Whats the ideal humidity?

[Rikki1]

Hi thi is my first post on behalf of Rikki our 17 yr old Yellow Crowned Amazon.
We have had several trips to the vet because of breathing difficulties, it turns out he has some fluid in his lungs due possibly to an underlying heart problem. He seems to be responding to the medication as he is getting more perky each day and eating and talking again.
We have warm air heat pumps in our house and these tend to give a dry atmosphere so we have a humidifier in his room. However we are afraid of making the air too moist if we are trying to get rid of the fluid in his lungs. Currently we keep his room at 23/24 C, and 35-40% humidity. I will add we live in Norway where its often -4/5C at night and only 5/6C in the day at this time of year so we are careful about opening the window in winter. Any info from other owners much appreciated.

 

[SailBoat]

Welcome to Parrot Forum! And, the Wonderful World of Amazons!

Understanding that when speaking of Humidity, we are talking about Relative Humidity. That is, Humidity level changes based on temperature.

Sadly, I do not have my conversion chart with me, so I will be providing this in US measurements. The target Relative Humidity for your Home, your Furniture, your Parrot, and yourself is based around a Temperature of 70 degrees F with a Relative Humidity of 40% minimum with a range of 40% to 55%. Above 55%, most homes will begin to have moisture build-up on exterior windows.

The best system for controlling Relative Humidity in your home would be a single unit attached to your Heating system that is digitally controlled. This to assure that your home has a fairly balanced Humidity level in all zones.

 

[SailBoat]

Now to separately address your Amazon's Health.

" We have had several trips to the vet because of breathing difficulties, it turns out he has some fluid in his lungs due possibly to an underlying heart problem. He seems to be responding to the medication as he is getting more perky each day and eating and talking again.
We have warm air heat pumps in our house and these tend to give a dry atmosphere so we have a humidifier in his room. However we are afraid of making the air too moist if we are trying to get rid of the fluid in his lungs."

I'm sorry to hear that your Amazon is suffering from Heart issues. As long as your home is with in the 40 to 55% range at a interior temperature of 70 degrees F, your Amazon will do well with this range.

It sounds as if your Amazon is suffering from Congestive Heart Failure. If true, your greatest concern is providing medication for your Amazon to stabilize its Heart to be able to provide proper blood flow to limit congestion within its body.

Please assure that you are activity moving your Amazon to a balanced diet. As a recommendation, please find the Thread near the top of the Amazon Forum (Highlighted in Light Blue) Titled: I Love Amazons -..., Within this huge Thread your will find on page 1 a list of segments that provide insight into the Loving and Living with Amazons. One of the segments will address a Diet for an Amazon.

May this Thread be of help for you and your Amazon!!!

 

[Anita1250]

I believe that the optimum humidity is 55%. You can check that online, or ask your vet. I would be very careful with the humidifier. I used to have one, but it became so difficult to clean. It can grow mold spores and push them out into the air. This would not be healthy for you or your bird. My vet suggested just simmering water on the stove. This increases the humidity while preventing mold. The pot can be washed, and there are no crevices for it to grow.

 

[Rikki1]

Thanks for the replies, we have now ordered a nebuliser on the vets advice so we can introduce humidity in a more controlled way.
He has been n a balancd diet for some time although he has gone down 10 grams as he isn’t eating as quite much as he used to, we just hope he continues to make slow but sure progress as I have got very attached to this little guy.