Problems with Sleep cages.. *Warning*

[jugoya]

I've been having difficulties with my birds and their sleep cages...
Been using the travel cages in that capacity and its not working so well anymore.

The drier it gets the quicker .. well everything else dries out.

Meaning my birds were in pastic carriers with mesh tops maybe, but they kept sneezing horribly.

So... carriers for birds doubling as sleep cages?

No.. not good.

So.. old small cages are used now as sleep cages, much to my poor Porter's dislike. But as he is trying to exibit nesting behaviors in his carrier.. also not good.


So lesson learned..

Carriers of the kind I use doubling as sleep cages? Bad bad bad idea.

This is four hundred dollars + in vet bills later xP.

 

[Kalidasa]

What was the vet visit for? We're they having visible issues? Were they itching/plucking? What sort if tests did the vets do?

 

[jugoya]

Daffy's usual allergies (Highly allergic to dust), and Blue exhibiting the same problems.
Sneezing just mostly sneezing, head rubbing and such.

Porter came back with a clean bill of health.. so I got sent home with Daffy's usual allergy meds and some for Blue as well and was advised to change the sleeping arrangements.

We got the usual tests.. aka parasites, blood samples and physical exam.
And the lovely news that Porter is chemically going through puberty.. so that means no dark spaces.

I have an inkling that he might be a she.. but I opted not to do the dna test at least not yet.

 

[MikeyTN]

I'm curious as well with Kalidasa.....Please do tell!!!!

 

[MikeyTN]

So your just letting them sleep in regular cages now???? I've never done sleep cages cause I thought about the hormones.

 

[jugoya]

I live in Texas..
And in winter here It gets cold but stays dry.

Since we moved here Daffy has been coming down with horrible allergy attacks each year.. (Moved her here from Va)

The other birds were bought here, so the vet thinks the climate may affect her some? I have a nebulizer treatment we do for her every day, and allergy meds just in case she needs them.

But apparently as dry as it has been the last couple of weeks, the cat carrier they usually sleep in wasn't getting enough ventilation and Blue began having sneezing fits as well.

Just a few times a day for about fifteen seconds or so but, with Daffy when that happens we take her off to the vet immediately. I learned my lesson the first time when she came down with an infection due to her allergies about two years ago.

My local vet is great, though we have an avian vet as well that we go to for bi annual check ups, just to be on the safe side.

 

[jugoya]

Smaller than their cages in the main room but normal cages yes.

We have difficulty with keeping them in the main room while they sleep because my husband works nights and I work days.. so at any time of the night or day we come through the front door.

The guest bedroom is quiet dark, and warm.. perfect for birds that need uninterrupted sleep.

Thus I have small sleep cages that they sleep in.
Normally I just keep them in their carriers at night.. but with all that has happened I set up a new sleep station and its working out quite well.

Dry climate + not well ventilated spaces equals allergies.

Just cheap ones from petco but they work for sleeping, in fact they are perfect for it.

 

[Kalidasa]

Well, I would think a sleep cage that is more open (like a regular cage) would be better anyway as it would be less perceived as a nest than an enclosed space like an acrylic cage or something with walls instead of bars. Do you have an air purifier?

 

[jugoya]

Yup, constantly running in the guest bedroom.

No expense is too great for Daffy. She is the bird that made me become an addict and the sweetest little clown in the world. She's cost me thousands in vet bills, and she's been worth every penny.

 

[Kisota]

Wait, are sleep cages worse/more provoking for hormonal issues than not using a sleep cage?

I was planning on using a sleep cage (either the carrier my bird comes in from at the airport or one of the little cages from the pet store), because I'd read that it helps prevent hormonal issues, because the birds are forced to move around more. Presumably they really only stay put in the same spot in the wild when they're nesting, so having a cage for daytime and a cage elsewhere for nighttime seems like it would help, wouldn't it?

Or is it only an issue when the sleep cage is really enclosed like a hollow or nest site?

I mean these questions in a general way. Sounds like Jugoya's birds were having some very specific issues, poor things.

 

[jugoya]

Enclosed cages are bad.

I use cat carrier style carriers and my birds were sleeping in them.

That's what started the issue. Small dark places.

Normal bird cages of a slightly smaller nature are no issue.