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It's important to mention that even though birds are tropical they can survive temperatures far below what you'd expect. If you are comfortable the bird will be comfortable as well. Most people seem to feel warm and cozy when it's 70s, and at least most people I know (up in Maine where the winters can get pretty harsh) start throwing on blankets and warm socks when it gets to 60 or so indoors. Birds are completely fine at this temperature. I keep the thermostat at 62-65 all winter long because heating is expensive and my birds have never had any problems. It is however, incredibly important that it is not DRAFTY. Drafts are far more likely to be damaging to your birds, it can be 60 degrees in the room but far far colder than that in certain spots if they're right next to windows or can feel the chill that comes in under the door. I would take care to prevent drafts and give your birds a warm area to go to if they feel they need it. I have small electric space heaters that I'll use to warm up my desk area when I'm feeling opulent and Pashtu the cockatiel likes to sit on my lap when it's running, but he's fine when it's not as well. I was more worried about the budgies since they're smaller but they seemed even less concerned than the cockatiel, maybe all that energy makes them run hot.
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Feb 28, 2015 00:00
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As long as temperatures aren't below freezing and your birds have plenty of food they will be fine. The food is key--when it's cold they just need to eat more. Also, as mentioned, it shouldn't be drafty if at all possible. Still, cold air isn't going to hurt them. I keep my apartment pretty cool all winter (58-65 usually) and my birds are just fine.
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Feb 28, 2015 00:03
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I'm jealous of all you that keep your house in the 60s. Since we've got nakedbird, I can't bring myself to let it get less than 70 since he's got a big fleshy heat dissipator on his front  Speaking of nakedbird, have any of you ever met a bird that's not food motivated AT ALL? He likes nothing, is a total grouch and still won't let us even think about being close to him. We were thinking of getting him clipped so we could at least open his cage and let him explore (how would we get him back in?) I feel bad for the poor guy. I mean, he seems happy with his toys, sings most of the day and generally does bird things instead of moping around. But yeah, he likes almonds in the shell, but not enough to use as a treat. Enjoys fruits, but the same thing as almonds, and doesn't even like sunflower seeds. What's wrong with you bird! Thoughts? Frozen Pizza Party fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Feb 28, 2015 |
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Feb 28, 2015 00:17
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68 degrees is fine and if it's a little less than that your bird will be fine. If you go with the heater route, be careful. Some goon here literally baked their bird to death with one.
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Feb 28, 2015 00:29
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As a stupid Brit these temperatures in F mean nothing to me  We don't have heating as such either. Just whatever comes up through the floor from the apartments below (we have a few tiny radiators, but they're against the ceiling?? Why)SaNChEzZ posted:Speaking of nakedbird, have any of you ever met a bird that's not food motivated AT ALL? He likes nothing, is a total grouch and still won't let us even think about being close to him. We were thinking of getting him clipped so we could at least open his cage and let him explore (how would we get him back in?) Perch training? Or he'll probably end up just going back into his cage himself after a while, since it's his safe known place where the food is. Inko apparently can get into the air and hover about, but he never bothers going anywhere if he's let out, just hangs on top of his cage and fucks around there, even after all this time. SaNChEzZ posted:I feel bad for the poor guy. I mean, he seems happy with his toys, sings most of the day and generally does bird things instead of moping around. But yeah, he likes almonds in the shell, but not enough to use as a treat. Enjoys fruits, but the same thing as almonds, and doesn't even like sunflower seeds. What's wrong with you bird! Thoughts? Maybe you haven't found the thing he loves most yet, or maybe he's just happy how things are. 
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Feb 28, 2015 00:33
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Battle Pigeon posted:As a stupid Brit these temperatures in F mean nothing to me
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Feb 28, 2015 00:38
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Battle Pigeon posted:As a stupid Brit these temperatures in F mean nothing to me At this point, when we open the door to his cage he freaks, so getting a perch in there would be near impossible This has also made cage cleaning a total nightmare, we basically have to wrangle him and put him in a carrier. Needless to say his cage needs cleaning. I think clipping him and letting him out would probably be best, but I'm still nervous about it.
