Goodbye little man.

[Cassie]

My little boy was put to sleep last night. It seemed so sudden but looking back I can think of little things over the past few months that I now understand. From the x-rays the vet believes he had a tumour. I got him when he was a baby and he was always so cheeky and into everything. Whenever I took him to my friends house all attention was on him as he'd sit on the table and dance, sing, show-off and say 'good boy' or 'what are you doing'? I've put a lot of posts on here during my two years with him of his antics. He's been a lot quieter the last few months and stopped talking so much. I just thought he was over talking as the majority of the time he was his usual self. He deteriorated rapidly over the last couple of days and slept constantly so something was obviously wrong. I wondered if I could have done something earlier but the vet said the surgery to remove the tumour would have been too invasive even three months ago if he went in then. I had my 16 year old dog put to sleep last year and that was so hard, but Holly had bouts of seeming fine. When I went to spend time with him before they took him he was whistling and so happy to see me. The hour I spent with him he just slept against my chest though which is out of character for him. He clung onto my finger with his feet and didn't want to let go when it was time to go which tore my heart out. I felt like I was betraying him. I have another boy at home who I got as a companion for Holly and they were inseperable. Unfortunately he doesn't interact with me like Holly did. He'll happily sit on my shoulder while I do things around the house but he won't let me touch him. The complete opposite of Holly. Sorry to go on. It's 2am and I'm too shattered to sleep. I was so lucky to have him, even though it was too short a time. RIP little boy.

[roxy culver]

Aw it's ok...it's ok to feel like this and its even better to talk about it. You loved him and he obviously loved you. He had a good happy life with you and that's all that matters. And you were there for him at the end when he needed you the most. Now you have your other little one to worry about and he's going to need you now more than ever because his friend is gone. We are here if you need anything, a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to, anything. RIP little man.

[braveheartdogs]

I'm so sorry....

[Cassie]

Thank you for your thoughts. It's been a pretty rough couple of days. We took Holly to the crematorium and I got to say goodbye again. On the way home a friend and I stopped at a pet shop so I could get advice about when to get another one. There was one male in a cage full of aviary tiels and he seemed different and more alert than the rest and he was whistling a lot at us wanting attention. We got him out and he was so tame. He must have been hand-raised and they had mixed him up with the aviary birds. Against what I told myself I would do, I ended up taking him. Bell my other boy has been so upset since Holly went to the vet on Thursday and now he is beside himself with joy. They bonded right away. I do feel guilty for getting another one so quickly. I'd hate for it to look like I'm just replacing Holly so easily, but this one had such a lovely personality (he's sitting happily on my shoulder whilst I write this) and I was worried about going back to work on Monday and leaving Bell by himself. He looks just like Holly too which is the downside. I keep looking at him and thinking it's Holly for a second which is tough. Bell's very happy though so that's all that matters... he hasn't stopped singing and showing off since I got him home. I've named him Jackson (after Michael). :-)

[roxy culver]

It's ok!!! I can't wait to see pictures of him!!! We did the same thing after Charcoal died, we went to the pet store and bought Mudflap. He looked just like Charcoal and loved to be held and the hubby couldn't resist him. It's not replacing them in any way....it's comforting yourself and Bell. And Bell seems to be happy about the decision...

[Jynxstorm]

I am sorry for your loss.

[Cassie]

Thank you for the kind words. I had only ever had one bird before him and never would have thought I could have fallen completely in love with one. He was such a little character and I'll miss him terribly.

Jackson seems to be doing well although he hasn't moved much which I guess is to be expected. And he's also shivering a little bit. I've left my camera cable at work so will upload some pics of him shortly. Bell is driving me crazy though. He can fly and he keeps flying into other rooms and calling for Jack to follow him, which he can't/won't. It's very loud in here at the moment. :o

[roxy culver]

Jackson is just nervous, he doesn't know where he's at so he's a little scared. He'll get used to it pretty soon, and Bell will help him along.

[Solace.]

:( Wow, that's so sad. I'm very, very, sorry for your loss of a darling 'tiel. I'm sure he knows how much you love and mean to him.

[Cassie]

Thank you. I hope so too. I think I told him that at least one hundred times while we were at the vet. I never would have thought this time last week that I wouldn't have him today. Life can be pretty sucky sometimes. The good that's come out of it I guess is another tiel that would have been destined for an aviary now has a warm 3 bedroom house to live in and lots of love.

[paco2705]

This is so sad im sorry for your Lose
i have thears in my eyes of reading this,,,
but be sure of one thing its thatyou never betrayed him
it was the right thing to do

[Berdnerd]

I'm so sorry :( How are you doing now? It's so hard to lose precious birdies, or any other pet you love and are bonded with.

[Cassie]

Thank you for asking. I'm still feeling pretty rotten to be honest. I really miss the little guy. I think I said last week that it made it harder because when it was time for me to let the vet take him he didn't really seem sick. He was singing and seemed really happy. The vet said he was just using all the energy he had left because he was happy to see me. That's why lately he would be really quiet and then perk up... so I thought he was okay. The x-rays showed a different story though, but when you see your pet all happy and cheerful it's hard to imagine he has to be put to sleep. When I had to do it with my 16 year old dog recently he looked sick. I knew there was no other option. Holly had changed though. He used to sing and talk constantly and over the last few months he didn't do it much at all. I just thought it was him growing up.

I have two new birds now to keep my other one company but they just tolerate me right now. I'm trying to get them to bond with me but they just want to sit in their cage more than anything. I'm hoping it's just early days and they'll get better, but I can't help but compare them to Holl. If I walked toward him he would put his foot up in the air with total trust just wanting me to pick him up. He looked a lot like your Michaela actually. Honestly... who'd have pets?????