# Lava lamp help, please!



## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Okay so I've read on here that lava lamps can double as a night light and a heat source for tiels. I found an old lava lamp in my sister's room. Still works, still heats up. No cracks or defects or anything, I'm sure it's safe.

Buuuutt I have a few questions just in case. No one wants a crispy Rocko for breakfast.

Can it touch the cage cover? I have it set up now so there's a little wooden chair with the backrest away from the cage. That way, the cover comes down overtop of the backrest and creates a little pocket of space where the lava lamp can sit and not be touched by anything.

How likely is it that Rocko could overheat? I have it about four inches from the cage, but it's also pretty low to the ground. It's parallel to the bottom level of his cage, but he only stays in the top. I have a larger chair I could use but I figure I should start out slow.

Any fire hazards I should know about? Or any other hazards?

Ugh I'm just so paranoid uasdajakasadf


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

I don't think there's much danger of overheating, I put mine on a side that faces a wall. Away from the cover also its on a timer so it only turns on at night. When I get off work I'll post a pic.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Huh.. Mine doesn't have a timer. It just has a little switch that you turn on and off.

I'm a little scared to go to sleep. I'm being irrational but I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Rocko :wacko:


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

As long as it isn't touching the cage cover he'll be fine.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Alright, I made for sure it's not. Thanks so much. It's 1 AM and my eyeballs are starting to hurt, I'm gonna conk out now


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

In the first pic you see my cages, the blanket does not cover the cage on the side with the lava lamps. The second and third pics are different views of the same thing without the blanket, good shelfing helps here. The last pic is of the timer, I split that outlet to the lava lamps in case somebody else wants to employ a timer too.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

My setup is much more unprofessional looking at yours!  I might have another lava lamp around somewhere, but I feel like one should be fine for one bird 

I'll take a picture of mine when Rocko wakes up. I didn't sleep much last night (yaaayyy narcolepsy!) and I'm up pretty early. He's still catchin' some Z's.


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

Amz said:


> My setup is much more unprofessional looking at yours!  I might have another lava lamp around somewhere, but I feel like one should be fine for one bird
> 
> I'll take a picture of mine when Rocko wakes up. I didn't sleep much last night (yaaayyy narcolepsy!) and I'm up pretty early. He's still catchin' some Z's.


Lol my cages aren't pretty to look at, but I don't see any cages as big on the market which is why I had to build it.

One lava lamp should be fine for just a single bird, I keep 8 in the cages I showed you (four are budgies) and too many lava lamps might make it difficult for him to sleep.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Here's how mine is set up.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Is it overly cold in your room or something? The cage cover alone should be enough. I'd use the lava lamp as a night light, but I wouldn't worry about needing a heater.


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## cknauf (Aug 27, 2012)

I've had a couple lava lamps over the years, and I've noticed some get hotter than others. Might be useful to heat it up and see how much heat it radiates.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Yes, especially in the winter my room is rather cold. It's in the very back of the house, so when my mom turns on the fireplace in the front of the house, the regular heat kicks off and my room turns into an icicle.

I would guess it gets down into the mid to high 50s in the winter.


As for testing the heat level, I stuck my hand in the cage before uncovering it the first time I used it - I could feel a difference in heat level, but nothing that could be considered harmful. I think this will really help Rocko stay warm over the winter months.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Birds can regulate their temp and 50 is really not that cold for a tiel. As long as its not a sudden change (like it goes from 80 to 50 in half an hour) Rocko should be fine. Gradual temp changes work fine for them. A lot of tiels will be outside during the winter and as long as its not freezing, they stay outside all winter. I'd be worried about the lava lamp shorting out or something like that.


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