# Overheated Babies



## Elishiva (Aug 23, 2013)

Recently we went out of town for the night and I left a space heater in the room with them to make sure they did not get chilled. I did not realize that the heater's thermostat was broken so it did not shut off after a certain amount of time. When I got home their room was very warm and they were panting.  I feel horrible about it. Quickly gave them cool water and began spraying the cage above them with their bathing mister. Usually Luna spreads her wings and lets the water fall down but she just sat there and closed her eyes. They have been drinking a lot of water and Luna's poop is clear and runny. I'm very concerned and though I have an avian vet, I can't get them out of their cage into my travel cage. They still do not know me enough to trust me. I can't reach in and grab her and she won't come out. Any ideas??? Do you think the vet is necessary?:grey tiel::grey tiel:


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Just so we're clear... are these literally baby cockatiels? I get confused sometimes when people here refer to all their birds as their "babies" even if they are adults. The recommendations for what to do may be very different for baby vs. adult birds.


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## Elishiva (Aug 23, 2013)

Well Sunnyboy is a little over a year and Lunabird is now 9 or 10 months but not just hatched babies.

I'm sorry if what I said was confusing.

Thank you!


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

They'll probably be alright, if they're adults these are desert birds that can withstand very hot dry weather. If these are chicks they are supposed to be kept at a warm temperature anyway. I can't imagine any space heater could raise the temperature beyond desert conditions. But to be sure, how warm was the room exactly?


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Darkel777 said:


> They'll probably be alright, if they're adults these are desert birds that can withstand very hot dry weather. If these are chicks they are supposed to be kept at a warm temperature anyway. I can't imagine any space heater could raise the temperature beyond desert conditions. But to be sure, how warm was the room exactly?


That was going to be my response too, now knowing they are basically adult birds... I looked into cockatiel overheating problems when our thermostat went bonkers this fall. Everything I read indicated that because they're desert birds, they are built to deal with hot, dry weather.

One thing though, I think runny poop can mean they are getting TOO MUCH water.


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## Elishiva (Aug 23, 2013)

high 80s low 90s


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

They'll be fine, I'm sure the deserts of Australia get above 100 degrees. But quick temperature changes like that can shock them, its best to introduce changes gradually.


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## Elishiva (Aug 23, 2013)

I'm sure the room heated up slowly. It was chilly that's why I left the heat on low but like I said, the thermostat stopped working (my husband failed to inform me of this). I just feel horrible I left them in that heat. Fortunately it was less than 24 hours but they did have plenty of water.

I read that runny poop was a bad sign. 

Is too much water a bad thing? I shouldn't take their water out, should I?


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## Elishiva (Aug 23, 2013)

They are drinking quite a bit of water for sure. Ever since yesterday when we got back after leaving them alone in the heat. The male was going to the water dish every 10 to 15 min.


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Those temperatures are totally OK for healthy cockatiels. If your birds don't get back to normal soon, they may be sick for other reasons (perhaps triggered by heat?) and I agree with Darkel777 that fast temperature changes are probably not good for them.

I've heard about too much water being a bad thing when people have advised others not to feed their tiels certain vegetables (like romaine lettuce) because the water content is too high and they'll get too much water from it. I'm not sure why it's bad.


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

Watery poops can be a sign of stress, I get the feeling that room heated up much more quickly than you realize. Don't take the water away, its best to let them be.


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## Elishiva (Aug 23, 2013)

I appreciate you all! <3


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## ~SarahJayne~ (Oct 14, 2012)

The temperature itself shouldn't be too much of a problem for tiels in general as long as it was a gradual change. 100F is fairly normal over here in summer, and we're in one of the cooler parts of the country. My only concern would be how different is this to the temperature they are used to? If your birds have been kept fairly cool for the last few months it might be a shock to the system. Access to water in hot weather is important, so I would guess the watery poop is just due to increased drinking (if it stops now you're cooling down the room). Hope your little ones are okay


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## Elishiva (Aug 23, 2013)

Thank you... usually they are in a 70 degree temp in a room upstairs where the heat rises. The temperature increased to over 80 within 24 hours. The heater just didn't do what it was suppose to do which is maintain the temp in the room for when we left the house. The thermostat was not working unbeknownst to me so it just kept heating the room. My poor babies were panting like little dogs. There was plenty of water. I have an automatic watering dish that attaches to the side. They drank heavily after I got home and replaced the warm with cooler water. I imagine they were both parched. They are not as playful and are sleeping a little more than normal. I even left them alone longer to sleep this morning. I imagine the heat was stressful and they need a little extra rest. I just check on them and they were perched and chirped at me when I came in. I have not heard them sing all day or whistle. It must have been an ordeal for their little bodies.  It won't happen again.


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