Winter, with plunging temperatures and dry air, can be tough on our feathery friends, who are better adapted to life in warm and tropical habitats. Throw in a nasty case of feather plucking, and you need to make serious adjustments to keep your birds healthy until spring. Over the course of my next few posts, I'll discuss common winter headaches and a few possible solutions.
Warm toes = warm bird. I recently moved my flock of five parrots and two canaries from Louisiana (very mild winters) to Rhode Island (snow!!). My first action was to buy a
Thermo Perch from Drs. Foster and Smith for my slightly bald Sun Conure, Twinkie.
This perch plugs into an electrical oulet and maintains a constant temp of 102F (~39C). The cord is wrapped in a small-gauge steel coil to protect prying beaks. While the perch worked well for the duration of the season, Twinkie managed to pry his beak around the edge if the coil and sever the electrical cord. Thankfully, we had unplugged the perch, but not yet removed it from his cage when this happened. I maintain that this perch is a good investment, but it requires constant supervision when your feathery friend is out of his or her cage. The thermo perch might be relegated to a separate "sleeping cage" if you have this kind of set-up.
Does anyone have any other solutions for keeping bird toes warm? Is anyone having success keeping a feather plucker cozy?
(Photo from Drs. Foster and Smith website.)
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