Please send snow!!!

Betrisher · Nov 20, 2015

We had our first hot day of summer today: 41ºC in the shade (that's over 105ºF). Whew!

Dommie was OK. He lives inside and gets the benefit of aircon. The poor Beaks and Lovies, however, live outdoors and they had to bear the awful heat right through the afternoon. I've been out a few times to mist them with the hose, but that doesn't help for long.

Does anyone use ice or any other creative methods for cooling their birds in the heat of summer? I used to freeze water in towel-wrapped containers for my mice and they would lie on it gratefully to escape the heat. The birds don't seem to get the principle though. It's awful watching them with all their feathers fluffed out and wings spread with their poor little tongues hanging out! If only I had room, I'd bring them inside, but then they'd have to go back out into the heat eventually anyway. Sigh. I hate summer!

Aquila · Nov 20, 2015

What about ice cubes in the water bowls? Or if you freeze some water in the bottom and top it off with water from the tap?

Maybe hang some damp towels around too, and a fan?

As long as they have ample shade, I'm sure they're fine! Birds are pretty good at regulating their own temperature by doing what you see, so I wouldn't be too worried.

Bundiibird · Nov 20, 2015

Trish, I use the frozen water bottle for Bundii. She took a couple of goes to understand that it is cool. I also put ice cubes in the water bowls.

Millie has not really been home to experience the hot summer as this will be her first summer with us.

What about bird friendly icy poles? Made with juice or some thing. Using a paddle pop stick they would have a chew toy after they had finished. Bundii loves a small amount of ice cream on a stick.

Betrisher · Nov 20, 2015

Yes, I do put ice cubes in the water dishes, but they last fully five minutes.

Amanda, you made me LOL about the icy poles. Last summer, Madge learned to fly down and dive-bomb the freezer when anyone opened the door. She knows the icy poles are kept in the door and she actually stole one and flew with it up to the top of the kitchen cupboards. There, she bit it in half and then wasted most of it by defending both halves from Barney (the icy pole melted, running purple juice all over my white cupboards). The Beaks just adore an icy pole so they get them quite often.

It's cooler now, thankfully. Hope it's not as hot again tomoz! :22_yikes:

JerseyWendy · Nov 20, 2015

Trish, I have a FAR better solution: How about you move in here during your summer months, and I move to your place during that time? I promise you'll get PLENTY of snow. And I simply LOVE the heat.

Birdman666 · Nov 20, 2015

We used misters.

Not sure what your water situation is like though.

The other thing is you can leave a little kiddie pool partially filled with water, as a giant bird bath, if you're talking about something like an outdoor flight cage. Not deep enough to drown them, but deep enough for them to go down and just sit in it and splash around if they get too hot.

A pie tin sized dish works if it's a smaller cage situation.

Doublete · Nov 20, 2015

JerseyWendy said:
Trish, I have a FAR better solution: How about you move in here during your summer months, and I move to your place during that time? I promise you'll get PLENTY of snow. And I simply LOVE the heat.

I volunteer for this solution as well! I hate winter desperately lol

Scott · Nov 20, 2015

Mark mentioned misters; they are commonplace at outdoor venues in terribly hot locales such as Las Vegas and Phoenix. For your purposes they need not be elaborate and cover large areas, and can be cycled on/off as desired.

Something like this can be attached to a hard point in your aviary and fed with a garden hose:

Good luck Trish, I hate the heat too!!

Birdman666 · Nov 20, 2015

Something as simple as this in the corner of the flight works. Set it up to spray into the flight. Ten bucks.

Cobra Mistand-10057W - The Home Depot

Dopey · Nov 20, 2015

Ah man, I threw mine out last year when cleaning the garage.

Minimaker · Nov 20, 2015

I wondered what those things were like exactly when I saw other people's outdoor aviaries. I never saw a close up of them, just the fine mist they put out. I'm taking notes too for when we build an outdoor aviary. My son should be moving some time in the next year and taking his dogs so I'll get my yard to build the aviary.

Birdman666 · Nov 20, 2015

Maggie and Lila are both really funny with the mister. They stick their faces in it just as close as they can go and get completely poofy... pure bliss. Maggie dances in the mist.

And SWEEPEA, as much of a water bird as she is, with a little kiddie pool that has a built in slide?! SQUEAL! (CLACKING NOISE ON PLASTIC FOLLOWED BY A LARGE SPLASH, SITTING IN THE POOL GOING POOFY) SQUEAL!

It gets pretty HOT around here all summer too. Not 105, but in the upper 90's low 100s.

Mine play in the tree, so when it's really hot, I just hang the mister from the tree branch. They come and stick their faces in it as they please, or in Tusk's case, run to the other side of the tree, away from "that thing that gets you wet..."

Dopey · Nov 20, 2015

That is so funny.

Birdman666 · Nov 20, 2015

You can actually buy hose attachments with mister settings, and they aren't that expensive. Then you just throw the hose over the branch and you're done.

gracebowen · Nov 20, 2015

Does it ever get cold there? When is winter for you. Right now in Texas it gets a bit cool overnight but we still have hot days. If you wear a jacket in the early am its hot by 10. Noon at the latest.

Birdman666 · Nov 20, 2015

gracebowen said:
Does it ever get cold there? When is winter for you. Right now in Texas it gets a bit cool overnight but we still have hot days. If you wear a jacket in the early am its hot by 10. Noon at the latest.

Seasons are reversed. Hot is cold, and cold is hot.

Please send snow!!!

Betrisher

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