Crying for Skitty
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:59 am
Sad turn of events. Two days ago, we had our grandson with us, and my wife took him for a walk to see the birds and bunnies. At 4 months old, he doesn’t really do more than stare at the loud green things hopping about in the cage. I myself was busy cleaning up yard debris after removing some old dying bushes. I could hear Skitty, my male IRN, and Isis, a female Nanday Conure he was in love with. Constant screeching and squawking as I crossed the yard with another load of branches… That was proof that all was well with the birds in the late morning. They share a cage together in a nice hutch built to shelter them, near the bunny hutches, over by the garden shed, maybe fifty feet from the house.
We left to take our grandson back to his mom, and were gone about two hours. After returning, I did a bit more yard work but didn’t notice the silence, since we also have a loud lory , a blue crown conure and a cherry-head conure, who were making the usual noises. Not until late afternoon when my daughter went to give all the animals their evening treats, and found Isis and Skitty both dead on the bottom of the cage, next to the right side. She was devastated, and came to me crying. Both birds, when I saw them, were torn open at the throats, and each bird also had a damaged wing. My first guess was right, proven today after a hawk flew right onto the porch to tried to attack my parakeets. I put the clues together and realized that Isis must’ve been clinging to the cage side, and the hawk caught her by surprise, right through the ¾” cage bars . Valiant Skitty, being very protective of her, went to attack and got caught himself. The hawk killed them both, and tried to pull them through the cage but failed.
We buried them together in our pet cemetery.
We left to take our grandson back to his mom, and were gone about two hours. After returning, I did a bit more yard work but didn’t notice the silence, since we also have a loud lory , a blue crown conure and a cherry-head conure, who were making the usual noises. Not until late afternoon when my daughter went to give all the animals their evening treats, and found Isis and Skitty both dead on the bottom of the cage, next to the right side. She was devastated, and came to me crying. Both birds, when I saw them, were torn open at the throats, and each bird also had a damaged wing. My first guess was right, proven today after a hawk flew right onto the porch to tried to attack my parakeets. I put the clues together and realized that Isis must’ve been clinging to the cage side, and the hawk caught her by surprise, right through the ¾” cage bars . Valiant Skitty, being very protective of her, went to attack and got caught himself. The hawk killed them both, and tried to pull them through the cage but failed.
We buried them together in our pet cemetery.
I am so sorry for your loss. So sad. You must be devastated. Fly free Isis and Skitty. 
I have a problem with large currawongs trying to get at my birds, I had to cover my aviaries so they couldn't even see the birds .