Home Temperature Settings for Wintertime Eckies

[azflcowboy]

Hello May sound silly but i am an old guy and need to be reminded more often.
Can any ecky owner share with me what they think is the best heat temperature setting in the home. We live in north central west florida and expect temps to go down to 30's this week
I had set heat temp to 68, then i thought too cold for Moses whose cage is in our master bedroom for sleeping time. I then raised to 70 degrees, and after awakening we put Moses in the day time cage in family room and the temp is set at 68.
Anyone give advice concerning this.
also i noticed he sleeps more in winter and is less active when the weather is cold. Do you all agree?
thank you and as always God Bless us and our fine feathered friends
Merry Christmas

 

[azflcowboy]

Hello
Reading further I see that several posts stated it is better to be cooler than hotter....hmmm
maybe i shuould go back to the nightime setting of 68 as for people in winter time i think thats is OK.
just wondering anymore feedback
thank you and God Bless
Larry

 

[chris-md]

This is one of those things you don’t want to overthink. If you’re comfortable, your bird will be comfortable. If it’s too cold for your bird, you’ll find him shivering and adjust. My general rule is 70F and above, but my boy barbers and is without green feathers most of the year, if not completely bare skin on this back.

 

[azflcowboy]

This is one of those things you don’t want to overthink. If you’re comfortable, your bird will be comfortable. If it’s too cold for your bird, you’ll find him shivering and adjust. My general rule is 70F and above, but my boy barbers and is without green feathers most of the year, if not completely bare skin on this back.

Hello Chris
I tend to agree with you when i awoke the other night and it was in the 40's - 50's outside i was cold when temp was set at 68, so i turned it up to 70 degrees...my boy is more important then the rising fuel costs in the usa...thank you and God Bless
Larry azflcowboy

 

[bill_e]

When it's already cold out it is the wrong time to experiment with a significant change in temperature. Your bird can be acclimated to any reasonable temp. I've had a bird since 1976 in New England and with no AC so 80f-90f in the summer and winter nighttime temps around 60F with daytime no higher than 64F with never even sniffle.
I have to admit that with my latest bird, Nike, and my advancing years where I've begun to like it a little warmer, I compromised and bought Nike the K&H Snuggle-Up warmers for both cages and she loves them.

So I don't think that you need to raise the Temps but I'm sure your boy would love the K&H Snuggle-Up warmer.

 

[azflcowboy]

When it's already cold out it is the wrong time to experiment with a significant change in temperature. Your bird can be acclimated to any reasonable temp. I've had a bird since 1976 in New England and with no AC so 80f-90f in the summer and winter nighttime temps around 60F with daytime no higher than 64F with never even sniffle.
I have to admit that with my latest bird, Nike, and my advancing years where I've begun to like it a little warmer, I compromised and bought Nike the K&H Snuggle-Up warmers for both cages and she loves them.

So I don't think that you need to raise the Temps but I'm sure your boy would love the K&H Snuggle-Up warmer.

Hello Thank you for the advice, however in florida I am thinking i do not need the cage warmer....it only gets real cold a few days in the winter, today it was 35 degrees outside and the temp inside was 68 degrees, so i believe i will keep thermostat at 68 degrees and Moses seems very happy with that, now i did put a heavy blanket over his sleeping time cage in the master bedroom to prevent any drafts thank you again and God Bless

 

[bill_e]

For sure 68 degrees is fine. My Nike snuggles up to the heater all year long. I think she thinks it's the warm body of another bird and I bet if you were ever in the mind to spend money on Moses and didn't want to just get him some treats or toys that you'll end up throwing out because he ignores them , I bet he'd love the "warmer" which operates as warm to the touch, not what one would think as a heater.

While, in my opinion, the cage covering is a good idea, the blanket may not be the best for him especially if he's a chewer. Short of spending money on a fitted cover, you can go to the store and just buy some thinner and easier to handle opaque fabric that is going to not only cut down on the drafts but help Moses get the 12-14 hours of dark sleep he needs at this time of year.

I opted for the Cozy Cover (kind of pricey) which fits my cage, is black and has a flap in the front so that I can leave it on the sleeping cage all the time and just flip up the flap to wake her and take her out to her daytime cage.