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Feb 28, 2015 00:50
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SaNChEzZ posted:doesn't even like sunflower seeds. What's wrong with you bird! Thoughts? I think you have a dog
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Feb 28, 2015 01:43
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DarkHorse posted:Depending on how long they expect the heat to be out this should be adequate. Even tropical birds survive in temperatures lower than that, the big thing is drafts that keep robbing them of heat and insufficient food to remain warm. One of the benefits of being warm-blooded I just ran home from work real fast to check on them. My house is down to 56 right now but it seems like me leaving the windows open and then covering them when the sun set and closing the vent to the heater kept all the warm air in and the cold air out, it's easily five degrees warmer in their room. They're home alone tonight since I work till three and zomo is out with a friend. Our computer room is way bigger than their sleep room - but it seems to be small enough to seal some body heat in. I got an alert on my phone saying they were turning the heat back on but that could take all night, there's like a thousand houses without gas. I'm going to check on them again in another two hours, but right now they all seem plenty warm (I have a towel over each cage plus their normal 'it's nite time' cover PLUS an afghan.) Cooler than usual it feels like but okay I hope 
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Feb 28, 2015 04:28
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LITERALLY A BIRD posted:
I think the photos do make it look worse than it is (also he's semi-posturing at the oh-so-hated-phone-of-doom), but I'm scheduling an appointment next week to be sure, since it seems like there's some uneven wear and I'd prefer his opinion on it even if it's just "no, seriously dude, relax and give him his cuttle-bone". Thanks to (mostly) everyone for their advice!
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Feb 28, 2015 05:01
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I've bought two "honey" sticks and stuck them on the bars of the window (which I brought up in an exciting manner a couple pages ago), but no visitors, either during the night or in the morning. A single small bird sang outside, and I've seen a crow near the garbage dump... I guess it's not best season to test this.
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Feb 28, 2015 09:19
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supermikhail posted:I've bought two "honey" sticks and stuck them on the bars of the window (which I brought up in an exciting manner a couple pages ago), but no visitors, either during the night or in the morning. It may take awhile for the birds to catch on, so I wouldn't give up. It took many weeks before the town birds started using the suet basket I set out this winter. Every other place I've lived, even other in-town locations, the birds started visiting much sooner. This time, however, I have a neighbor down the street who puts seed in his or her feeders and I think the birds are going for the easy food first.
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Feb 28, 2015 13:29
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Amaya posted:Our computer room is way bigger than their sleep room Your birds are probably fine as long as they can shelter inside their cage. If they're in pairs they can huddle together and maximum-fluff-mode. That being said, computers are really good at converting electricity to heat. Open up a 3d game (like path of exile  ), shut the door, and just let it cook. Turn off the monitors and set it to not go to sleep.
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Feb 28, 2015 15:49
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Jose Oquendo posted:68 degrees is fine and if it's a little less than that your bird will be fine. If you go with the heater route, be careful. Some goon here literally baked their bird to death with one. I've heard this here before, and despite it seeming like even the smallest amount of logic would prevent it (not putting it near the cage in the room, monitoring room temps, reading the weather and turning off the heater when it's warm/sunny out, etc), what are the details so I can avoid a similar pitfall? I've just gotten used to having his room heated, as the vet advised me to keep his temps ~24c/75f as consistently as possible when he was weaning to help facilitate continuous crop emptying. He's no longer a baby, so maybe I can take it out now (and save a few bucks). Grraarrgghh fucked around with this message at 16:04 on Feb 28, 2015 |
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Feb 28, 2015 16:02
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supermikhail posted:I've bought two "honey" sticks and stuck them on the bars of the window (which I brought up in an exciting manner a couple pages ago), but no visitors, either during the night or in the morning.
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Feb 28, 2015 16:18
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Ahhh... I reckon you're right. (This subforum is a tiny bit confusing.) Although right now I don't know what to ask there. I can't do anything but wait for birds to appear, and I'm confident that it's going to happen sooner or later. I'd prefer sooner because I didn't check the expiration date on those sticks. 
