Moving what do I do?

SamBeben

New member
May 8, 2019
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African Grey, Moustached Parakeet
Hey all!
So I’m about to graduate high school and move in with my soon-to-be husband. My parents keep their house at 80 F while my husband will want our home at at most 75 F. Is there something I should do so my green cheeked conure doesn’t go into shock? Will he even go into shock? I’m starting to cover his cage in a light, breathable sheet so when we get to the apartment he is used to that but I’m also worried he’ll overheat.
 

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
5 degrees isn't a big enough difference to cause shock- Its usually very sudden drops of 10 or more. You aren't covering during the day right?
 

Flboy

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Dec 28, 2014
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Hi! Is there a typo? You are worried about it being too warm, and the temperature will be lower!
FYI, I would freeze if I kept the temp 75 during the day! I drop it to 75/74 during the night, and 79 during the day! As we get into the steady 97 days, I adjust accordingly!
 

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Hi! Is there a typo? You are worried about it being too warm, and the temperature will be lower!
FYI, I would freeze if I kept the temp 75 during the day! I drop it to 75/74 during the night, and 79 during the day! As we get into the steady 97 days, I adjust accordingly!

I wondered this too about a possible typo. Either way, a drop or increase of 5 degrees F shouldn't make a big difference.
OP-Just keep your bird away from drafts/ AC vents.
The upper level heat tolerance for birds will vary by species, as will the lower thresholds for cold tolerance (Umbrella cockatoos upper level temp is 80 something according to what I have read). That having been said, while some species can deal with cold or hot weather better than others, all struggle with abrupt shifts of 10 degrees +. So, long term, your bird will adjust to its environment as long as it isn't too hot or too cold. Let's say you wanted to start keeping your house at 68 F or something, then you would want to gradually start dropping the temperature over multiple days (not just crank the thermostat to 68 all at once).
 

SailBoat

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Jul 10, 2015
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We live in the Great White North where 70 degrees is considered a very reasonable indoor Winter temperature. Even that is consider warm by some individuals we know. Summer time, we target AC at 76 degrees when the outside temperature warrant its use. We normally use AC between three and six weeks during a normal Summer. If one adjusts window coverings and having them open at night we can pull a couple weeks off of that.

As covered by others, rate of temperature change is the most important consideration. Moving from 80 to 75 is a fairly easy adjustment. If you are concerned, have the shift occur over several weeks. This will allow your Parrot to add a few downy feathers to adjust to the temperature difference.
 

itzjbean

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Jan 27, 2017
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80 degrees? F?? I would be sweating profusely!

Springtime in Iowa keeps is around 50-70 degrees outside depending on the weather right now... I open the windows when it's 65 degrees and otherwise keep the house at 67-69 degrees year round.
 

Scott

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Aug 21, 2010
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Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Welcome and congratulations! I believe the stated temperatures will be least of your concerns!
 

Scott

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Aug 21, 2010
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Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
80 degrees? F?? I would be sweating profusely!

Springtime in Iowa keeps is around 50-70 degrees outside depending on the weather right now... I open the windows when it's 65 degrees and otherwise keep the house at 67-69 degrees year round.

Me too, hate heat and especially humidity. Give me 60-65F (15-18C) all year long!!
 

EllenD

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Aug 20, 2016
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Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
I don't know how anyone could keep their home at 80 degrees F during the summer, but as already well-covered by members above, a 5-degree variation in ambient-temperature isn't going to cause your Green Cheek any issues at all, though as Noodles mentioned you CANNOT put your Green Cheek's cage or any play-stands, floor/tabletop perches etc. near any AC units, Fans, air-vents that are in the apartment floors, walls, ceilings, etc...And make sure that his cage is not anywhere close enough to a window that he can feel the sunlight or the heat from the sunlight, because many, many pet birds have died of Heat-Exhaustion/Heat-Stroke due to their cages being close enough to windows that the heat from the sunlight coming-in has literally cooked them. It's fine to put their cages somewhere adjacent to a window if they like to look outside during the day while no one is home, but you just have to make sure that the rays from the sun cannot actually cause your bird or your bird's cage to feel the heat...

