the birdhaus---posts from the aviary: The Death of a Companion

I was out for a bit of this evening watching a friend's band practice, and when I got home one of our birds, Woody, was on the bottom of her cage and acting odd. This is not a good sign with birds, but she often exhibited behavior like this when she was younger and in egg laying mode. I was a bit concerned, but not overly, as she has been acting fine lately, with no signs of illness. She hasn't been quite the same since her sister, Sunny, died about a year and a half ago, but since they grew up together, that is understandable. I reached in to her to see if she would come to me, but she hissed at me and wouldn't allow me very close. Again, this is something she would do when she was egging, so I decided it was best to leave her alone.

My wife is out of town, and I told her all this by phone, and she agreed it was probably no big deal. Then she called me back about 15 minutes later to wish me good night and see how Woody was. When I looked in her cage she was lying on her back with her feet in the air. I grabbed her quickly but it was over. She was dead. Her body was still warm, but her heart had stopped and she lay limply in my hand.

My wife was devastated. She had Woody and Sunny when I met her almost 13 years ago. I myself am kind of in shock. It happened so quickly, without any warning.

Our pets are our companions. We take them on as our charges, knowing that time with them may be brief. And the price we pay for loving them is paid at the end, when we lose them.

I don't know what else to say, so I will post some pictures of Woody. She was a strong spirit. I hope she rests in peace.