Winter baths and cold?

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Winter baths and cold?

Postby allie » Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:06 pm

Hi Maggie,

With winter approaching, I 'm wondering how to continue to bathe my grey and when it's considered too cold to bathe them. It's been in the 70's in my apartment lately so, being used to mid-80's for baths for her, I'd been holding off. Yesterday, I boiled water put it in a spray bottle and sprayed her with it; it seemed the only way to get the mist or fine droplets to come out warm. She went nutty; I don't think she liked it as she attacked every toy in her cage with vigor and then went nuts trying to bathe in her water bowl! So she was soaked, and I put a lamp over her cage but she wouldn't get under it.

Anyway, I left the window cracked last night and it got down into the 50's outside. Her cage was tightly wrapped with two sheets and it only got down to around 70 degrees in here, but this morning she's acting different; sleepy and inactive with feathers fluffed. Was this all a bad combination? Are they just less active the cooler it gets? My kitty is tucked into a little ball right now too. Should I be worried? She did eat this morning and talk, but then just stopped and tucked her beak into her back.

So, winter parrot care? How to bathe? She is still too untame to carry into a steamy warm bathroom. Also, she used to live outdoors here in Louisiana, so surely the temperatures involved with opening windows and doors SLOWLY (to let the temp adjust slowly) can't be a problem right? or can it?

Thanks!
Allie and Luna
The bird that lives with me is smarter than me!
allie
 
Posts: 74
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:48 pm
Location: Southern USA

Postby Guest » Tue Sep 26, 2006 8:23 pm

Hi Allie & Luna,

Our birds can adjust to the kinds of temps that we can.....as low as 55/60 and anything over 85 is too hot. That is, you need to help them adjust to colder temps. For example, Luna could handle colder temps outside, as long as you help her SLOWLY acclimate to them. The best home temp is really in the 70-75 range, possibly a little lower.

Also, at night when you cover her, please don't make the sheets "tight." The cage needs to be properly ventilated so new air can get in. In the winter, I sometimes "pre-heat" the sleeping cage with an electric blanket and blankets around the cage...but leave space openings so new air can come in (but I don't leave the blanket on with my guys in the cage). Also, I leave some of the cage uncovered so that my birds are not stuck breathing all of their feather dust. My Pea is a big preener at night and I don't want her to have to breathe all that dander and dust...so I leave the cage so the area can ventilate. I frequently rinse the cage cover sheets to get rid of all dust.

Remember that Luna has feathers and her body heat also adjusts. So, her reaction may be a reaction to your own anxiety.

You could continue to spray Luna, but make sure the room is at least 70 and you do it in the AM.....just avoid PM.

The other thing to be especially careful about is to make sure she is NOT near a drafty window. When you cracked the window, was there a draft on her? That can cause them to get sick, so you must figure a way that the drafty air is not going directly into Luna's cage.

Hoping this helps,
Maggie-
Guest
 

Postby allie » Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:23 am

Thanks Maggie :) ,

I opened our greenhouse and let the warm air filter in this morning and as the room warmed, her fluffed appearance went away. I also put the spiral fluorescent on top of her cage and she did perch under it so perhaps she enjoyed the warmth. She's been sneezy ever since I've had her (the avian vet could find no obvious reason for it) so I don't want to take a winter sneeze for granted. She did come out a bit to explore today.

We're talking Louisiana, here, and it was hardly cold so this is probably funny to you Northerners. I'm cold all the time and hate A/C so I'm glad you mentioned 85F and above being too warm since i often let it get that warm in here over the summer. I do notice that after she makes a flight in that temp, her beak parts and her litttle wings are held out.

I'm also glad to have a temperature to know about for bathing (the 70F) you mentioned. You mentioned possibly a little lower than 70 F. I actually keep my heat set on 60F in the winter because I'm big on energy conservation. Is that too cool for her (I wouldn't bathe her at that temp of course)? Would 65 be better?

With us getting the outdoor enclosure ready for her, I'm thinking that if I keep it 60 in here as I usually do, then an average Louisiana winter day wouldn't be too far off that, so she could go outside in the winter without too much acclimation, I guess?

Thanks,
Alison
The bird that lives with me is smarter than me!
allie
 
Posts: 74
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:48 pm
Location: Southern USA

Postby Maggie- » Wed Sep 27, 2006 8:24 pm

Above 85, her beak opened and wings out means she is overheating. When that happens, put her feet in cool water and cool down the room. The worst thing is to have her overheat.

65 degrees is better than 60, if you can...but she can handle 60, if you make her used to it overtime. Just so you SLOWLY acclimate her to these temp changes, things can work. It is okay for them to be a little fluffed..... they regulate their body heat under their feathers. But you just need to make sure she doesn't go from one extreme to next too quickly. This even includes going from 85 to 70 degrees within minutes. That's the key.

Sneezy could be that she had feather dust in her ceres and is sneezing it out. But if you ever see her sneeze with a "fluid" coming out, then you need to contact a vet immediately.
Miss Mag-
Maggie-
 


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