Happy huts?

[smahoney]

I'm worried about keeping my little girl warm enough. We live in the canyon/coastal mountains. Our only real heat is a fireplace (efficient new model that heats entire room). Can anyone offer some tips? I bought a little Happy Hut form the pet store, but not sure how to introduce?

Also, how concerned should I be about our fireplace smoke? It's a self enclosed model (think pot belly stove sealed) but some small traces of smoke will come out. Our living room and kitchen are connected (about 800 square feet). The living/family room is the best place for her because it's where we all hang out and where she would get attention.

;-)

 

[thermodynamic]

I'm worried about keeping my little girl warm enough. We live in the canyon/coastal mountains. Our only real heat is a fireplace (efficient new model that heats entire room). Can anyone offer some tips? I bought a little Happy Hut form the pet store, but not sure how to introduce?

Also, how concerned should I be about our fireplace smoke? It's a self enclosed model (think pot belly stove sealed) but some small traces of smoke will come out. Our living room and kitchen are connected (about 800 square feet). The living/family room is the best place for her because it's where we all hang out and where she would get attention.

;-)

I'd buy a hut and place it in the view of the parrot. Over a couple of days, slowly move it closer. Let the parrot see it with detail... eventually you can put it in the bird's cage and the bird won't be afraid.

What colors are your parrot fond of? Or scared of? My GCCs hate bright red, yellow, and brown, so I avoid those colors for something as large as a hut. All of mine are green and seem comfy, so I'd get green. My blue crown handles brown, though...

Try to find a hut made out of cotton. No poly____ blends as they're oil-based. They're probably harmless, but cotton (IMHO) is the best stuff to get.

As with humans, smoke (carbon monoxide in particular) is going to be deadly. Ventilation and unobstructed air flow is a must. Keep the chimney clean, and the parrot's cage as far away as possible.

Ditto for the kitchen area, if you use anything nonstick. Teflon heated to a certain temperature will emit fumes that kill birds (so it can't be good for humans...) It's also why I won't use laser printers - the fuser's coating is made of teflon to let the paper slip through...

For the record, sadly, coal miners used to put canaries in mines to test for safe air... they knew it was safe if the bird could still chirp after a while. Granted, if the bird died, nobody went in (apart from the daring one who wanted cheap pillow fodder). Thankfully, with technology, one needn't use birds as guinea pigs anymore...

 

[Peeko]

Peeko didn't like his happy hut at first - I think it scared him. After a few days, he'd touch it with his beak and try to preen it. A week later, he climbs all over it but still wont go inside for more than a few seconds. I've found that when he does go inside of it, he tries to back out. I put two perches in front of each end of it and now he'll run through it to the other perch, but he still hasn't spent a whole lot of time in it. It may take awhile

 

[ConureCrazy]

This is what I did. The first night, I placed the happy hut on top of the cage. The next night, in the cage. The first night hey were still a bit scared of it, so I put some of their favorite treats inside it (nutria berries) and they hopped right in and got right at home.
Good Luck! =)

 

[smahoney]

i did not realize they could be afraid of things like that (or toys/etc). So the answer is really to let them get used to things slowly.

 

[MikeyTN]

Again! Be warned about the dangers of happy hut! Members in here have had birds hang themselves to death or lose a toe because of it. The loose strings is the cause of it. You might as well just wrap the cage with a blanket.