We just had 14" of snow the other day so enjoy your Florida weather

 

[azflcowboy]

For sure 68 degrees is fine. My Nike snuggles up to the heater all year long. I think she thinks it's the warm body of another bird and I bet if you were ever in the mind to spend money on Moses and didn't want to just get him some treats or toys that you'll end up throwing out because he ignores them , I bet he'd love the "warmer" which operates as warm to the touch, not what one would think as a heater.

While, in my opinion, the cage covering is a good idea, the blanket may not be the best for him especially if he's a chewer. Short of spending money on a fitted cover, you can go to the store and just buy some thinner and easier to handle opaque fabric that is going to not only cut down on the drafts but help Moses get the 12-14 hours of dark sleep he needs at this time of year.

I opted for the Cozy Cover (kind of pricey) which fits my cage, is black and has a flap in the front so that I can leave it on the sleeping cage all the time and just flip up the flap to wake her and take her out to her daytime cage.

We just had 14" of snow the other day so enjoy your Florida weather

Hello Bill e
Moses is quite the guy, he enjoys sitting and watching tv with me in the evening, and when he gets tired i can tell, and i will ask him if he wants to go sleeping time, if he does he will come down off his perch and walk over to me on the couch jump on my hand and signal me its time to go to the master bedroom where i move his daytime cage into the master bedroom and he's ready for sleeping time since he was hand fed baby he loves those cat toys (the plastic ball with a bell in it i put one into his tops pellets dish and he jumps in and often grabs the ball with one hand and goes to sit on the perch and occaisonally he shakes the ball to hear the bell then he usually drops the ball and goes to sleep at night and usually wakes at day break talking like a drunk sailor (but no badwords then i take the blanket off the cage and roll the cage into the kitchen where he watches my wife prepare 4 meals for him, 2 of veggies and 2 of fruits (always fresh) then he goes to his eating cage where he is from 7am to 9 am then again from 12pm to 1:30 pm, then we go for a car ride in the dog's van with his buddy Duchess, they always stay together in the house and of course in the dog's van (our duchess is almost 13 and her hips are gone so i bought a honda van just for her to go on car rides which she loves wow didn't plan to write a book)) but the bottom line is Moses does not chew the cage cover or anything like that when it is sleeping time))) stay well and keep warm and Merry Christmas Larry azflcowboy ps i forgot to mention i am teaching Moses to poop on command, when he comes off the perch in the evening i ask him if he wants to poopie and when he does i give him a very tiny piece of walnut lately he alomost always does that when asked))i heard they can be taught to do that))

 

[HeatherG]

I am going to tape the window near Willow’s cage because it seems a bit cool. I may even have special tape for that, but I will probably just use masking tape so I can remove it easily in a few months.

I found Lucy’s old snuggle up bird warmer and maybe I will hang that by Willow’s top perch. I also have a big warming perch that I can set up for Jasper though his cage isn’t by a window. (I tried a lot of things for Lucy when she was really old and she loved the warm perch on her arthritic feet and legs.)

 

[bill_e]

I am going to tape the window near Willow’s cage because it seems a bit cool. I may even have special tape for that, but I will probably just use masking tape so I can remove it easily in a few months.

I found Lucy’s old snuggle up bird warmer and maybe I will hang that by Willow’s top perch. I also have a big warming perch that I can set up for Jasper though his cage isn’t by a window. (I tried a lot of things for Lucy when she was really old and she loved the warm perch on her arthritic feet and legs.)

Just be cautious with the warming perch as every bird is different and they can irritate and even burn feet. I initially used a warming perch for Nike and she loved it but careful inspection of her feet reveled some redness so I stopped using it and went to the Snuggle-Up.

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

I got this for my Ekkie:

K&H Pet Products Snuggle-Up Bird Warmer Gray Large 4 X 7 Inches https://a.co/d/9lqaLnH

It is a very low heat and the cable has metal conduit around the cable.


My house in winter is often between 65-68. When she needs a little extra warmth she snuggles up next to this.

 

[Talaya]

My heating gradually reduces over night to about 64 and then gradually warms again up over the day to about 69. I find Solo is quite happy with this, he’s never shivered unless wet. The radiator nearest his cage has a broken valve and only ever warms gently it never gives off hot heat. I did read that Eclectus can withstand down to about 55, and have seen one in a outside centre at this temp Last winter.

