What is missing from your air? Humidity!

Last winter, I took my two big birds for a yearly check-up.  My Sun Conure had been sneezing, though he didn't seem ill otherwise.  The doctor's prescription: humidity.  Being from Louisiana, I never in a million years pictured myself buying and using a humidifier!

We quickly instituted winter use of the brand new humidifier.  I run it in one location until the reservoir has emptied, then I move it to the next bird area.  The cycle keeps going until I have rotated the humidifier through all of the rooms/bird areas.  The whole process takes 3 days; like I said, we have a small apartment!

I've made other minor adjustments that seem to help the humidity levels throughout the apartment: not turning on the bathroom vent during a shower, then opening the door to let the steam flow out; cooking lots of soups and pasta; letting my tea kettle slowly steam away after I've poured my tea.  The dry birdy sneezing has decreased dramatically.  In case you're wondering why humidity is recommended for households with parrots:

"The moisture of the rainforest from rainfall, constant cloud cover, and transpiration (water loss through leaves), creates intense local humidity. Each canopy tree transpires some 200 gallons (760 liters) of water annually, translating to roughly 20,000 gallons (76,000 L) of water transpired into the atmosphere for every acre of canopy trees."


On the other hand, wild Cockatiels' range includes central Australia, where average annual humidity is only 30%.


Clearly, bird owners should research the origin and natural history of their pet birds.  This information can help you decide how much humidity you should add to your bird's indoor environment.  While our pets have been living with humans since hatching, their bodies are still adapted to their species' habitat elsewhere in the world.



*Photo by mcuscire on Flickr