Cage placement in drafty house? Need opinions, please!

[skylavaulter]

We're picking up our catalina macaw baby in a few weeks and I've been wondering what the best place for her cage would be. Our master bedroom is the warmest place in the house, free from the dog, cats, and little toddler fingers, but I don't want to restrict the bird from being able to go in her cage when I take her downstairs for the day (we'd have a play gym with a high perch for her to hang out on).

On the other hand, we could put the cage in a more central location downstairs where she'd be part of the daily activity, but then again it's really drafty downstairs and there's the issues with toddler fingers in the cage and the other pets getting curious. It also gets very noisy with a barking dog, two yound kids, and the tv /radio frequently on. I don't want to freak out our chick by putting her cage in a place where she'll be spooked!

What do you guys think would be the best scenario for her? We do hang in our bedroom after the kids go to bed at 7pm. We're in there for the rest of the night. But during the day, we hang downstairs.

 

[lene1949]

Your bird will need at least 12 hours uninterrupted sleep every night...

My birds sleep in my office and during the day I roll their cages into the lounge room.. Around 5pm they go back into the office for the night. I turn off the lights, close the door and hear nothing, until they hear me...

 

[MikeyTN]

You can place the bird stand down stairs and bird cage upstairs. Where he can get quiet sleep through the night. When we bought a puppy, Willie was NOT afraid of her, actually was intrigued with dogs. Macaws don't normally fright easily. But keep an close eye during the beginning, probably would introduce them slowly. A tall stand would probably work better because of your kids. When you bring them home so young, there's always a chance of him not being completely weaned! Be sure he eats!!!! Willie did not wean for his previous parents until he was 9 months old. So be prepared to learn how to handfeed!!! Provide him with lots of wood toys to chew, cause he will go through them like tooth picks!!!

 

[roxynoodle]

Most birds enjoy the busy activity of a family. Right now my cat is running around like she has a rocket attached to her, and it gave Merlin a fright because she can't see, but not much of one. The others sometimes cheer her on though! But, you do need to make sure the bird gets enough sleep each night. And you will have to teach your children that it is very dangerous to put their fingers in a cage or to reach for the bird. A macaw could bite off little fingers. And now, it's good for them to be in drafts so you will have to go around and figure out where the drafts are and not leave the bird in those areas. Perhaps if you have old windows you could put that plastic around them that keeps cold air out.

 

[skylavaulter]

Thanks for the replies! We'll probably put the cage in our bedroom (or the dining room, which no one ever really hangs out in), so it'll be nice and quiet for sleep time. We will be building a play gym for her in our living room, with the highest point out of reach from dog mouths and child fingers

Do you guys recommend using a heat / uv lamp with macaws too keep them warm? Our house is a big old farm house that's over 100 years old, as are the windows, so drafts are a HUGE problem. It's also oil heat and we will run through a tank of oil in less than a month, so we keep the house at 65 degrees to try and save oil, and use space heaters in the bedrooms at night. That's my main concern - that she'll get cold no matter where I put her.

 

[roxynoodle]

I have a big old farm house myself that is over 150 years old. Luckily at this point I've now managed to replace all the windows and doors, put on siding and some other things to help it out. I used to have oil heat as well, but now am on propane. I keep my house on 65 also as it's a big, expensive house to heat and it sits open to fields on all sides. The wind never seems to stop around here either.

Be careful with space heaters though as I guess some of them emit fumes that are toxic to birds. You will have to check if yours are like that. My birds are fine at 65 degrees. I do use full spectrum lighting to allow them to process their calcium, but they don't provide heat. You don't want your birds to get too hot either. I wouldn't recommend heat lamps I don't think.

 

[MikeyTN]

I used to live in a old farm house and they're super drafty!!!! We used those window plastic thing every winter to keep draft out and they work pretty good. And I did use space heater to keep my birds warm. They tolerate it pretty good, they never get their bath during that period though!!!! I was afraid of them getting sick...

 

[skylavaulter]

We have the plastic up - it DOES definitely help, but I still need a hoodie on when I'm in the house because it just feels drafty. I will look into our model of space heater to see if there are any hazardous fumes emitted. Luckily, the one room that gets super toasty is the bathroom, especially after a warm shower. It's like a sauna! It will be a great place to bathe him and hang out with him until he dries.