# Infrared Lamp



## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

Is an infrared lamp safe to use for several hours a day/night?
It is getting pretty chilly at night in Australia and I basically use it as a heater to keep my boy warm at night, but I was wondering if it is safe?
Thanks for the advice!


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## shaenne (Apr 19, 2014)

Yes, as long as there's no way he can knock it and as long as it's far enough away to keep his stuff from getting too hot  I would pop a digital thermometer in his cage somewhere too just so you can keep an eye on the temperature.

I use an infrared lamp for my chicks when i'm hand raising. I find it much easier to regulate the temperature in the brooder and weaning cages with a lamp rather than a heat pad.


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## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

Thanks.  
No, he can't knock it because it is outside and at a safe distance. 
I used it also for a few hours when it was warmer because I had read that sometimes it is also good for plucking, and the ceramic used to get really hot, but now it doesn't get hot at all. Actually it almost feels cold when I touch it. That's how cold it is outside. 
His neck is naked because of the plucking so I really want to keep him warm in winter so he doesn't get sick.


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## tielbob (Mar 25, 2013)

The bird should be able to get away from the heat generated by the source. This means that only part of the cage is covered by the heat, and part is not. Being forced to be continuously exposed to a heat source is not good.


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## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

It is not really continuously, only at night. During the day he is with me in another normally heated room.


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## tielbob (Mar 25, 2013)

OK but he should still be able to get out from under any heat source and go back in front of it at will so he can maintain a comfortable temperature. It's easy to accidentally overheat a small bird like a tiel.


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## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

tielbob said:


> OK but he should still be able to get out from under any heat source and go back in front of it at will so he can maintain a comfortable temperature. It's easy to accidentally overheat a small bird like a tiel.


I tried with my hand and it is really not too hot, just a bit warm, colder than in summer for example. His cage is also covered up at night.
Anyway, they had forecast storms and very strong winds for yesterday night, so I took him to my room. It was so nice having him there that I think I will take him to my room every night from now on. It was just a wonderful feeling knowing he was there.


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## tielbob (Mar 25, 2013)

littletiel said:


> It was just a wonderful feeling knowing he was there.


I know... when I had Baby Boy and Puff I used to sleep in their 'bird room' on a couch. I figured I could be right there if they had a night fright and calm them. Funny thing was, I don't think _they _ever had a night fright, but I remember waking up sometimes from nightmares where I was probably talking in my sleep only to see Puff and Baby Boy staring at me as if to say 'What happened, Dad?" So I guess I was the one with the night frights


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