And just as an FYI that needs to be said, only because I've heard many Bird owners and Reptile and/or Amphibian owners mention that they do this during the summer months when the sunlight is bright and regularly shines through the windows of their homes...UVB light-rays CANNOT AND DO NOT PENETRATE THROUGH ANY TYPE OF GLASS OR CLEAR-PLASTIC!!! All types of glass, clear-plastic, plexi-glass, etc. BLOCK 100% OF ALL UVB LIGHT-RAYS FROM BOTH NATURAL SUNLIGHT AND FROM ARTIFICIAL UVB BULBS/LIGHT-TUBES THAT YOU BUY FOR YOUR PET REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS! I've heard many, many bird/parrot owners make statements such as "I like to put my bird's cage in front of the windows in the house so that they can get the benefits of natural-sunlight without having to go outside"...And unfortunately most people aren't aware that 100% of the UVB light emitted by the Sun and any artificial UVB lights is blocked completely by the window-glass, so there is absolutely NO BENEFIT AT ALL to putting your bird, reptile, amphibian, or any other living creature in front of a window so they can "get some sunlight" (in-terms of the health-benefits of natural-sunlight or UVB light from an artificial UVB light), because the beneficial light-rays from the Sun are the UVB light-rays, and they cannot at all penetrate through any type of glass, plexi-glass, clear-plastic covers/lids, etc...In addition, UVB-LIGHT ALSO CANNOT PENETRATE THROUGH MESH OR SCREEN, SUCH AS THE TYPE THAT PEOPLE HAVE IN THEIR SCREEN-DOORS, OR THAT THEIR WINDOW-SCREENS ARE MADE OF!!! So opening up the window glass to allow the sunlight to come through the window-screens for your bird, reptile, etc. will also NOT provide them with any UVB-light unfortunately (UNLESS the holes in the mesh/screen are very large, which most window-screens, storm-door screens, screen-lids that go over tanks/vivariums, AS WELL AS MOST MESH/SCREEN THAT IS USED AROUND SCREENED-IN PORCHES AND SUN-PORCHES/SUN-ROOMS. Obviously the mesh/screening that is used in window-screens, door-screens, and around screened-in porches, patios, sun-rooms, etc.typically has extremely small holes in it because that's the only way to keep out the insects, spiders, and other critters, and having mesh/screening with large enough holes to allow UVB-light to pass through it would also allow all kinds of insects, spiders, etc. right into your home or your Screened-in Porches or Sun-Rooms...So the point is that it's not AT ALL worth risking heat-exhaustion/heat-stroke by putting your bird's, reptiles, etc. cages or stands close to windows or on screened-in porches because you want them to be able to absorb natural sunlight, because they aren't absorbing ANY BENEFICIAL SUNLIGHT AT ALL if they are behind glass, plexi-glass, clear-plastic, or mesh/screen.

(I think it was just last-year we had a member who lost both of his Lovebirds because he would keep their cage out on his balcony so they could "get natural sunlight", and his balcony was screened-in with the same fine-mesh that many, many balconies, decks, porches, etc. are screened-in with, which blocks 100% of the UVB-light from the sun anyway...And both of his Lovebirds died of heat-stroke, and for no reason at all...So this is just an FYI, if it can educate even 1 person and change what they've been doing with their birds and save just 1 bird life, then it's worth posting it)...

****To the OP...As Noodles already mentioned above/asked you, my main concern regarding your post is in-regard to what you said about "putting a light-sheet over your bird's cage", and "getting him used to being covered"...You are talking about covering your bird's cage with a "light-sheet" ONLY during nighttime while he's sleeping, correct? Because you should NEVER, EVER, EVER cover your bird's cage during the daytime with anything, just as an FYI. A lot of bird-owners mistakenly (and unknowingly/accidentally, just because they don't know any better) cover their bird's cages with something during the daytime-hours when they aren't at home, or at times they want them to be quiet and not bother them or their spouses (maybe because they work from home, etc.), or for whatever the reason, it doesn't matter, it's extremely cruel to a bird to keep them covered during the daytime-hours, and not only is it cruel and unfair to the bird, it's also extremely unhealthy for them physically, psychologically, and behaviorally in-regards to their sex-hormones...
 

bigfellasdad

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Sep 21, 2017
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Enzo - adopted Female CAG circa 2004. A truly amazing young lady!
OMG, 75degF is nearly 24degC, i keep my house at 20degC, any more and im uncomfortable and open all the house windows.


