Blue Crown in Winter

[agnesagnesagnes]

Hi Everyone! I'm new to bird ownership and just got a Blue Crown Conure over the summer, so this will be our first winter together. I live in an older house in NJ and it's already starting to get cold here, so I'm researching the best way to keep my buddy warm. He has a snuggle tent and I currently keep the house temp at 68 degrees, but I worry that the upstairs is a little colder than that (old-style radiators where the thermostat is downstairs, so they only come on when the first floor gets below the temp I set)

So what else can I provide? Heat panels looked promising but he's a big chewer so that could be a problem. Same worry about a heated perch. I think my best bet would be an infared heat bulb, but would that get too hot? He likes to hang out/sleep at the top perch in his cage.

Thank you for any suggestions!

 

[Kiwibird]

As long as he has time to acclimate (i.e. not a sudden shift in temperatures), 68 degrees is tolerable for most fully-feathered parrots (much cooler probably isn't good though). They will grow some extra down too. If he is harnessed trained and accepting of "wearing stuff", you may be able to get him a birdie sweatshirt (one of our other members just got some for her birds, which look cozy and cute). I

Is there any way of setting up a portable radiator near his cage (not where he can reach of course)? We have one, and it is really warm (and not a dry heat either, very toasty) and doesn't eat up energy like space heaters. Probably about the same as a lamp or heated perch would...
This is the kind we have- https://www.google.com/shopping/pro....3&ei=sAc8VISbHJXqoASZ6ILgBA&ved=0CKEBEKYrMAE

Or they have these wall mounted ones, which look convenient and safe but I haven't ever tried one: https://www.google.com/shopping/pro....3&ei=sAc8VISbHJXqoASZ6ILgBA&ved=0CPIBEKYrMAY

If it's warmer downstairs, perhaps consider a nighttime cage and fleece cover where it's warmest so he's not in the coldest part of the house at the coldest part of the night. For daytime, provide lots of activities to keep him moving (which will warm him up) and make sure he gets extra food because they do burn more calories when its cold out.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Hi Agnes...
Congratulations on parront-hood. Sounds like KiwiBird has it all covered. My experience has been that the upstairs rooms will get warm pretty quickly if doors are left open, because the heat goes straight up there. I use a small space heater with a thermostat to keep he area where the birdie is warmer than the rest of the house when it gets cold inside. I keep it in an area safe from the the birdie. It's the kind that blows warm air and doesn't get hot to the touch and has no exposed hot elements.

 

[veimar]

We have a gcc and 4 other birds, and our house is 65-66 in winter - we never had any problems. They live in South America where it can get pretty cold in winter. But our house is not very old, and doesn't have any drafts.
Make sure you cover the cage with a warm cover at night to protect him while he is asleep. (I use the fleece throws - they are cheap and warm). And I always put hot water in the spray bottle in winter so it comes out warm.

 

[weco]

Hi Agnes,

Congrats on your blue crown, but our feathered friends handle cool/cold temps much better than we do...they have at least three layers of feathers that they can raise & lower individually, much like their own built-in duvet...

Here's a link to an earlier, similar thread here on the forums http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/48229-outside-aviary-uk.html

Be very careful of infrared bulbs, because some of these bulbs are manufactured with TEFLON coatings, which will offgas dangerous fumes almost immediately.....if the packaging does not say whether the bulb has been coated, I suggest you either contact the manufacturer via E-mail or regular mail and ask if their infrared bulbs have been coated with Teflon, PTFE or PFOA based chemicals/solutions.....verbal communications are just so much hearsay, while written communications tend to be legally binding.

Good luck.....