My Cockatiel & Parakeet Raccoon Tragedy

[MBWeber]

I too am sorry and I know your pain, I recently lost 2 tiels due to the cleverness of cats, and 2 ducks a mated pair to Fox. I am with you and will always remember reading this and we can only hope to do better................Mike

 

[amb6297]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my Dusky conure, Squeekins, that I had for over 20 years on 6/6/13 to what I believe was a raccoon. One that I caught twice and let go...trying to catch possums that smelled up my yard. It was likely quick. I'll tell you why. My parrot was out during the day for his visual stimulation. He loved to watch the songbirds and squirrels that I fed about 25 feet away. I always brought him in before dusk. He was in a huge spring locked cage with many perches, ladders, and boxes to hide in. I was home walking around the house and could see him. He was smart and he would scream if he saw something out of place. I never heard or saw a thing. There was no blood. By the few feathers left and cage perfectly locked and intact, I'm guessing it caught him off guard, reached in and got his tail feathers and pulled him through quickly. If you have birds where there are raccoons or cats, please keep them safe. I understand from people who raise small and medium sized birds, this is a common thing because the little hands of raccoons are so dexterous and strong. Our dead birds are the proof.

 

[Dcnqn]

Hi I can relate to this tragedy, my cockatiel was killed by a hawk this morning.
I feel so guilty but it flew over the neighbours hedge and I couldn't get to it.
I hope to get some peace In The next few days, I feel such a loss it hurts.
I wanted to give a voice since I understand how you feel and I want to keep her memory alive, Thank

Rip LOla we love you and miss u already so much

 

[wailie1234]

I can also relate to this tragedy. I had six budiegriars where one flew away and another two were killed bye either a raccoon or a cat. This morning I woke up and found the feathers of my two most beloved birds all over the place and blood. I followed the feathers all the ways to the back of the yard which already let me know that my birds suffered before dying which made me feel even worse. I am so sad and cried and ocean but I would always remember that they will live a better life in heaven then inside a cage for the rest of their lives

I HATE RACCOONS OR CATS IF IT WAS ONE THAT KILLED MY BIRDS!!!! I am so sorry for all of your losses and I hope all of our birds can find peace!!

RIP: Pin, Pen, and Pon- may you guys rest in peace, we love you so much and we miss you so much already!!!!

 

[Tratreb]

I am beyond heartbroken; so horrible I cannot get over. I have professionally had several raccoons trapped couple months ago and am vigilant about safety of my birds, which I've rescued and hand raised for 30 years. 10 days ago, I arrived home around 10pm EST and went about tucking everyone in with nightly kisses & evening ritual of turning the music box on so all 5 of my babies know they are safe & sound. I have two 'tiels, Eliot & Sparky, I personally raised from eggs; a green cheek conure who is Eliot's lifemate (cutest odd couple attached at the hip), and two rescued parakeets I just recently took on. Have had every kind of parrot through the years, as a foster or otherwise.

But Eliot - was sooo very special. I knew immediately something was wrong when Eliot & Mandy were not in their normal sleeping place (they have always snuggled together in a drawer). Panicking & running through the house, there was a trail of feathers all over the living room. Kiki (new 'keet) was missing too. I found Mandy cowering in a corner and other 'tiel Sparky nowhere in sight.

All lights turned on, I flew open my french doors to my huge porch - still nothing. Starting to cry and knowing something happened, there is when I saw -- and I knew that a raccoon had actually slid open the window to my living room (which I ALWAYS lock), from entering the porch. My babies are never alone on the porch, even though it is completely secure, very high up, etc... because my property contains a 1/4 acre natural pond filled with albino catfish and my precious KOI as well. I have been a vigilant protector - in Michigan, where other threads have also spoken of raccoon laws, not relocating, but killing, etc...

What I saw, I will never, ever, ever forget. I can say I'm hardly able to function and need help on this board to try and set my brain in some kind of order. My Eliot -- 13 years young, with another 10 in him at least, was carnage on the porch floor. I mean he was skinned, on his little back with his feet gone, and I believe his head gone too. Feathers were quite neatly in a circle around his red body. OMG - I screamed, could hardly look. I live alone and called a sister just screeching oh my god, oh my god - not my Eliot. It was dark out and I couldn't bear to pick him up. Called everyone in my neighborhood - especially couple hunting friends - no one home or all were asleep. To say I was freaking out is the mildest understatement. You'd have to know how incredibly close Eliot's bond was to me / and vice versa. He was rejected as a baby by two other tiels and during his little life he had three tiny surgeries on his behind because his tail feathers would get impacted. I have pet health insurance on all my animals - if that give you an idea of my care and concern.

So then, trying to head count - took a minute to realize that the door was torn off of my HUGE cage INSIDE MY FREAKING HOUSE - and Kiki was no where. Grabbing Mandy the conure, frantically search everywhere - I found Sparky in another bedroom hiding under a piece of furniture - and the other parakeet luckily still sitting in the big cage.

There is a question here so please bear with me; and please be sensitive to any sort of slams about my error in not locking the window that night. You have no idea how unable I am to function in my home after this crime scene.

