Quakers and heat?

[Timmah]

Ok so bring summer here in Australia, the last two days have been quite hot, between 90-96 during the day. The inside of my house only gets to around 80 though, and no direct sun on Griffin. I've made sure he has enough clean water, and offered him a bath to splash in. But both nights he's been a bit grumpy and gone to bed early (6:30pm).

My question is, is this normal? Or should I be ensuring he is cooler?

 

[Kiwibird]

Fortunately, parrots are much better adapted to dealing with heat than cold, being they are tropical animals. We used to live in the high desert (worst of both worlds, baking hot in the summer, freezing cold and snowy in the winter) with no A/C and it would frequently get into the 90's indoors. Kiwi did ok, though he was hot and crabby like everyone else. Things that help birds in excessive heat:

-Daily (or twice daily during heat waves) soaking baths
*(EDIT:soaking bath= being drenched to the down, not literally soaking the parrot in a tub of water. Just thought I should clarify that).
-Couple squirts from the misting bottle every time you walk by the cage
-Plenty of water
-More moisture rich fruit and veg
-Many parrots enjoy playing with an ice cube or frozen chunk of fruit
-Bird friendly "ice cream" can be made by cutting up a banana, freezing the chunks then blending them into a "soft serve" (can also add other fruit)
-If your bird has a "snuggle hut", you can wet that down. When they go in it, the evaporative cooling effect helps cool them
-Being more understanding if they are a bit grouchy, as the heat is no more comfortable for them than it is us

**Be more attentive to fresh foods, as they go bad much quicker in the heat!

Also, I have always observed in both my parents birds and in Kiwi, a bit of a "mini-molt" when the warm season hits of primarily down feathers (like a bird exploded, soooooo many pickers everywhere:11. Nothing to be concerned about as long as they aren't looking patchy like a plucker would. Parrots will grow in extra down in the winter for warmth and loose it in a short burst when it gets hot.

We may be preparing for a little snow with the general weather conditions being chilly and rainy for the foreseeable future, but I don't envy you across the globe suffering the heat

 

[Timmah]

Thanks Kiwibird! I'll give those things a try. And I quite like the heat hehe. I'd love to be able to spend each spring/summer in the half of the year that has it currently!! Especially because my birthday is in July. I hate cold wet weather, be nice to have a summer birthday!