I’ve owned a Blue Fronted for about a year now and he has lived at my office. I am currently selling my business and need to take the parrot home. The only problem I forsee is my house is always on the cold side.
Right now it’s around 63f… which is just fine with me. But I’m wondering if this will be too cold for the little character.
The room I intend to keep him in is my home office, it is connected to the main rooms but there are no doors. I had thought of putting a small electric radiator type heater near his cage, but wondered of that would create drafts which might be worse for him.
Any ideas on this? Is 62-68 far too cold for the little guy?
I don’t own an Amazon, but I have owned parrots. During the day, especially if you have an active bird, even more especially if he’s able to fly, the 60’s maybe aren’t too cold. One key tip off is shivering.
My birds tolerate 65-70 degrees, but seem happier at 80. For our older bird (old enough to be going a little bald) a heat lamp bulb works very nicely but - and this is important - if you set up a heater/heat lamp you MUST allow the bird somewhere to go that is NOT heated. Overheating can be as bad as underheating. If you do that the bird will find his own comfortable temperature.
I let my birds run around free quite a bit, but if you aren’t comfortable with that get him a cage long in the horizontal dimension. Set the heating element near one end, but leave the other without extra heat. Give him a perch that runs the long dimension of the cage so he can get comfy.
Also - if Mr. Amazon normally perches, say, 18 inches from the heat source and suddenly wants to get a lot closer this can be a tip off he ain’t feeling too good. The husband and I have caught a couple of birdy illnesses when a bird that otherwise acts perfectly fine suddenly starts seeking extra heat.
I had a blue fronted amazon parrot for 15 years. I had to get rid of him when I got married, because he would sneak up on my husband and attack him - he was very bonded to me and jealous. Anyway.
I think the main problem is drafts; not cold. As long as you give them time to get used to it. You might set up a clamp light for himto get close to if he needs to, with room for him to get away from it too, if need be. We have parrots in outdoor cages at our zoo, and I’m surprised at how cold it can be for them to be outside. But they do have heated inside quarters to go in, if they want.
So I would say:
get him used to the colder temp gradually, if you can.
Put the cage in a box just open to the front to stop any drafts.
Set up a clamp light with room for the parrot to move away from it.
All else fails, get a space heater (tho it’s expensive to run).
I have a co-worker who has parrots, and she bought an oil filled heater for her birds- apparently it’s less dangerous as it never gets too hot to the touch, and it consumes very little power on it’s low setting. They’re really cheap, and look a lot like old-fashioned steam radiators. As it’s heat convects up, the bird only has to get a few inches away from it to cool down. Plus it’s safe to leave on all day while she’s gone; a heat lamp if knocked over can start a fire.
b.
And Jill, I think I’d be jealous too. Though I probably wouldn’t attack your husband.
Bipper-bird is a blue fronted Amazon, we have had him for the past sixteen years and have never done anything special for heat. We tend to keep the house at 65 degrees or lower during the winter, and he hasn’t complained yet. We are very careful about drafts.
He got into a snit eleven years ago when daughter one was born. He has since forgiven The Wife (although he would kill me in my sleep if he could get out of the cage) and has bonded strongly to our daughter. She’s inheriting the grouchy green bastid…
Ok. It looks like he will be ok at this temp then.
The heater I have and was planning on putting by his cage is one of the oil filled radiator types… like Billy mentioned.
As for putting the cage in a box… I was lucky enough to get a great deal on a huge macaw cage when I bought the bird. I’d need to find a refriderator box for that thing
Hi,
we are struggling with surrendering out parrot after many years due to increasingly aggressive behavior. he has attacked me unprovoked. I am not primaryhandler, my boyfriend is and he manages to deal with him even though Koko has become nasty to him. We have looked into outdoor sanctuaries but are concerned about the winter times and the bird being outdoors and among other blue fronted . this place has a sanctuary just for Blues. or little green bastards as i was recently informed of . I know the breed is challenging but we can’t have this in our living space. I think he may be happier, but don’t want ot jeopardize his safety. prior to us getting it, he did live in a house with another bird but not in same space. What is your take or anyone’s about outdoor living for Blues. Thank you. and hoping to hear any responses.
Amy and David
FYI you can get your bird a heated perch - this seems to work better than other heat methods (which dry the air/skin) and he can be on it or off it, depending on how he feels. I had one my cockatiel loved and although the perch is barely warm, her feet were toasty when she step off of it.
heated perch
here is from their website
*Keep your bird warm with gentle, energy-efficient radiant heat. Thermo Perch is the unique heated perch that safely radiates warmth through your bird’s feet. Thermostatically controlled bird perch uses a safe, low-voltage (12 volts) power source for an energy-efficient way to keep your bird warm from air conditioning and cold drafts. Thermo Perch maintains an optimum temperature range of 102°-107°F.
Thermo Perch can be left on continuously, so your bird can hop onto it whenever he needs warmth. Durable textured plastic perch has irregular surfaces to reduce foot cramping and pressure sores. Clean Thermo Perch with soap and water using a soft cloth. Do not immerse unit in water. Steel-wrapped cord sits outside the cage for bird’s safety. UL-listed.*
