# I can't believe it! =(



## kfelton0002 (Mar 12, 2010)

I gave Squirt his last feeding last night before I went to bed at around 2am and was going to resume his every three hour feedings at 7am this morning! Well I woke up to check on him and fill his little hungry belly when I noticed something very VERY wrong! The flood of light from his heat lamp was no longer shining underneath the door! I hurried into the room and tried to turn on the heat lamp, but it wouldn't come on! I frantically searched the brooder for my Squirt, only to find his cold little body huddled underneath a fold of towel! He was dead. My heart is broken and I can't believe this could have happened! He was doing so well! He was healthy and up to par as far as his weight, he was well hydrated and begged vigorously every time you touched him! The light must have blown some time during the night, and he quickly chilled. I just CANNOT believe this! It feels so surreal, like a really stupid dream! I feel like I let him down! Maybe if I would have continued to feed him all through the night I would have caught it in time and warmed him back up! I feel like I'll never be happy again. I miss him so much!


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## Gonzothegreat (Jan 29, 2010)

I'm very sorry for your loss. You obviously love/loved him very much.


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## kfelton0002 (Mar 12, 2010)

I did love him very much. He was my baby! He was only 6 days old and weighed 7 grams. Life just isn't fair!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

(((HUGS)))) I have learned that when you find them like that they may appear to be dead, but can be revived. I've learned to that any baby that got shilled and looks dead to slowly warm it back up, and if alive you will start to see movement within 20 min. Too many times I had assumed babies that got chilled were lost, and one day after a very cold might I had a couple that were dead in my hand. I was checking other nestboxes and after 10 mins the warmth of my hand caused one of the dead ones to move. so now I make it a practice to always warm up a dead appearing chick to be sure.


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## kfelton0002 (Mar 12, 2010)

I turned on the heating pad and covered the box, because I didn't want to give up hope! I prayed and prayed that when I looked in the box my little Squirt would be sitting up begging like he was the night before! When I checked on him about an hour later there still had been no change. I hope that if my pair of cockatiels are successful this time and end up with babies that they feed them well and require no intervention from me until they are two weeks old! I'll hand feed from day 1 again if I have to, but it is definitely not something that I care to do any time soon!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

(((HUGS)))...it is so heat beaking to find them like that. A few months ago I had a similar problem. I breed outside and had a beautiful clutch of 8 all hatch within hours of each other. The parents did an excellent job of feeding them. We had a cold snap and they sat well. But one night a raccoon or something scared all the pairs off the nest during the night and I found all the babies lying still and chilled. I managed to revive 3 of them, but with the chilling they wound up with secondary yeast and bacterial problems I was unaware of and lost them 3 days later.

So even if you would have revived him it might have been an uphill battle to totally turn him around. The stress of chilling contributes to secondary problems in the GI tract and by the time we realize this it is too late to do anything.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Oh no  Iam sorry for your loss


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## dude (Mar 29, 2010)

That's sad.... so sorry to hear.


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## Jenny10 (Feb 27, 2010)

You poor girl.

There is good reason why people leave the chicks with their parents for a few weeks first.

The babies are just so fragile from day one, don’t blame yourself you did the best you could.

Jenny


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

This is so sad... I'm so sorry.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

You done the best that you could've, so sorry for your loss.


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## kfelton0002 (Mar 12, 2010)

Thank you all. It has been a pretty rough day not having my little baby to feed and tend to. I used to take Squirt to work with me because he required the frequent feedings and I would put his brooder on top of the mini fridge that we keep the insulins and other injectables in. Today was so hard because each time I would go in the med room and see the fridge without that box sitting on top of it I would nearly break into tears! I miss my little Squirt so much, and I know what happened wasn't my fault but it still doesn't make it any easier. I'd give anything to have him back.


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