how cold is too cold?

[Aussie Ben]

Eddie is a very happy 3-1/2 yo RS Ekkie. He has always been an inside bird. About a month ago we had our back veranda seeled off. We decided to move his cage outside under this veranda which is about 60sq meters. He absolutely loves it and is getting 10 times the exercise/enrichment and fresh air than he used to get. He loves flying from end to end like a mad bird, it really has made him so much happier and healthier. He has adapted to the temperature change very well, however the weather is now getting cold here in Oz. Night is getting as low as 3 degrees C outside (he is inside now so don’t worry). Inside the veranda it is a few degrees warmer. I was covering his cage with a warm blanket so it was bumped up a few more degrees where he slept. Being tropical birds, I know they like warmer climates so I have bought him inside. I can still take him out there during the day though.

My questions are:

-How cold is too cold at night time – particularly for tropical birds like eclectus? Can they adapt to these temps?

-What sort of effect is him coming in and out of the house a lot going to have? The temperatures can vary greatly even without the air conditioning on and I know they are sensitive to this sort of thing. I’m most concerned about night time when I bring him in to hangout with everyone and then take him out to bed. It could be a 10-15 degree difference.

Any thoughts?

“5247..10 +In6o” – Eddie just walked across the keyboard, think he wanted to say ‘hi’ lol

 

[Birdamor]

Well, they come from the Northeast of your country and, according to the information on the web, the minimum temperature there is 18 degrees C so, if I were you, I would not expose him to anything lower than 25 to play it safe because, in my personal opinion, it's not a matter of what's the lower temperature they can stand but what's the lowest temperature they still feel comfortable at.

 

[Aussie Ben]

Thanks for your reply, totally makes sense

I actually took my birds for a checkup today and asked the vet what he recommended. He says that it is way to cold this time of year and he should be kept indoors at regulated temperature - even in the summer when the temps can get 40+C. He also said the biggest problem is the rise and drop of temperature throughout the day, being tropical birds they are used to a climate that is so stable and varies very little and very slowly between day and night.