Death of Parrotlet

I purchased my beautiful parrotlet 16 years ago. he was the love of my life. he started developing cyst on the back of his neck area and started chewing the feathers under his neck. I wasn't sure what was wrong with him so I took him to an avain vet in va beach, va. the vet showed me how to remove these cyst and he seemed to be getting better. I had noticed recently that his droppings were increasing. his weight was very good and his appetite was good. if his droppings did not slow down I was making another trip to the vet. unfortunately i lost him this past sunday. he passed away in my hands peacefully and my heart is broken. can you shine some light on what i did wrong to lose him at 16 yrs. old when i've read they can live as long as 25 yrs.

Dear Sharon:

Thank you for your email. I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your birds. Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to life expectancy in any animal but especially birds. Look at people – some die in their 50’s, others can make it to their 90’s. I do know when I started with wild-caught parrotlets they lived a lot longer than the domestically raised birds we have today. No one really knows why but I can tell you that 16 is very old for most parrotlets these days. I’m sure it was simply his time. I hope you find comfort in the fact he had a long, wonderful happy life with you.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely yours,

Sandee L. Molenda, C.A.S.
The Parrotlet Ranch, Owner, www.parrotletranch.com