| I have a very spoiled Zebra Finch who enjoys the mornings in the
sunspace (I have a passive solar house) and in the afternoon he is
taken inside - much to his dismay.
We have noticed that he takes naps a lot more often when it is hot and
splashes around in his birdbath more often. His cage is out of the
direct sun, whereas, in the cooler months he likes to sit in the direct
sun.
So I would say they do mind the heat. Keep your bird(s) out of the sun
and give them plenty of cool freshwater both to drink and bathe in.
He also gets plenty of lettuce and fruits along with his regular seed
mixture. His favorite in the summertime is watermelon! This helps in
preventing dehydration.
Regards,
Susan
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Hi Joyce,
I have 3 birds, 2 cockatiels and a nanday conure. I try to mist the
birds, but don't always have a lot of time and hate to do it at night
for fear of them catching cold.
The heat never seemed to bother them before, but it's really bothering
*me* this year, I was afraid it might be bothering them too. I called
Wingsong Aviary and asked them what they thought. They said the heat
definitely does bother them and that I should leave the windows open (we
don't have AC) so the air can circulate and leave fans on. I hate
leaving fans on when I'm not home though, I'm wicked paranoid that
they'll overheat or something.
I called a friend and got them to go to my house and give the babies a
bath and check and make sure they'll alright. I'm thinking about getting
AC though...
Donna
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| Hi Donna,
Opening the windows is a tough decision on humid days, since you might
be letting in more heat that if you left the blinds/shades pulled shut
and the windows shut. This reduces the chance of heat coming in by way
of sunlight streaming through unshaded windows and heating the interior
of your house. I used to stay on a farm in Santa Rosa, CA in my
younger days where it was as hot as we have been experiencing here.
The shades drawn and windows shut was an effective technique in that
house. Probably how well insulated the house was had something to do
with it as well. We'd be working outside and come in for lunch and it
was very cool inside. At night the windows would be opened to allow
fresh air circulation throughout the house, but the blinds were drawn
and shades pulled and windows shut at sunrise for the day until the
cycle started again at bedtime as windows were opened again.
I share your concern about leaving the fans going. On thing to think
about though is all the other things that remain plugged in all day
unsupervised, so to speak, like the refrigerator, clocks, and the A/C
if you get one.
The fresh greens, fruits, and veggies and scrupulously clean drinking
water at all times as mentioned by other responders is certainly at
least basic to the birds' health in your aviary.
Linda
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