How hot is too hot? Sudden change?

[dawnkyung]

We live in South Florida - and it's really hot and muggy most days this time of year. I would like to have Banner get some sun every day after work, but it always seems like such an extreme temperature change to go from inside (77 degrees) to out in the back yard (90 degrees +). Is this bad for him? I know sudden changes are no good, but what's the best way to resolve this, or is it no big deal?

I brought him out today at lunchtime after giving him a shower, figuring that since he was wet he'd probably welcome the heat - but what about if he's dry? Then do I need to worry about bringing him inside to the much cooler air conditioned house?

 

[WharfRat]

Make sure he's in the shade and a fan would be nice too A lot of birds in outdoor aviaries in Tx. and believe me, it gets hot here. Here right now it's 98 with a heat index of 103

 

[lizardsmells]

I bring Kazi outside with me all the time. Our house is kept at 68 and it's about 90 outside most days this time of year here. No ill effects. I don't keep him out more than 10 or 15 minutes and coincidentally that's about as long as the dogs can stand it too.

 

[henpecked]

My pets live inside here in Fla. also, they get outside time most days. Middle of the days is probably not the best time ,unless they have some shade . My avaiary zons have both shade and a fan. Keep an eye on him when out in the full sun, if he starts to "pant" (like a dog) he's too hot , bring him in right away. I don't have a problem with my birds coming in from outside,my house stays at about 75 F. I'd rather have them dry outside than indoors after a bath. Using the travel cage,for outside time, is a great way to accustom them to it.

 

[WharfRat]

My electric bill would double @ 68......we keep ours at 77-78. I don't think W.Virginia gets as hot as Tx or Fl as a general rule, especially with the heat indexes we get.
(Yes I've spent 6 mos. in Fl once)

 

[lokiNotis]

Here in WV it has been pretty hot and humid this year. Some days upper 90's to 100 and terribly humid. But definitely no where near as hot as TX or FL I'm sure. We keep our thermostat about 72.

 

[Mare Miller]

Today, here in central Cal, at my house, it's 108 degrees. My digital on the deck is reading 117.5 degrees! Serious heat! Amigo lets me know when he is ready for the comfort of the cool house, he comes a knockin'! He's normally good out there till the low hundreds. Even in that kind of heat, I'll see him hunker down in the shade and take a nap. Always make sure your bird has lots of water available.

 

[lizardsmells]

My husband and I are delicate flowers that wilt if it gets above 70 in the house. I blame my mom and growing up in GA. She kept the house at 68 too. But yeah, it does make for large electric bills! but since we're running a whole farm of computers here anyway, it doesn't matter much in the long run. but it's definitely cheaper to do it in WV than it ever was in GA! Normally the heat and humidity up here aren't this bad.

Henpecked, I do the same thing - I put Kazi out in his travel cage to dry off after his bath. I put water out for him and check on him every few minutes to make sure he's not getting too hot. He's usually not patient enough to stay out the whole time it takes to get him dry and he start calling for me, very loudly. We're fairly far apart from our neighbors, but I know they can hear him. I'm waiting for a knock on my door one day asking weird questions

 

[dawnkyung]

Thanks for the replies! I'll make sure he has plenty of water available to him when he's outside and that he's in the shade if it's really hot out. I usually try to position the cage so that there's sunlight if he wants it and can also move out of the sun if he's too warm. I do worry about the travel cage getting too hot as it's aluminum - once it heats up, it's really too hot for even me to touch!

 

[Mayden]

When Merlin goes outside in his travel cage, (granted... we're in the UK with MUCH lower heat than you guys... but the points still stand!), I ALWAYS:

Cover half the cage to ensure he has shade if he wants it. (also means the bars stay cool under the jacket/blanket.)
Give him both his water bottle (so he cannot bathe in it) and a water dish (for bathing!)
I check on him every 10-15 mins to make sure he's not stood there with his wings away from his body and panting etc. (Signs of over heating)

I think just using some common sense goes a long way.