Journal, Day 978

Tuesday, 22 November 2022

In memory

Bella ~ RIP 2021

One year ago today we woke up and discovered that the little budgie we saved from being released outside by her former owner had passed away during the night. We had her for exactly a month. I think her little heart had been broken by years of neglect and possibly abuse. Her cage mate had died before we adopted her, and the owner just decided she didn’t want the mess and fuss of a bird any more, so she was threatening to release Bella outside. The owner’s roommate posted online in an attempt to save her, and I answered the post.

Bella’s wings had been severely clipped, so she had no flight ability at all. She wouldn’t have lasted an hour outside on her own. Her feathers were covered with stress bars and she was severely underweight when we got her. She had been fed cheap, 99-cent store seed, probably her whole life. She looked older, about 4 or 5 years old. She seemed sad and afraid and tired.

Her last month of life was spent relaxing in a large flight cage with toys and good food. She was warm and safe. She had started to gain some weight. She was very loved. It took her days to find the courage to chirp, and every time she did, she would look around fearfully as if to check if someone was going to yell at her or be mean to her.

I still think about Bella. I wish we could have saved her and her cage mate earlier so maybe they could have enjoyed some happiness and perhaps learned to trust humans. Our vet said she may have been on the edge of dying for some time, and she had been waiting until she felt safe enough the let herself go. I hope she knew we loved her. We really did try to show her what a happy home was supposed to feel like.

We miss you, little Bella. I hope you’re flying free with your mate on the other side of the rainbow bridge.