Bye bye birdie
*Warning: Dead pet photos*
My other zebra finch, Mulan passed away this morning (I forget why we named him that. Yes, HIM. It was an inside joke that I can't remember).
*sigh* I thought that I'd be used to dead birds after dealing with so many in an undergraduate research lab, but of course since he was my pet I got pretty sad. After I picked him up and buried him I was ok. Then when I told my stepmom I choked up and got teary eyed.
He was a good bird that didn't let his broken wing let him down! Although Petrie did pick on him because of that. I don't know how many times he'd try to mount poor ol' Mulan each day. DAMN, he even tried to do that to his dead body when I put it on the cage floor. He's gone Petrie... all the pecking and mounting ain't gonna bring him back.
Now with one bird left, I've got to think hard about whether I want to get another bird or give Petrie away so that he can be with other finches.
Mulan on Thursday, not looking too good
I don't know what Mulan died from exactly. For this past week, he was eating well and was active, and the only unusual thing about him was that he was looking pretty scraggly and puffy. I thought maybe he had mites, but when I caught him and looked at him, I didn't see any. Then I thought maybe he was beginning to molt so I gave him some more crushed boiled eggs which he was going CRAZY over. Well, whatever it was (maybe just old age), it allowed him to be pretty active until it took him away.
I buried him in the nest that he was inside of when I found him. What intrigues me is that he and Petrie rarely go inside that nest and they always sleep in the other one at night. The way animals choose where to die is so fascinating. Same thing with Robin... she crawled into an unusual spot to pass away in.
I cut the nest in half so that I can fill it with grass and dirt that would hug his body. It was a fine little grave and I had a lot more time to put care into it than my last bird burial(boy, that one was dramatic!). The grave to the right of Mulan's contains a small mouse that ended up on our deck after a big storm. There's also wild bird that I buried in our front yard. Hmm, I seem to have more experience in this than I would have liked, haha.
What a great bird, I'll miss him.
June 06 - Mulan in the back
June 07 - In the back, again. I think he's always been more afraid of me
December 07 - In Ohio
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Video: Bath time
Video: Petrie pecking Mulan
Petrie and Mulan gallery
8 comments:
Oh honey. I'm sorry. :(
What a beautiful bird. He was lucky to have a Mom like you. RIP Mulan.
sorry for your loss. I too have many animal burials in my backyard (not to sound morbid or anything).
Oh No.....that's so sad...so sorry for your loss.
WC - Thank you. Me too =(
PE - I hope that he enjoyed his time with me.
Yumdish - Thanks... haha. You'll have to post a story about that someday.
Kirk - Thank you
*hug*. Losing a loving pet is never easy. Just remember all the unconditional love that they give us. *hug*
Birds are hard to love as pets because it seems they just can pass without much warning and even when you notice illness- what can you do? Zebras are cute engaging creatures. I used to raise them by the hundreds (they are like rabbits) but found each one special. Good luck whichever direction you take.
WoRC - Thank you! *hug* Give your doggies a hug from me too!
heidih - Thanks! Nice to see another finch-lover. You're right, there's only so much you can do when these little birdies show any sickness. I suppose it's their flock instinct. Haha, hundreds?! The lab I worked in during college had hundreds and it was so much work to feed and clean their flights, but SO fun and enjoyable to watch and study them!
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