# Change in Altitude?



## FairyFreak12 (Jun 8, 2012)

Hi guys! Im going camping with my church in about 2 weeks, and its gonna be up on the mountain. I have a harness for Jess and she will wear it (also has a leash) so i plan on taking her with me, cuz all of my friends have dogs and cats and cant watch her for me and i dont want to leave her here and have someone check on her daily cuz then she will be in her cage all day long for 5 days. So if i take her with me will the change in elevation/altitude harm her? and what should i do if its too cold? i really cant leave her here, so how could i take her with me without causing her harm?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Can you take a heat lamp with you? Like a battery charged one? To be honest though, being in her cage for five days would be a lot less stressful for her then being outside for five days where there are all kinds of dangers.


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## sangs_becky (Jun 25, 2012)

I don't know if it is safe to take her if you feel that it would be too cold for her, also do you have a small travelling cage in which you can have her ? you cannot have her in a harness and leash all the time also you should be concerned about predators who can harm her. I've not traveled up a hill with my birds, i'm from India whether up a hill or not it doesn't make a much difference in the temperature but my advise is please think about it, unless your very sure it is absolutely safe for her you need not have to take her in my opinion it would be better if she's alone and safe back home rather than taking her to a place where she can be put to some sort of danger. Will any of your friends ,your parents or your neighbors can come over and spend some time with her and change her feed everyday until you get back ?
As your going camping with church you will be having a lot of other activities lined up so please think about it.


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## FairyFreak12 (Jun 8, 2012)

We will be in a trailer, so predators are not a problem, and yes i have a travelling cage  every year we do church camp and the only day we have anything planned is saturday, which is when we do stuff like paintball, fishing derby, ect. She gets really agressive when i leave her in her cage for more that a day without taking her out and i dont want her to feel like ive abandoned her (when we go to church camp will also be the 3 month mark for me having her) ive worked really hard to get her to trust me as much as she does now and when i leave her in her cage when ive had a really busy day and havent been home the next day she doesnt trust me as much as she did before and i have to work with her for a couple days to gain that trust back. its not very cold up there, its only like a 15 min drive (i wanted to know if anyone else had done that and had an issue) i want her to get used to being to new places because i plan on taking her to alot of places with me (kind of how people take their dogs everywhere) because i leave home on trips every once and a while and i dont want to leave her here, it makes me feel guilty :blush: she really is my baby, i dont know what i would do without her, and if i leave her i will be constantly worried about her. and with my friends, none of them really know how to handle birds and how to respond to certain situations, such as if she flew out of her cage while they were changing the food or water and landed on a curtain and wouldnt come down. I dont think ill have cell service so they wouldnt be able to call me for help. and yes, i think i could bring a lamp, but i dont have a heating lamp. would a regular reading lamp work? (the big ones that u can clip onto like your headboard and stuff, not the little ones u clip on your book)


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

How much of an altitude change will there be? Does the trailer have heat, and if so, is it a bird-safe type of heat? 

I live in the Sonoran Desert which is hot, dry, and mountainous (sounds a lot like Utah!). The temperature drops about 5 degrees for every 1000 foot increase in elevation. The daytime temps on top of a mountain can be similar to the night time temps at the bottom of the mountain, so there's not a drastic difference there. But the night time temps on top of the mountain will be colder than what you're used to and heat may be needed.

Another important aspect of the altitude is the oxygen supply. What altitude is the bird used to, and what altitude are you going to? I don't know how much of a change it would take to cause problems, but I'd be concerned about a change of more than 5,000 feet. Birds have very sensitive respiratory systems.


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## FairyFreak12 (Jun 8, 2012)

its only a change of 3000 ft and we have heating in our trailer


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

What kind of heating? Electric? Natural gas?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

3000 feet isn't bad, the difference in the oxygen won't be very noticeable and the temperature difference should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 degrees.

Some space heaters are made with teflon which can be dangerous for birds, so use caution with the heater.


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## FairyFreak12 (Jun 8, 2012)

the heating is propane


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## FairyFreak12 (Jun 8, 2012)

would propane heating be OK?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The information on the internet is mixed, but the more reliable-looking sources say that it's safe if it's used correctly (including proper ventilation). Apparently it's fairly similar to using natural gas.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Propane has a lot of fumes....if you can smell the propane you can bet your bird can.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

FairyFreak12 said:


> would propane heating be OK?


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If it is properly vented in the trailer it should be fine. If your family bought the traier locally they can have someone check to make sure or contact the manufacturer as to the type of vent and your situation of bringing along your pet bird and using the heater.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I found this:


> Any fuel-fired heaters, such as kerosene heaters, or propane heaters (Mr. Heater and the like), SHOULD NOT BE USED in a home with birds. There are many safe electric substitutes on the market should be used in stead.


From this website:
http://www.birdsafe.com/household.htm


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