Story Bird: Gwen

This is a eulogy for my gentle Gwen the cockatiel, and yet another story about a product sold for birds that is supposed to be safe, but is not at all safe!  Last Saturday, (January  26th, 2002) my female cockatiel had that baggy eyed look when we first entered the bird room in the morning.  We treated her with heat, but she started to look worse.  We rushed her into the veterinarian, where unfortunately she died as I carried her into the office.  It was a difficult morning, and I was left with that horrible feeling that I did not know what had gone wrong.  But I was suspicious that it had something to do with crop impaction.  I had given Gwen water and a few Zupreem pellets that morning, which she threw up all over me in the car.   I asked the vet to perform a basic autopsy.   A few days later he called back with the results and spoke to my husband, David.  The Dr. informed David that Gwen's crop was full of grit.  This was a mystery as we do not give any of our birds grit. The only possible source would have been the concrete perch in her cage.