 

[SailBoat]

Great advice from long times Friends above.
I am going to go in a bit of a different direction as energy costs have gone-up and although back down a bit now, they will be on the rise again. Our cost of energy is being targeted at what it costs to use wind and Solar energy costs. That means, if things remain the same, we need to look at cost of energy, as much as needed temperature.
Some products provide visible heat (heated coils) while others use immersion rods that sit in bath of oil, which cover looks like an old style hot water (or steam) radiator sitting on wheels. From a cost stand point, the immersion rods have the lowest cost to heat a room.
The panel heaters are designed to heat only the Parrot and only when that Parrot is next to it! For overnight that works, but they will want to move to other places, turn around and there quickly comes a point that a larger area needs to be warm.
FYI: The Freeze Line has been moving South for several Decades now and heating systems in the South need to be rethought.
Consider adjusting the base temperature of the home as they are commonly less costly to operate as their 'on' time is less than the continuously operating costs spot heaters, which are on near continuously.
Remember that most Electric Utilities are charging you based on your Peak Usage Rate, which occurs during day light and/or evening hours.

 

[azflcowboy]

Great advice from long times Friends above.
I am going to go in a bit of a different direction as energy costs have gone-up and although back down a bit now, they will be on the rise again. Our cost of energy is being targeted at what it costs to use wind and Solar energy costs. That means, if things remain the same, we need to look at cost of energy, as much as needed temperature.
Some products provide visible heat (heated coils) while others use immersion rods that sit in bath of oil, which cover looks like an old style hot water (or steam) radiator sitting on wheels. From a cost stand point, the immersion rods have the lowest cost to heat a room.
The panel heaters are designed to heat only the Parrot and only when that Parrot is next to it! For overnight that works, but they will want to move to other places, turn around and there quickly comes a point that a larger area needs to be warm.
FYI: The Freeze Line has been moving South for several Decades now and heating systems in the South need to be rethought.
Consider adjusting the base temperature of the home as they are commonly less costly to operate as their 'on' time is less than the continuously operating costs spot heaters, which are on near continuously.
Remember that most Electric Utilities are charging you based on your Peak Usage Rate, which occurs during day light and/or evening hours.

Hello
Thank you for your advice.
We have gas heat so we set it at 68 degrees daytime and 69 nightime for Moses as he sleeps in his nightime cage in our master bedroom
Normally we just heat the master bedroom but with the freeze last night and tonight (Christmas Eve) we have the whole house heated to prevent pipes in the wall from freezing and the pool has a anti freeze cycle when it gets cold.
so again thank you and Moses seems to handle the cold well. we do not put him out in the outside cage unless it is 70 degrees or better and the weatherman says it will be in high 70's 7 days from today for new years eve))
Thank you and Merry Christmas

Larry azflcowboy

 

[bill_e]

We're going down below zero tonight.... Was 50F yesterday, currently 5.
Oil set at 59 and the pellet stove running through 2.5 bags/24hr full blast.

 

[HeatherG]

It is terrifically cold here, 25-40 below F with wind chill. And this is December. I wonder what mid-January will be like?

 

[bill_e]

It is terrifically cold here, 25-40 below F with wind chill. And this is December. I wonder what mid-January will be like?

Merry Christmas. Misery loves company

 

[SailBoat]

We are now on the warming side of this Christmas Storm, a wonderful 15 degrees + with light breezes and soft light snow, but Lake Affect clouds. Temperatures predicted above freeze by mid-week with mid to upper forties. We will be shifting efforts to moving snow away from our home to allow for the snow melt.

Winter Weather in Michigan: Do not like the Weather, wait a few minutes or days and it will change!!

 

[HeatherG]

Merry Christmas. Misery loves company

Yep it sure does.

Come on, this is pretty amazing weather.
A lot of years we don’t even have snow at this time.

 

[bill_e]

Yep it sure does.

Come on, this is pretty amazing weather.
A lot of years we don’t even have snow at this time.

Too old to like winter. I did just spend $1800 on a new Ariens after that last big, heavy one.