May I suggest you eat larger meals ;)
 

EllenD

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Aug 20, 2016
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Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
Again, to the OP, just want to make sure you are not planning on covering your bird's cage with a sheet or anything else at any time during the daytime...This is a big deal and your bird's cage should only ever be covered at bedtime and then over the night while he/she is sleeping, and then it needs to come off right away in the morning and not go back on at all until bedtime again the next night...

***Just so you realize there are other more serious, clinical reasons for this besides it being cruel and unfair to a bird to cover them up during the daytime, but also because birds should be on a "Natural-Light Schedule", which simply means the same daytime/nighttime schedule that they follow naturally in the wild, just like we see ALL BIRDS following...Simply, they wake-up in the morning with the Sunrise and then they go to sleep in the evening with the Sunset, regardless of the time of day that those events happen (depending on where in the world they live). The only birds who don't follow a Natural-Light Schedule are birds who are nocturnal, such as Owls. This ensures that they are getting the required minimum of 12-hours of sleep every single night to stay physically healthy, but it also does something else that is very important, and something that you will be very sorry about causing if you cover your bird's cage with anything during the daytime, and that's causing their sex-hormones to go out of control constantly, and for a female bird that will cause constant, chronic infertile-egg laying, which can and usually will kill them if it continues, and can cause severe aggression, violence, and constant regurgitation and masturbation in male and female birds.

I don't know why you would want to cover your bird's cage with anything at all, sheet or otherwise, during the daytime hours, I don't know that this is what you meant, and if it's not then great, this can sit here for others to read and learn from, because plenty of people have come here stating that they've been covering-up their bird's cages with sheets, blankets, towels, bird-cage covers, etc. during the daytime-hours for months to years for a number of reasons, from trying to "shut them up" because they scream and cry all day long (which is due to some other, unrelated issue that their owner's are not addressing and usually mistakes they are making), to trying to "give them a nap", which is totally unnecessary and harmful, to just being cruel and abusive to their birds and wanting to "punish them" by throwing them inside of their cages every time they do something wrong and then covering them up for hour afterwards...We've heard it all here...Also, some people actually cover their bird's cages any time someone comes over to their houses to visit, so that the bird's aren't a pain while they are there, or so their birds don't get upset about the visitors being there, etc....Again, we've heard it all...But regardless of the reason, it is cruel, unfair, unhealthy and will cause severe and harmful hormonal-behavior, and usually results in exactly the opposite result that people are trying to accomplish...

Just wanted to make sure that you are fully aware of the very serious and important reasons why you cannot cover your bird's cage with anything during daytime hours...If that's not what you meant by saying "I want to get him used to being covered-up...So I started covering him with a sheet" (to paraphrase) and you were speaking about covering his cage only at bedtime and throughout the night, and then you take the cover off first thing in the morning and leave it off all day long until it's again bedtime at/after sunset, then disregard our remarks...
 

bill_e

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Dec 24, 2015
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64F is warm in my house when the heat is on. Summer temps are whatever the house is heated to by the day's sun.

We had a similar discussion over the winter. Birds can handle and thrive in a range of temperatures, it's the sudden chills that we need to avoid.
 

clark_conure

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Jul 14, 2017
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A crossover Quaker Scuti (F), A Sun conure named AC, A Cinnamon Green Cheek conure Kent, and 6 budgies, Scuti Jr. (f), yellow (m), clark Jr. (m), Dot (f), Zebra(f), Machine (m).
This is a non issue.....forget about your worries....they wear feathers. My conures have had bigger swings and they don't seem to care at all.
 

charmedbyekkie

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May 24, 2018
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Cairo the Ekkie!
This is a non issue.....forget about your worries....they wear feathers. My conures have had bigger swings and they don't seem to care at all.

Mm, I might add - I live in a country where daily outside weather is typically 26-31 Celsius (real feel can be 40 C), so that's a range of 78 to 104 Fahrenheit. We go flying in mornings when it's around 80 Fahrenheit (would be my guess), then immediately come home to an aircon-ed home that's kept around 18-24 C (65-75 Fahrenheit). Cairo self-regulates pretty well. He fluffs up in aircon (whether indoors or in a car), and he slims down outside.

If it's a factor at all, Singaporean indoor humidity tends to be 70-80% if you don't use your aircon.
 

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