And Another One's Gone

It was the weirdest thing at work today....

Which considering it's a holiday isn't weird at all because weird things often happen on holidays.

But we had eight zebra finches in our back room.

They'd just come in a few days ago,
So per policy we keep them off the floor for a bit to observe them and make sure they're healthy before we bring them out onto the floor to sell.

And like....they were fine when I last saw them on Saturday....
But when I came into work today....

Two of the eight zebra finches were dead on the bottom of the cage.
O.o
Which?
WHAT?!?!

Like I can get there maybe being one....like one not getting enough food or something....
But two dead?

Something had gone wrong...
Though I had no idea what.

And as I looked closer in the cage, I noticed that a third one wasn't do so hot.
It was puffed up, sitting on the bottom of the cage with it's eyes clothes.
Barely even reacted when I picked it up.
Didn't even try to fly away.

So I took care of the dead birds,
Separated out the sick one so I could watch it easier.

And continued on with my task of cleaning out the cages in the back.

Only to come back a couple of hours later, glance in the zebra finch cage, and see another dead zebra finch on the floor.

Which brought the total of dead up to Four.
Because the bird I had isolated away from the others....also ended up dying a couple of hours after I had separated it from it's buddies.

And when I went to take care of the fourth deceased finch...
I noticed that two of the other four weren't looking too good either.

They were puffed up and lethargic....

So I did what I could for them.
Checked the temperature in the room and turned up the heat a bit as it was a little chilly.
Gave them fresh food and water

But.....

By the end of my shift....a fifth finch had passed.

Which left me with just three left alive....one puffy, the other two looking normal.

And it's just....crazy.

I've never had this happen before.
O.o
Like 5 birds all day in less than 24 hours? Three of them for sure within like three hours of each other?
It's crazy.
There's something wrong.
Either a disease they all had.
Or something they were given.
Or who knows....was it the temperature, the food, the water, the room, the birds themselves?
who knows.

I just Know it wasn't a fun day to work. *exhales*
Not fun at all.

-Sarnic Dirchi