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Feb 28, 2015 18:47
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Birbs lived The heat didn't get turned on till about 3:30 or 4am and they were a little shivery but it never dropped below 50 thank god. Thank you everyone for trying to give me advice! For most of it, I was already at work and helpless to do things I should have thought of earlier but it all worked out. Phew.Grraarrgghh posted:I've heard this here before, and despite it seeming like even the smallest amount of logic would prevent it (not putting it near the cage in the room, monitoring room temps, reading the weather and turning off the heater when it's warm/sunny out, etc), what are the details so I can avoid a similar pitfall? A lot of things happened all together if I remember right - but I'm always careful of space heaters because of that story. IIRC the heater was too hot and too close and that's what happened, but there have been other people that just happened to have the wrong kind of heater and the poo poo it was made with killed them as well. I just try to keep my birds as far from fumes as I can because I'd rather be safe than sorry. But times like this I guess my worrying does more harm than good.
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Feb 28, 2015 23:34
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Glad to hear your birds are okay, Amaya! Today, I'm making parrot chop. Currently cooking batch two of four (pinto beans). Kidney beans are already done, then after the pinto beans, it's rice and lentils. I found chia seed at the local organic grocery store, which I'm really pleased about. Also: I tried giving the birds banana chips as treats, but they were so terrified, they started fluttering around the cage in a panic. Sigh. Birds.
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Mar 1, 2015 11:25
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chthonic bell posted:
It's your own fault for not recognising the killer banana chips were out to get your birds. Did you try to subdue the banana chips by eating one with great gusto in front of your bird?
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Mar 1, 2015 11:51
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I did! But they still wouldn't touch the banana chips. They're really taking to the parrot chop, though. They've only thrown a little bit of it on the ground!
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Mar 1, 2015 20:55
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Guess who has a new buddy? Fuji does! I bit the bullet today and decided to get him a buddy because he's been so lonely since Tokyo passed away. I haven't decided on a name for her yet, but I'm thinking either Akihara, Osaka or Harajuku.
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Mar 1, 2015 23:22
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Those are some chill budgies.
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Mar 1, 2015 23:28
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Sekkira posted:Those are some chill budgies. The chillest. I was worried that I'd have to break out the cage divider, but they're already preening each other.
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Mar 1, 2015 23:31
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Looks like a Harajuku to me. So sweet!
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Mar 2, 2015 07:55
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I don't remember if I posted about it happening, but this happened: Excuse my bedhead and general gooniness.
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Mar 2, 2015 15:13
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yayyy! birb buddy! congrats!
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Mar 2, 2015 15:35
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chthonic bell posted:I don't remember if I posted about it happening, but this happened: I love your glasses! And your birb of course, what a gorgeous shade of aqua blue.
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Mar 2, 2015 16:36
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In a similar vein as a video posted above: http://www.tastefullyoffensive.com/2015/02/clever-parrot-takes-shower-in-kitchen.html?m=1a
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Mar 2, 2015 16:59
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I'm home alone this week and every single day at around the time when my partner usually gets back from work Ohtori gets really worked up and starts calling, fluttering around looking, and doing that flat-bodied big-eyed about-to-take-off pose (Ohtori waits until he hears the front door, then braves flying through the dark hallway to greet). I have to explain again that no, "birdie"/(name) has gone on "big/long bye bye" and isn't here, go look. He stops with all the drama and just sort of sits sadly for a moment before carrying on with lifeSociopastry posted:Guess who has a new buddy? Hello new birb chthonic bell posted:I don't remember if I posted about it happening, but this happened: And congrats on your tiny bird buddy!
