, so it could be something that has been brewing for a while and just now got the better of them.
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You cannot feed any bird much apple because it will cause digestive upsets. Feed only a very tiny amount a couple of times a week or less for a bird as small as a Budgie.
Too much apple makes birds’ stool runny, causes stomach ache, and if the fruit is not organic, can actually poison your bird with whatever chemicals were used in and on the fruit. Feed only organic food to your bird because his body is too small to handle any chemicals in his food.This includes any seed mixes not stated to be Certified Organic for the same reason. The factory farmers spray their crops with all kinds of pesticides and chemical fertilizers both of which kill birds and people too if they eat too much of it.
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I feed my budgies, Bourke’s parrots and canaries apple slices every day (along with a variety of other fruits and veggies) and they’re all fine and have been for years. They don’t really eat the peel (except to nibble on it a bit), just the fruit itself.
A short time without water probably wouldn’t cause death either, unless it was VERY hot. These are Aussie bush birds and don’t drink a lot at the best of times. If they had fruit, the moisture from that would provide the water they need for a while.
I’m with Elislove—the most obvious explanation would be air quality. Especially fumes from overheated non-stick cookware. That will kill birds almost immediately. You could also lose birds to a sudden fright that resulted in a heart attack, but I wouldn’t expect both to succumb at the same time.
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did she happen to cook anything, or bring any pots/pans with her to cook in?
i’m with others, doesn’t sound like it came from the apples. i know plenty of people who feed their budgies apples/fresh fruit daily.
so sorry for your cousin and the birds.
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I don’t know anything more than what I have said. She is living in the basement, and doesn’t cook much. Her daughter is a head nurse, and is very anal. (her words not mine!)
It might also be a small carbon dioxide leak. If there aren’t C02 detectors in the house, they might be a wise purchase. Birds would be affected long before humans would.
I’m sorry for your cousin! Cage birds are incredibly fragile, and you rarely know what exactly caused their death.
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I concur fumes or leak.
And is anyone else waiting for an advertisement for organic bird seed from our new poster???
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How long had she been caring for them before they died?
If it’s a leak or toxic fumes from something they will die fairly quickly if ventilation is poor.
Basements are notorious for being damp/moldy, mold spores can get into their lungs and kill them. A cold recurring draft will also cause either illness or death.
I think she is living in the basement. The birds were almost certainly upstairs. She said the basement is quite nice, but I am pretty sure the birds were up in the main part of the house. She is distraught. Her 92 yr old mom died on 4/1, and she has had to move in with her daughter. She has had a tough life, but has made some bad choices too.
I believe the cooking references are related to Teflon pans being left on a burner with no or little foods. The Teflon “melts” releasing toxic gases.
Birds are very sensitive to air quality, hence the expression “canary in a coal mine”.
Miner’s took canaries into coal mines, the canaries would sicken/die from bad air which alerted miners.
ETA: HAVE YOUR COUSIN BUY CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS, as a house warming gift.
Seriously.
If there were any traces of pesticide on the apple peel it could be related to their death.
I’ve always fed the birds I have/had some apple but I always peeled them first and fed in moderation.
Did she feed the whole apple? The peel would not kill them, at least not that quickly. Long term toxin buildup would do it, but not one time. The seeds, however, are toxic. If they ate the seeds, there’s your answer.
I don’t know what they were fed. I imagine, just a little bit of apple, with a bit of peel.
