I do not have central heat, will my African Grey Parrot be alright without heat?

December 24th, 2008 | by Adrian |
railendsgirl asked:


I live in a mobile home and I am scared to run a space heater all night in the living room and I don’t have central heat or a/c. The cage is really big and heavy so I can’t move her into the bedroom. Will she be alright without a heater on?
I live in Florida so it’s not like freezing here!

  1. 8 Responses to “I do not have central heat, will my African Grey Parrot be alright without heat?”

  2. By Gems on Dec 27, 2008 | Reply

    she should be fine depending on a few things.
    firstly:
    make sure the cage is not neer drafts, birds can do fine with the cold as long as its not drafty
    second: cover the cage with a blanket or towel at night to insulate it better.

    another optio is to buy a SMALLER cage keep it in your bedroom/where the heat is and she can stay in that cage through the night…
    Bedtime cages are normal (and actually helpfull for cage protective birds) and only have to big enough to provide a couple of perching spots for sleeping. she would then go in her big cage during the day!

    and a 3rd option is:
    go to petco, petsmart or any online bird supply store, and look for HEADED perches, you will only need 1, they plug into an outlet (wires are protected and OUTSIDE of the cage for birdy saftey) and are thermostatically preset to be perfect for the birds feet (warming but wont burn your birds) these are very common up here in new england for birds and come in sizes to suit most bird species. i have one in my parrotlets cage, one in my greencheeks and my parents have one for their too and one for their grey.

  3. By Owlwoman on Dec 30, 2008 | Reply

    The bird can thermoregulate because it has feathers. If it gets below freezing in your trailer for several hours, his feed could get frostbitten but I doubt this happens in your home. Do cover the cage with a warm blanket at night.

  4. By Vet Student on Dec 31, 2008 | Reply

    I live in florida too. And it was 62 degrees this morn. This is supposed to be the coldest winter in florida in a while, so yes it needs heat. Run to walmart and get a small space heater for the room, they make safe ones these days.

  5. By cheeks on Jan 2, 2009 | Reply

    I think birds are not supposed to be colder than 65. I would put a heat lamp if nothing else. Either ceramic or a red reptile bulb and a clamp lamp so the light will not disturb him. Can buy them at pet store in reptile section and some stores have them for birds. Also i recommend a thermometer so you can see what the temp is keep the bulb about 6 inches away from the cage so no burns. I secure mine to a piece of wood i nailed to the wall and pained to match.

  6. By Yogi T on Jan 3, 2009 | Reply

    Cover the cage. She should be fine unless the the temp drops very rapidly. Most parrots can stand very low temps as long as the temp does not drop drastically very quickly. I personally know of an escaped greenwing macaw that spent 2 weeks in blizzard conditions. I saw him but was unable to capture him. The owner told me he never even got a cold. Those temps were hovering way below freezing.So with a cover your bird should be fine. To make you feel better there is a colony of wild quaker parrots that survive winters near Syracuse ,NY. Syracuse has some of the nastiest winter weather in the country.—Yogi

  7. By Kim P on Jan 4, 2009 | Reply

    I have lived in Wisconsin my whole life and we raise birds outside here, too. And it IS “like freezing” here! LOL

    Your Grey will be just fine! The only time I worry about a bird is when they go from being in a heated 75 degree room to below freezing all in the same day. Normal temperature fluctuations are perfectly fine.

    If you are very concerned, you can cover the cage, which really does hold in the heat.

  8. By BboyRaiN95 on Jan 5, 2009 | Reply

    u should need a heater for ur grey they live in room temperatures which are from 66 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (also i would definitly get a small space heater because now they make safe ones n it should be more then enough for ur bird which is really good0also at night just for extra warmth u should put a heavy warm blanket over her cage(make sure u cover 3 sides of the age n cover 1/2 of the other so the bottom is showing(they need light at some point of day)

  9. By Beth P on Jan 7, 2009 | Reply

    Temps should be between 65-68 degrees for the bird. If colder you can get a warm mist humidifier that makes it warmer. I would not leave a space heater on for her as many of them have coating on them that can be lethal to birds. (teflon). Keep her out of drafts and cover at night.

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