I'm so, so sorry that you lost your precious Prince. I KNOW what it's like to lose a cockatiel who was such a huge part of your life and your family. If my sympathy could help you feel better, your grief would be over. Yet I know you'll miss him for a long, long time. A part of your heart flew away when he left.
My 26 year old cockatiel, Prince, died last night at 8:30. It seemed a if he was waiting for me to get home to say goodbye. He was a delightful pet and brought many years of joy to my family. We are very saddened and the house feels so lonesome. I noticed in the past few months changes in his behavior, crouching in the corner with his face against the cage, difficulty walking and falling off of his perch and puffiness as if he was extremely cold. He also stopped saying "I love you". You never think that a pet touches your life in such a dramatic fashion until they are gone. We miss you Prince!
I, too, am so sorry for your loss. As I previously posted, I lost my 34 year old cockatiel on Feb. 20th. The grief is horrible. I live in a condo and had no yard to bury him in. It was tearing me up what to do with his precious little body. I didn't want him cremated or stuffed, either. I got an idea from a vet, in New York City who says people (there) who live in apartments have this same predicament, too. So, at his suggestion, this is what I did. I bought a large potting urn from Home Depot along with 40 pounds of potting soil. I wrapped my bird in his favorite towel, along with his favorite toy and a photo of us. I placed everything in an air-tight bag and buried him in the planter. I decorated the top of the soil with more toys and his picture. So now I'll have him with me always. If I should ever move, he'll go with me. I hope some don't think this too morbid...but rather a solution for those at a loss what to do.
So sorry for your loss of Mellow. Don't punish yourself over this. 26 or 27 is a very old age for a cockatiel. It's very likely that he was just at the end of his natural life. The vet visit alone could have stressed him to death, had you tried it. You must have taken excellent care of him for him to live so long - you were a great caretaker for your little boy. My heart goes out to you for Mellow :(.
Hello Everyone. Our cockatiel Mellow has died last Friday, he was 26 or early 27. He was the best, sweetest and funniest guy. He has been unwell lately but we stupidly just assumed that he would get better naturally as he did many times before. Not so, poor Mells passed away and my boyfriend saw him lying at the bottom of his cage Friday morning. I feel very bad and guilty for not taking him to the vet, maybe they would have cured him. I cannot believe he has died, it is the saddest thing ever, we are devastated. Deep condolences to everyone that ever lost their bird or any other pet, I would do anything to bring him back but its too late now. I cannot believe that we didn't take him to vet even though he got stressed at vets but maybe it would have changed what happened.emi
I'm so sorry you lost your little boy :(