Little Alexandrine

Hello everyone, I am from Romania and I received a new little Alexandrine, I dont know how its called in English, the ideea is that I received it in a really small cage and the new big cage will arrive in 1 week, I have a closed balcony full with closed windows, I am thinking to put him there with his cage so he can be free to fly on the balcony, to put some stuff around for climbing until the new cage arrives, I want in the future to be free in the house but for now he is really shy and scared, the point is that on the balcony its not so warm as inside, I think it is 15-20 C , its ok if I put him there?

Thanks

Too cold ! And no not use zinc coated or zinc galvanised anything.. It is poisonous. Best is non-magnetic stainless steel mesh but htat is $$$. Aluminum msh is next but it is soft so a heavier type is needed.

Please let us know what you use. Also remember these are small brds, and can wiggle tru some very tightplaces.

I was asking if I can let him free in the balcony, I dont have anything in there just an old furniture where I can put the cage, the balcony is fully with thermopan windows ( I think its called) there is nowhere where the air can get through or he to go out, I think I can let the windows open from the room to the balcony so he can go in and out and the warmth to go in there. Is still not ok?

wrench13 said:

Too cold ! And no not use zinc coated or zinc galvanised anything.. It is poisonous. Best is non-magnetic stainless steel mesh but htat is $$$. Aluminum msh is next but it is soft so a heavier type is needed.

Please let us know what you use. Also remember these are small brds, and can wiggle tru some very tightplaces.

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Hmmm..... 20C is normal indoor temperatures, I really don't see how 15-20C would be too cold, especially if he isn’t going to be there all the time permanently.
In north India, where several subspecies of the Alexandrine can be found naturally, winter temperatures range from 10-15C. One Alexandrine subspecies is found in Afghanistan, where winter temperatures may get as low as -9C. That's negative nine. Below freezing. 15-20C is nowhere near that cold!
There are also some introduced/invasive flocks of Alexandrines in northern Europe (Germany, England, Netherlands) where 15-20C is a pretty good summer's day.
(Sidenote, in some languages, the species known as the "Alexandrine" is actually the Indian Ringneck (p. krameri) - so if this is the case here, the whole northen Europe thing would be even more compelling, as there are a lot more invasive IRNs in northern Europe than there are Alexandrines!)


Did you maybe confuse C with F....?

After I checked the temperature is above 20 C on the balcony, I made it really safe as I got everything out and put some stick wood and an old furniture where the cage stays with toys on them , food and water, the cage is there and the door for the cage is opened, but she doesnt want to get out, I let her to chose if she wants to get out or not,hopefully she will, there are more toys and space outside the cage

I would be very careful with a balcony that has glass windows, as this could create a heat/direct sunlight situation on that balcony that could literally "cook" your bird, especially in your summer/hot periods...

****If you put his cage out on the balcony full-time, which is a bad idea due to the glass windows, but if you do, you absolutely CANNOT EVER COVER HIS CAGE WITH ANYTHING LIKE A BLANKET, TOWEL, SHEET, ETC.!!! We just had someone a few months ago who lived in the same general area of the world as you and who kept his 2 Love Birds out on the same type of balcony, and he would cover their cage at night with a sheet. And one morning the sun came-up and was shining on the balcony before they got out of bed, so the sheet remained on the cage. And when they did get up and remove the sheet, both Love Birds were dead due to Heat-Stroke.

So keeping your bird on an enclosed balcony, porch, etc., any "enclosed" room that is exposed to direct sunlight on a regular basis, is a very BAD idea, because direct sunlight can literally FRY your bird very quickly, even in winter months when the ambient temperature is quite low, the direct sunlight going into an enclosed balcony can cook your bird...And that member who's Love Birds were accidentally killed out on his enclosed balcony had a horrible time getting over it and was blaming himself terribly...So honestly, if I were you, I would NOT keep your bird's cage out on your enclosed balcony, but rather inside of your home, in the "main" room of your home where you and the others who live in your home spend most of their time when they are at home,
so that your bird is always among his "flock" and feels safe, secure, and included...And I would ONLY bring him out onto the enclosed balcony when you were with him, because that's the only way you can be sure that the direct sunlight is not heating-up the enclosed balcony too hot for him.

