1st day of being bird owner , have question.

Hello everyone.
Last forum I joined was 10 years ago. LA sugar Daddies looking for girls. The 2 forums have nothing in common haha.
Anyways, my son is huge animal lover . Just returned from Mexico where he was introduced to parakeets, loved them . So when we returned last week he went with my ex for a few days so I got a wild hair and decided for his 13th birthday I'd build him this aviary. When I began the project 3 days ago I knew absolutely zero about birds or aviaries. But said ***k it.
Showed it to him and his friends today at his party at my house and was a huge success. We sneaked away and bought ten parakeets. The aviary is 15 feet by 15 feet by 8 5 feet tall.
I live on the ocean in Los Angeles, Palos Verdes. I have no clue how to properly heat my new buddies. I have r 2 clamp lamps resting on wire mesh suppoerted to 2 2x4's. So 2 inches from top of cage. Is this adequate. Is a traditional heat lamp standing ok if its 10 feet from cage regarding the gas it omits. Will they sleep in a somewhat covered structure in the corner or will they just prefer the high corner pearch
I have both clamp lamps next to eachother sgoukd they be seperate. .
Thanks in advance.
Heres vjdeo of my 1st aviary. Let me know if im making any major mistakes.

[ame="https://youtu.be/JuMybT-VRX8"]anthonys parakeet present - YouTube[/ame]

I like the radiant heat panal called tge sweeter heater, you can find on Amazon

Hello and welcome! Looks good! I suggest adding a second door/cubical to prevent escapes! Those little ones will learn that door in no time!

Welcome and be welcomed. The second door is an excellent suggestion, otherwise the 'keets could bum's rush the door when someone opens it to get in or out. They are smart enough to figure that out for themselves.

Welcome, what a stunning aviary! Looks very nice, though I'd echo the constructive comments about a secondary door to prevent escape.

I am not familiar with parakeets, but larger parrots can be safely housed outdoors along the SoCal coastal strip. Best to acclimate them before winter and provide supplemental heat for the coldest nights. I'd be careful with propane or other gas heaters as birds are extremely sensitive to toxic odors. Some sort of radiant electric device seems best.

NewBirdDude said:

Is this adequate. Is a traditional heat lamp standing ok if its 10 feet from cage regarding the gas it omits.
anthonys parakeet present - YouTube

Click to expand...

Birdies can ben sensitive and even can get killed by all sorts of fumes, even when our human bodies do not react. They cannot really smell them any better than we can -- but they will get sick or die much sooner. There is a phrase, "CAnary In A Coal Mine." Have you heard it? It is because miners used to take small birds in cages with them in the mines. The birds would get sick or die from bad air long before the miners were affected, and this would give the miners time to get out.

So, I don't really know anything about heat lamps but you mention some gas it emits. Id really recommend using electric instead, if possible. Otherwise I think you will need to do some testing of airflow to be confident the gas cannot get to them. It is important to do so as birds can easily die from any sort of bad air.

If you bring any of the 'keets inside, make sure you do not cook with any teflon because that can kill them. Keep perfumes, febreezes, cigarettes, etc away from them. Likewise, you should not a grill or firepit, etc nearby where smoke could get to them.

REgarding the cage itself. From the video the wire spacing looked Possibly a little large for budgies? From the picture I am guessing 1" openings? If so, that is a size that a frighened budgie can possibly squeeze through, or, more likely injure itself getting stuck in the attempt. 1/2 inch spacing is better for budgies; 5/8" is okay.

Also at some point you might want to check into what the wire is made of. They will chew on the wires and over time some types of metals could do them some harm. (This is something I actually don't know a lot about myself, but it is more of a concern with a self-made aviary.)

All that said - it looks really nice! I think it will be a pleasant place for some budgies to live.