# keeping your tiels warm?



## Oni (Feb 20, 2012)

Okay so the weather has changed the last week and it's suddenly become quite chilly, especially in the mornings. I don't know the exact temp but I have a baby temperature monitor I'm going to dig out and plug in.

We put the heating on in a few hour bursts when we think it needs it but we are not rich enough to leave it on all day! (I don't know anyone who is these days lol). We are on a pay as you go meter anyway so always need the case up front to top it up.

I wouldn't say it's anywhere near as cold as it will get mid winter, but already my tiels are showing signs of sometimes getting a bit cold by fluffing themselves up or even shivering. Once the heating is on they go back to normal.

I never had this problem when we were in the desert! So what can I do to keep them warm?

I actually have insulation but I don't know how to do it so they can't eat it? Unless I just put it sandwiched between two fleeces on the cages - but the dilema I have is I only cover the back and one side for security at the moment during the day so they get a good view. I only cover up the cages properly at night.


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## pandactivity (Sep 24, 2012)

This is also something im worrying about since it snows where I live during the winter.

How am I going to keep tally warm enough, has anybody used/seen those "Happy huts"? how are those do they work well? or the cuddly corner things.


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## Oni (Feb 20, 2012)

Well I set the room thermometer up (it's digital) and it says the room is 21 degrees C after only 20mins having the heating on. That's not cold in my opinion - it's ideal human baby temperature - but what is the range for tiels?


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## hysteriauk (Jun 24, 2012)

Know the feeling , don't have central heating just usually rely on fan heaters but am dubious about using it around zippy so am getting a couple of Halogen heaters for when it gets colder am also on a tight budget lol,

I will prob increase zippy's food a bit and will be moving him to the warmest part of the flat


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## Ghosth (Jun 25, 2012)

I put a light fixture next to Cara and Joey's cage. It is actually a double ceiling fixture with the glass keeping them from getting too close to the bulbs, Have 2 standard twist flourescent bulbs in there. A small one and a large one. Mid winter house temps will run around 65-66f so I use the fixture to make a "warm spot" in the cage. It will warm that corner of the cage considerably. But I don't see them use it a lot.


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## Annie (Nov 20, 2009)

I have been putting on the fan heater in our room at night as it is also getting chilly here in the morning and our condo's central heating system is not turned on yet (cheapskates!!! Why am I paying all those condo fees for??? ) I don't think they are that expensive, esp. if you try to get a second-hand one.

Re. those happy huts, I remember reading some bad things about them on this forum. I think if you do a search you may be able to find those threads----something about them being either unsafe or encourage nesting behaviors or something. I got one for Sunny long ago but she never touched it.


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## smays810 (Dec 27, 2011)

I bought my bird the thermo perch which she really loves even in the summer, she’s weird, but that seems to help keep her warm from the feet up. I really like it because she can get off and on whenever she wants to and I don't have to have extra heating fans. As for the happy huts they can be bad if your bird becomes obsessive over them and it can be seen as a nesting site.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Tiels can handle cooler temps as long as its a gradual decrease and not all of a sudden yesterday was 85 and today is 40. 65 degrees (this is in ferenheit fyi) is OK for tiels and they will grow accustomed to it. I don't do anything for my birds, as I like to be warm myself so me and the birds are on the same page lol.



> ----something about them being either unsafe or encourage nesting behaviors or something. I got one for Sunny long ago but she never touched it.


Its the nesting behavior that's an issue. Birds will see it as a nest and it can cause hens to lay and males to become territorial over their cage.


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## SunnyNShandy (May 24, 2012)

The only time I used to cover Sammy was when it was going to be below zero outside. I keep my house warm and he was on an inside wall, but still. All houses have a chill on the floor when it is -30 what worried me was if the furnace stopped working during the nite when I was sleeping, etc. You cant plan for that. So then I'd put the fleece blankets on the cage for extra protection. Other than that, he lived in MN for 12 years without an issue and yes he forgave me for moving him from Arizona  

Brrr.


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

I'm also in the northwest Oni and i know what you mean about the temperature drop, brrrr! I have an oil-filled radiator (i think they use less electricity than my wall heaters) and that's near Smokey's cage at the moment, it has a towel over it in case he lands on it. 

I really don't want to put the wall heaters on until it gets much colder as they cost so much, so the oil heater will heat him up for now, and i'll rely on snuggly blankets and pjs for myself.


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## Oni (Feb 20, 2012)

Hi *waves* yea blackpool is not a million miles from me, I'm near Manchester 

I think they may just be being wimps! The temp has not dropped below 19 degrees C with the heating off since I put my kids old digital thermometer on. They are on an outside wall but they are raised off the ground on bookcases and the monitor is right next to one of the cages so the same temp as the bird will be experiencing 

I may got for the whole sandwiching my insulation between the two fleeces idea after all (it's that thin flexible stuff you get on a roll). We will have the heating on when it's really cold anyway with having 2 young kids and not particularly great with cold weather anyway lol. At the mo we've been trying to make do with jumpers and socks - but my son keeps taking his socks off!


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