Mystery of the dying budgies: Dozens birds drop off their perches in front of judges

[Are_grits_groceries]

Bird lovers and exhibitors watched in horror as 38 prize budgies keeled over and died during a show.

Owners and organisers rushed about getting their cages outside into the fresh air as the budgerigars began plummeting from their perches.

Fanciers feared a gas leak caused the tragedy.

But after investigations by plumbers, gas workers, fire authorities and environmental health officers, there was no explanation for what happened at the village hall event in Gwynedd, North Wales.
<snip>
A vet carried out checks on two casualties revealing they died from congestion and haemorrhaging of the lungs.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1228218/Fumes-riddle-prize-budgies-drop-dead-perches-horrified-judges.html#ixzz0X34HwjUc

This is way weird. I wonder what the condition of their lungs means. When a bird keels over, something bad is going on.

[Cleita]

1. I was always told to keep my budgie out of a draft.

They can tolerate cold temperatures but not a draft and will die suddenly just as you described. I wonder if their was an air conditioning problem? I have suffered at many a job with an air conditioning vent blowing down over me.

[Are_grits_groceries]

3. What about the lungs?

Would they hemorrhage?

[Cleita]

5. It would have to be something drastic to make them die wouldn't it?

Maybe our resident vet, Kestral will chime in and tell us how it works.

[Walk away]

6. I'm not Kestral but it doesn't take anything drastic to kill a budgie.

They are highly susceptible to bacterial, fungal and viral infections.

[Cleita]

9. I didn't mean that. I meant that the lung congestion could kill them and that

the draft could cause that. And as far as I'm concerned, dying is a drastic outcome.

[pitohui]

10. 38 birds died in moments, this wasn't because of a draft

budgies are not actually all that fragile, they're pretty sturdy little birds

the budgies did not die because of a draft in a show hall where they've done many shows before in previous years

IME this would be caused either by a gas leak or by someone who burned a non-stick pan in the kitchen area -- the gas created by over heated non-stick cooking equipment can kill even much larger birds (such as african greys) in a few moments

it has been known for years that allowing non stick surfaces to burn will kill birds in moments, a moment of carelessness (which will never be admitted to now) is likely what killed the birds -- believe you me the person who effed up and did this will never confess, they're prob. shitting bricks that it won't be figured out...people invest a lot of time and money in developing these show birds

i do not allow non stick cooking equipment in my home

[tridim]

12. Or in my brother's case, a vacuum cleaner.

But I'd probably say that's a pretty drastic method of parakeet death.

[tridim]

2. Maybe the birds don't like being judged?

Budgie shows? Come on, really?

[Are_grits_groceries]

4. Don't look at me.

I didn't organize it. I thought about that, but the lung thing was weird.

[pitohui]

11. budgies are highly social and enjoy shows/being shown

you may indeed be all "don't look at me" but this is a highly social species that enjoys nothing better than lots of attention

in my post #10 i tell what i think is the likely cause of the sudden death syndrome, i'm no longer in the business but i've reported it on it in birds in years gone by -- it's a silent gas that is created when non stick cooking equipment is burned -- someone's carelessness spoiled this show and killed these birds, in my opinion

i always tell bird owners never to have non stick cooking equipment or coatings on their ovens, but who knows what was in the exhibition hall's kitchen -- one moment of carelessness by some slob can kill a lot of birds

[tridim]

13. Not doubting you, but how do you know?

My brother's keet could say hello, but she didn't have a clue what it meant. :)

[pitohui]

18. how do i know...what?

i know from years/decades of experiences working w. birds, including this species

they are social, no one who has ever observed them in the wild or who has raised them in captivity, will dispute it -- a wild flock of budgies can be hundreds of thousands of birds, we're not talking lone wolves here...

if you can't tell whether a bird is happy or depressed, then by all means, do not keep birds, and certainly do not try to breed, train, and show them because you will certainly fail, but their body language is pretty easy to read -- some caring abt the animal, some empathy, and just experience is what it takes to know what they like

if you don't believe me, you could always research it with trusted sources -- you will learn what everyone already knows -- the budgerigar is social, okay, thanks?

should i post a cite the next time i make mention of the laws of gravity too?

[piratefish08]

7. I think they died from embarrassment.

and smoking.

[Doremus]

8. Sounds like a Legionnaire's Disease for birds. nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. It's probably all the mercury in the flu vaccines.

This is the logical consequence of fucking up the moon.

[Sinti]

15. This sounds like the original strain of bird fly

In the original strain the stronger your immune system was the deadlier the virus was, because your immune system would destroy your lungs trying to kill it off. The new pig-duck farming virus (swine flu they call it), which appears to have genes from the original bird flu (at least in name), is much, much less dangerous.

[pitohui]

16. no (see post 10 & 11)

avian flu does not work that fast nor does it immediately cease when you get the birds into open air

would we could treat avian flu so easily, instead of having to vaccinate/euthanize chickens at a cost of millions of dollars to the poultry industry when there's an outbreak

this wasn't the flu

[Sinti]

Wow - okay. I knew I didn't trust that non-stick stuff - cooking on poisons is strange IMO n/t

[pitohui]

21. before the problem was well publicized in the 1980s many many birds experienced sudden death

i know that "bird talk" magazine for one and "american cage-bird magazine" for another did yeoman's work getting the word out that bird owners needed to be very cautious in handling this type of cooking pans/surface

[Sinti]

23. Love birds, but can't bear to see them in cages

it seems unfair. They can fly, after all. Though I've had to stop my car on more than one occasion for an ornery bird who wasn't "flying" but walking, thank you. I prefer to watch them in the wild :) It's still good info to know (which I didn't). If it can kill birds it's probably hurting your children.

[DainBramaged]

17. THE classic sketch....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218

[kctim]

19. Not much meat on em

[tilsammans]

20. So sad!

Agree with those who are mentioning the bad effects of fumes from nonstick cookware. I won't have it in the house because of its toxic potential -- for my birds and for my family and friends.

[SPedigrees]

22. Poor little budgies. RIP nt