Furniture can be treated with chemical stains etc. Just because something is wood, does not mean it is safe. In fact, most commercial available wood is unsafe for birds for this very reason.

Rinuletz, I think you're doing exactly the right thing in checking whether your balcony would be safe for your bird. My own Alexandrines live on an enclosed deck at the back of our house where temperatures can get up to 40ºC, even higher on the bad summer days. I can't do anything about that. It's Australia! (NB. It can be even hotter indoors!)

Probably the best plan is to try your bird on the balcony by spending a few hours there with her. That way, you'll be able to tell if it gets too hot or cold and can bring her inside again. If you allow her to fly free on the balcony, do make sure that you do it when you have time to watch her and be there with her, at least at first. You'd be very surprised what Alexandrines can do with their big bills!

The biggest worry is that she could accidentally swallow paint or varnish from furniture. Some paints are lethal to birds and you can't know what you've got unless you get your paint tested. Also, a bird can very quickly chew its way through window fixings and get out. So, really, it's not a great idea to let your girl out on the balcony *unless* you're going to be with her all the time.

Having said that, though, it's fun to make a play area for birds where they can have the freedom to fly and play. You could get some safe branches (safe timbers are listed somewhere here on the site - can someone help please?) and make a perch for her to sit on and then hang swings and other toys for her to enjoy.

You will have great fun with your Alexandrine! They're very clever birds and very loving too. You don't say what your bird's name is. Mine are Barney and Madge. They send a cheery Australian 'G'day' to their new friend in Romania.

wrench13 said:

Too cold !

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it is normal Celscius, not your kind of measurements (in Fahrenheit it would translate to 68)

Hi everyone. I am from Macedonia and i need help. My little alexandrine parrot is sneezing a lot and he has a runny nose. He is 2 and a half months old. In our country we don't have a avian certified vet. What can i do?

Birdoo said:

Hi everyone. I am from Macedonia and i need help. My little alexandrine parrot is sneezing a lot and he has a runny nose. He is 2 and a half months old. In our country we don't have a avian certified vet. What can i do?

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Hi Birdoo...Could you please make your own post in either the Alexandrine folder or the General Health folder, so we aren't hi-jacking this person's thread, and so that others can see your post right away and add their help? No one is going to see your question unless they read this person's post...Just make the title something like "My Alexandrine Is Sick", and then put your message with the specifics in the message box...As soon as your new post appears in either of those forums we'll be right there to help you out in any way we can...

I would love if I had an enclosed balcony to use as a bird room! I know nothing about seasonal changes in Romania, but I would imagine like in most areas of the world there will be times of year it is either too hot or too cold for your bird, but the current temperature seems fine. I live in the US, so we measure temperatures in Fahrenheit, so I’ll let those with a better understanding of Celsius weigh in on a safe temperature range for parrots on that scale.

Personally, I would have your birds main cage set up in your climate controlled home and use the balcony as an area for supervised seasonal use. We do that with our covered (but not enclosed) balcony in the warmer months- have a cage out there so our bird can enjoy the fresh air. Being enclosed, you’d have the option for some kind of free standing play stand/large java tree stand type arrangement or you could have a second cage out there and be able to open the windows safely so your bird gets fresh air. If you’re going to do a windows closed free flying area, you might consider powder coated iron or the newer and more affordable cast aluminum outdoor furniture as more bird friendly furnishings options over traditional wood that can be dangerous due to paint and stains. They have sofas, chairs, dining sets.... Not sure about what is available in your country, but this is the kind of outdoor furniture I’m referring to and I can’t imagine something similar wouldn’t be available in Europe:

https://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Cla...niture+metal&qid=1554483055&s=gateway&sr=8-12