Did my cool house contribute to my parakeet's death?

by Judy
(Niagara Falls, NY)

My parakeet died and I am wondering why. Did I do something wrong?

My aunt passed away in May (2010) and I inherited her parakeet. I'm told he was between 4-6 yrs of age. The cage was cleaned every other day, food was refreshed the same way.

He was fine this morning & afternoon. When I went to cover his cage tonight he was dead. I don't know if the house was too cold for him (I keep it at about 68)or if something else happened. I noticed that he was going to the bottom of his cage a lot in recent days and last Sunday he spit up some of his food.

Was the house too cold for him? Or do they just die like that? I'm heartbroken -- he was a nice bird and we were just starting to really bond. Did the fact that the house was cool contribute to his death?

Reply: I am so sorry to hear you lost your aunt! And sorry about your pet parakeet :(
The temperature itself is probably not the reason as it was optimal for this little bird, since the best temperature for them is between 65 and 72 degrees F (18 – 20 C).

There are many things that affect these little birds and the worst thing is that often they don't show they are sick until they are too sick.
At that point of time, it is usually too late. They sometimes show some illness symptoms but if you had no previous experience with parakeets, you would probably miss them.

Although the temperature was OK, maybe it was much different from what he was used to. You see, they can even live outside, in pretty cold weather, but if you take them in, and they get used to very warm room, they will die when the temperature goes down.
Also, maybe he caught some draft from an open window or something. They are very sensitive and you can never know what actually hurt them.

I really hope you will manage to get over this fast. I know it will be hard, as loosing a little friend parakeet is always a stress.
As soon as you feel better, read more on parakeets and go get yourself a new friend. And come back for any help you need!

For more info on parakeet illnesses you can see the list of parakeet illnesses and learn how to prevent and treat parakeet illness.