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Mar 2, 2015 21:30
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Battle Pigeon posted:I'm home alone this week and every single day at around the time when my partner usually gets back from work Ohtori gets really worked up and starts calling, fluttering around looking, and doing that flat-bodied big-eyed about-to-take-off pose (Ohtori waits until he hears the front door, then braves flying through the dark hallway to greet). I have to explain again that no, "birdie"/(name) has gone on "big/long bye bye" and isn't here, go look. He stops with all the drama and just sort of sits sadly for a moment before carrying on with life Oh my god Amadeus does this to my boyfriend too, he gets super excited and antsy when he gets home from work (which would be cuter if my boyfriend actually liked Ama at all). He also does it whenever the cat goes into the bedroom or he even hears the bedroom door creak, and I have to bring him in to say "hi Ramirez!" or "there's nobody there, look," before he'll stop. Birds.
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Mar 2, 2015 22:16
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LITERALLY A BIRD posted:Oh my god Amadeus does this to my boyfriend too, he gets super excited and antsy when he gets home from work (which would be cuter if my boyfriend actually liked Ama at all). Wha wha wha whaaaaaaa How can anyone not like Amadeus?!
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Mar 3, 2015 00:32
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Battle Pigeon posted:Wha wha wha whaaaaaaa Why is he still your boyfriend??
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Mar 3, 2015 00:48
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Hahaha, he's just not a bird person! He likes quiet, low-maintenance pets and I think we can agree that a GCC is certainly not that. It's okay, I give Ama plenty of love to make up for it.
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Mar 3, 2015 01:22
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LITERALLY A BIRD posted:Hahaha, he's just not a bird person! He likes quiet, low-maintenance pets and I think we can agree that a GCC is certainly not that. buy him a potted plant your bird will destroy it and establish dominance
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Mar 3, 2015 02:13
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Question regarding overpreening/plucking of down feathers. How many down feathers do your birds lose daily? Albert preens out or loses while flapping like, 5-10 a day. poo poo is literally everywhere. His feathers overall are in okay condition (his tail is a bit ratty from loving around in his cage, and he's missing a few chest hairs from a couple formula accidents during hand feeding), but he seems to molt/pluck/lose down feathers like crazy. EDIT: Albert getting pets before bed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF4QqwbarPY Guest appearance by my stupid goony bird voice and sausage hands. Cameo by crud on top of the birdroom shelf (not poop, I checked). Grraarrgghh fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Mar 3, 2015 |
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Mar 3, 2015 04:25
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LOLA will not take food from my hands or a spoon. If I put it on my lip she will it it off very graciously. HOWEVER, today I gave the birbs pear for the first time and when she realized that I had more she zoomed over and began taking huge bites out of the slice in my hand Leeloo was similarly enthusiastic- she had a pear beard.
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Mar 3, 2015 05:08
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From that video, I can tell he is not over preening or plucking. Birds that do that look like they have thin coverage and he has beautiful, full plumage. Additionally, they do not usually pluck down feathers, they generally pluck the chest. Over preened feathers will appear raggedy, although clumsy birds or birds that are very, erm, physical while moving around (my bird) can also have some ragged feathers on their wings. The telltale is generally on the breast, though, for both conditions.
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Mar 3, 2015 05:10
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Thank you all. Gnosis is indeed an adorable bird and I love his shade of blue. I made another smallish batch of parrot chop for the birds, this time just fruit, vegetables, strawberries and chia seed. Apparently the addition of bananas and strawberries was a good idea, because they liked it so much, they fought over who got to eat from the bowl. 
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Mar 3, 2015 20:36
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Oops, apparently I'd never replied when I thought I had. Somewhat belatedly, thanks for all the tips on the stuff for new BCC! I'll be ordering his aviator harness and a flight suit later on. For now I ordered some high potency fine Harrison's to swap him over to, and some extra perches to replace a couple in my cage that are too small for this fatty conure. I need to get him a sand or pumice perch, too, since his nails are long... and he has a long quick, so it's hard to properly trim him the last few times we've had to. Also he only seems to like chewing on soft things so his beak is super sharp. Dick.
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Mar 4, 2015 06:42
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aerialsilks posted:Also he only seems to like chewing on soft things so his beak is super sharp. Dick. It's supposed to be sharp. Feature, not bug.
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Mar 4, 2015 09:00
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