@febe1
Oh sweetheart I am so sorry. I live with birds that most avian vets will not treat - sparrows and a pigeon. I'm pretty much on my own because what I live with is considered invasive species or dime a dozen. I've even read the dime a dozen remark from wildlife rehabbers.
So far I've lost one bird. Her name was Peewee, she was the first of two sparrows I hand raised straight out of the egg. She passed away when she was 9 years and 9 days old.
I noticed that my little Peewee was acting even more low key about 2-3 weeks before she passed away. She ate, she drank, she flew. To be honest, she looked like she was flying in slow motion. Oh, my birds are not caged, they have access to 3 rooms - aviary like.
I panicked of course and reached out to a finch breeder, since sparrows are in the finch family, in California. She was in her 70's and had been breeding finches since she was a child. She has a business - ladygoudlianfinch dot com - so that's how I knew her.
We talked about possible supplements, could be be egg binded - I was out of my mind. Joanne told me, Bernadette, your Peewee is remarkable, I've never heard of a finch of any kind making it to age 9.
I ordered a couple of supplements and my Peewee continued to eat what she wanted, when she wanted - I didn't pressure her.
I can't tell you how many times I came home early from work or just cried at my desk. I was there the day she was born, I begged God to let me be there the day she went home.
It was like watching a clock that was winding down. Like a watch with a low battery, moving, just more slowly. Fourth of July weekend, I cut the grass and came up to check on her and noticed she was sitting on a towel, outside of her habitat - not a place she would normally sit.
I knew - it was like someone hit me in the gut. I grabbed a small basket, lined it with a towel and took her downstairs and told her the story of her birth and how happy and blessed I was when her and her brother's nest (Poppi will be 12 in June) landed on the patio after a storm.
I just talked softly to her as we looked at each other in the eye and she did what I've seen upteen outside birds do at the end. She inhaled, extended her wings and by the time her wings fell back into place, she was over the rainbow bridge.
I can't lie to you - I died a little that day. I brought her upstairs so that her brother Poppi (also 9), Grayson (the rescue pigeon who was 5) and Presto (1 - my youngest sparrow) could understand what happened.
There are many elements: wind, fire, water
But none quite like the element of surprise
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