# Do cockatiels get cold?



## biscuitfeatures (Apr 9, 2013)

I've had Bruce for nealy 1.5 years now. Last year we lived in a house with ducted heating, and he loved to sit over the vent when it came on! This year though, we've only got a coonara fire place, and when the fire goes out it can get very chilly (as low as 7 degrees C overnight, and averages 15 C during the day if the fire is out). 

My bird has taken to shivering quite violently when it's cold, and his feet get very cold. He goes back to normal when we stoke the fire and hold him for a bit to warm him up. So naturally I figured he's just cold, and we should find ways to keep him a bit warmer (so I got a ceramic heat lamp for him, in the process of setting it up).

But I spoke to a nearby bird specialist who said Bruce shouldn't be getting cold at all, since birds are of course outside creatures. He suggested that if Bruce isn't regulating his body temperature properly then he might be sick.

Otherwise, Bruce seems completely healthy and happy. He's still his noisy self, even while shivering. I know he's a bird, and that birds are outside creatures, but he's never been a wild bird. He's used to his creature comforts. So which should I believe here? The bird specialist, or the common sense that tells me if I'm feeling cold then my 100gm bird might be feeling it too?


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

when it's cold in my house, the bird's feet get cold, and they sit all fluffed up and inactive. i think they feel the cold.
when it's warm, they're busy and happy.
i'm suprised your bird specialist said they don't get cold - i always though\still do think that they could get cold.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Birds definitely get cold...fluffing up is part of them trying to stay warm. Birds can adjust to outside temps being cold but that's over a gradual period of time not instantly. Temps changing that much can make them sick, but he's not sick because he gets cold.


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## biscuitfeatures (Apr 9, 2013)

Thanks!! I think he'll be fine when he's got his heat lamp to sit under. Just glad to talk to some other tiel owners who might have had the same thing with their birds


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