Parrotlets and Temperature Comfort

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Parrotlets and Temperature Comfort

by Jen
(CA)

I'm going to be adopting a parrotlet in the near future. Do they need a heat lamp if a room can get into the low to mid 50s? I haven't gotten concrete answers looking around online. I had a budgie for many years and he loved the heat lamp when it was cold.

Also, whats their upper range for room comfort.

If anybody has any experience any advice would be great.

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Parrotlets and Temperature Comfort

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Feb 11, 2010

Parrotlets and Temperature Comfort
by: Linda

Hi, it's me again. I forgot to mention they make these little snuggle hammocks in different sizes. The smaller birds like to sleep in these which will help bird to stay warm during the day and night. You may wish to get two, so you can wash one and still have one in cage.

Birds getting chilled is one of the major reasons for them getting sick, and usually it will be pneumonia, so you don't want to have that happen with one so small. Pneumomia is dangerous, and birds as small as the Parrotlet can and do die very easily from it.

Also, don't use the regular heat lamp as this will dry out bird's skin too much which will cause other problems like plucking and mutilation. Keep the no light emitter light bulb high enough to keep this from happening with it too. I had a sick Conure some years' ago and had the no light emitter bulb too close to her. She was a plucker, and then started self-mutilation before I "got" it, so be careful with any heat source.

I promise I'm through with advice for now, and if you have any more questions, please feel free to write in as we are here to support people in taking the best care of their birds.

Linda

Feb 11, 2010

Parrotlets and Temperature Comfort
by: Linda

Jen, your birds will need to be kept at a steady 70 degrees all the time and out of ANY AND ALL drafts, even coming from window panes.

They make a "No Light Emitter" light bulb that screws into a regular lamp socket, and they come in several sizes. Just do a search on NO LIGHT EMITTER LIGHT BULB FOR BIRDS, and you should get some hits. Also make sure you cover birds at night and make sure the no light emitter bulb is away from cloth covering cage. You can also use a heating pad on low if cage is covered, but most of them have a cut off after about an hour, so don't know if this is an option. Full spectrum lights hung above cages are also good sources of light as well as a little heat for during the day. Drs. Foster & Smith carry them, and their fixtures come with bulbs and chain and hardware to hang. You'll need an extension cord so you can plug into wall socket. Also you'll need to tape the cord to the wall to keep birds away from it. The lights need to be hung above cages high enough so birds cannot get to them when out of cage. Birds need full spectrum light, so you may wish to check this out. Make sure bulbs being used are certified full spectrum. Many home supply stores sell a full-spectrum colored bulb that is NOT good enough for the birds and/or reptiles. You need Vitalight or Ott bulbs to make sure you are getting real full spectrum light.

Birds cannot take temperature fluctuations of 10 degrees or more especially going down, so you'll need to be very careful here to make sure bird stays at about 70 degrees. Don't keep house any hotter than that as it is not healthy for birds or you. The tiny parrotlets will need extra care as for proper temperature.

Hope this helps, and thanks for writing,
Linda

Feb 11, 2010

temp comfort...
by: lisa

I have an African Grey, and had the same issues. I turn my heat down to 50 - 55 when I'm not home and at night. With the cost of propane, there was no way I could keep my thermostat at 70 plus degrees for my bird, but I wanted her to be warm!! My local bird/pet store said that I should get a regular metal heating lamp "shade" and buy a reptile warming bulb to put in it. I found that the 60 watt one works best. The bulb is red so that the light doesn't disturb her sleep, but she stays toasty warm. I also have a blanket behind the corner that the light shines in so that the heat doesn't escape so easily, but she can get away from it if she gets too warm. I have various perches in her cage, too, so that she always has perch options regarding how warm/cold she feels. One word of caution, though, is to make very certain that your bird can't reach any part of the lamp, bulb, or cord. It's my understanding that birds can adjust way better to less than ideal temps far better than they can deal with drafts of any kind, winter or summer. But it warms my heart to know that my sweet birdie is toasty warm!!

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