We went to the vets today and its not good news.

 

They all have pbfd.

 

So after a very long conversation with the vet, who incidentally was great, he took the time to explain the whole thing in depth to my son (who pulled a sickie from school so he could come to the vet with me). We decided to put them all to sleep. He was very upset but very mature about it.

 

I know you will all be very disappointed in me. But there were far to many in the aviary and with this disease I couldn't rehome any of them for fear of infecting other peoples birds and anyone trying to breed them would have been a disaster.

 

So the aviary will be destroyed and taken to the tip so that no one can ever use it for budgies and have to go through the same thing as us.

 

We still have the weiros, which aparently have a natural immunity to pbfd, and the finches who are all at the same vets next week for a check up. We are all hoping that they are okay. They all seem to be fairly healthy.

 

I have convinced the kids that we will not be keeping any budgies for a while until we have all done a lot more research to make sure we know what we are doing. I have set everyone a task to find out as much as possible on keeping our other birds healthy. They have taken turns trawling the internet and have given me reams of stuff to read and a shopping list. I am hoping this will take their minds off the awful day next week when I have to take them for their final trip

 

They have also been taking pictures of the budgies to make a collage of them all so we don't forget.

 

It's been an exhausting and horrible day. I am going to bed.

 

Mandy

Mandy, I am really sorry to hear that, and of course none of us would be dissappointed with you. Give your kids an extra hug from me in the morning.

 

 

*hugz* to all

 

 

Feathers.

Wow... what a decision to ahve to make! I think you made the right choice; your reasons are all very valid and important to consider. I'm sorry for your huge loss.

Reading up on this horrible disease, I believe you made the best decision in your position. I know personally I am not disappointed in you. My heart goes out to you because making that decision was very tough but you thought about the birds and others first. ((hugs))

We talked kast night and I know you made a very hard decision that upset you greatly. You did all you could under the circumstances. I hope today is a better day for you :angel1:

No, you absolutely made the right but difficult decision, hugs to you and your son.

Poor thing. I know it must have been hard. I think it was an educated decision and it is very hard looking after birds with pbfd.

Hugs Mandy. You made a very hard choice and it seems to me the right one for your family and existing pets. You at lest gave these birds a happy last few days with some that cared about them.

Thanks everyone for your kind words and understanding. Kaz you are a gem.

 

I do feel much better today especially knowing that you guys "the experts" think I am doing the right thing.

 

I have to say the more I think about the budgies situation the more annoyed I get with the man we got them from.

 

At first I felt sorry for him because he was 71 and riddled with arthritis and really couldn't care for them properly. But after taking the first 4 birds to the vet he said they were about only about 10 months old. God knows how long this uncontrolled breeding has gone on for. With a bit of research he could have stopped it. I know not everyone can use the internet, but the library is full of books on everything about budgies. When a pet shop sells a budgie (or any pet come to think of it) they should at least include a leaflet with the basics on just to make people aware of the responsibility they are taking on.

 

Sorry, I get on my soapbox about cruelty and yes I think attempting to breed any animal without the correct knowledge is cruel.

 

The weiros are starting to respond to me whistling at them and they don't freak out if I go near them when outside the aviary but If I go inside everyone freaks out. I think they may have been tame at one point but it will take forever to get that back.

 

Sitting out on the patio listening to the bedtime chirps is lovely and it is going to be awfully quiet next week with only the weiros and finches left, dreading it.

 

Big hugs to Kaz, Calvino and everyone else that has lost a budgie just lately.

 

Mandy

In life there is a reason and the reason was that you were to be brought into those birds lives and take them out of their suffering. If you didn't have the heart you had then they would be still suffering or even worse infecting other birds. You did all the right steps to ensure your existing birds where not infected and you took them straight away to the vet for diagnosing. This could have been a diaster if you would have not been responsible and aware. You were an angel for those birds now they can fly free of pain and be what a budgie should be chatty, happy and painfree.

Hi again Mandy, I can understand your frustration about their previous owner, but from somewhere out in the universe you got the urge to send your husband out to look at this aviary, and your husband, being a good man, knew he couldn't leave them where they were. I believe that you were meant to come into these little birds lives for a reason. You have given them a little bit of happiness in their last weeks and now they will pass on peacefully. This is a very good thing.

 

*hugz* to all for now, but I will reserve my biggest hugz for next week as I know how hard a toll this will take on you all. You are a very good person, Mandy and the way that you are dealing with this, and what the kids are doing to remember them is really great.

 

 

Feathers.