Unable to find ANYBODY who could come to help me ( now after 10:30pm), all I could manage to do was cover Eliot with a towel, knowing that I could get help to figure this out in the morning and have one of the guys examine his body so I could understand if he died quickly, or was tortured to death. OMG - my second mistake. The next morning when help arrived to remove the towel, I couldn't look - but yes, you experienced folk already guessed it - he was gone. Just feathers left - and then a trail of feathers leading out a hole in the porch screen and to my second round of horror -- blood and another round of Eliot's feathers right in front of my car in the driveway.

Notwithstanding Kiki, who was missing -- there was a patch of his blue feathers on a living room chair. It seemed like a big patch. I could not look - five friends arrived the next day to search, clean up, look for Kiki, try and console me - and figure out if it was a coon or a weasel.

If you've hung with me this long on this story, please before I ask you my question, let me just share that two days before this incident, my 6.5 year old rescued Abyssian guinea pig (who was Sparky's odd-mate - they ate together and played - cockatiel & guinea pig) - wasn't right that Sunday morning to I rushed her to emergency vet - only to hold her while she was euthanized - taking 15 minutes. I hadn't even cleared out her (Snowflake) cage yet -- and while we're being sensitive to responses, the day be fore Snowflake died, my sister learned she has a year to live (and 3 days after this raccoon carnage, my sister went into ICU & is on life support now). I know this isn't the forum to solve problems, and I'm not alone in life's pain. But when I saw Eliot,
my super humanized, special boy, reduced to a meal - I cannot move past the horrific image in my head. And now trying to help Eliot's lifemate, and Sparky losing his guinea pig buddy - all this in less than 7 days. I'm so sick to my stomach. I can hardly work or sleep. It's all so much, but it's Eliot's carnage image I can't seem to process at all.

Finally my question (sobbing)...I've looked all over the net to learn how raccoons go about attacking their prey - and I can't seem to understand what IT did to my Eliot. I am so emotionallly distraught over my guilt for not locking the window - and my God what all my bird went through hearing his screams, running for their lives within their safe haven, where I AM suppose to protect them!!! I need to know how he was attacked. can anyone shed light on whether his head was immediately bit off - so possibly, he didn't suffer? Or another thread I read talked about how a wing was torn off a bird. This was not just a bird, to me.
Eliot was with me and Mandy every moment of every day. I feel as though I have lost a shoulder - he is missing from me.
And his mate, Mandy, won't leave my side.

For 30 years, birds have been my kids - I don't have any human kids. For all you parrot parents out there, I know you can only imagine the pain I'm in, and the guilt I feel. It's for all animals too. I want nothing to suffer; but never in my life could I have known, that with all the careful attention to detail for my pet's safety, that this could happen to Eliot.

So please, any help on his final moments on earth -- have you seen if a raccoon is like some predators who kill instantly, or with something small like a small chick, which is about Eliot's size, what happened to him? I never even found Kiki. My God did he swallow him whole?

The next day I bought a small weasel trap, and put out my raccoon big trap right on the porch. I caught the ******* - and he was huge. I asked the Michigan DNR the law for sure, because I have used professionals before. So my friends took care of the situation after I had a good long look in the eyes of the rotten creature who was probably still processing my Eliot in his stomach. I'm sorry to be so graphic. I'm so unable to even live here in my nice little home that I've worked for 10 years to dedicate to my birds, my pond, and gorgeous outdoor birds & butterflies from gardens I've created. All I can see now, is like a crime scene. I know that hawks will pluck birds' feathers painfully off before eating them. Please - I so need to understand how raccoons eat their prey in hopes of forgiving myself someday, and being able to heal. Bevause right now, I can't sleep, or eat, or hardly stand to be in the little safe haven I had created. And please, don't say it's just a bird'. He was a beautiful, smart, affectionate, funny little hero who loved life - and gave me far more joy than I could ever have given him.

In your opinion, what happened in the attack? One thing I think for sure is that I interrupted the scene - probably when my garage door opened - or I may have been attacked, and most certainly the other birds. I'm hoping that he was instantly killed - but somehow I don't feel that. Any honest raccoon experiences - please share with me. I'm unable to listen to my friends who say, "oh he died instantly." I'd like some answers from people here who have dealt directly with this awful creature.

Thank you for allowing my long post. I just ask to be careful with criticisms - I'm at an all time high of stress and really need honest answers to move forward. So thank you - and I apologize for being repetitive & lengthy. If you'd like to see one of my funny videos of Eliot & Mandy together on YouTube, here's the link:

I am so very sad. I can't believe he's gone. Thank you for listening and/or seeing what he was like on the video.

Oh mooo
I have a Quaker parrot (she is 13 and I raised her from newborn )
But recently acquired a baby racoon
Will the racoon kill my bird

 

[Animalfisherwoman]

Oh mooo
I have a Quaker parrot (she is 13 and I raised her from newborn )
But recently acquired a baby racoon
Will the racoon kill my bird

There's a good chance. A baby raccoon is not like a kitten.