Immediate advice needed!

[Farnoosh]

Hello! I live in British Columbia Canada and currently we are experiencing a heat wave. My pineapple green cheek is NOT handling it well, but she will not drink water for whatever reason, and she is afraid of spray bottles so I cannot spray with water ? I already tried and now she's afraid of me!!! She also won't take baths more than once a day but it is so hot here that I myself have to take several cold showers in one day. Please help if you have any advice, I'm worried about her health as she is quite fragile and has had serious digestive issues recently. At first I assumed that as a tropical bird she should know what to do and I provided her access to water in her surroundings, but she just sits there with her beak open and her body is HOT! Thank you for any suggestions you have for us.

 

[Scott]

You definitely want to avoid overheating Daisy, and her instincts may not be the same as a parrot raised in the wild. Can you use a spray bottle from greater distance, making narrower stream and shooting at an arc? Perhaps from below, aiming upward? Might make a mess but will quickly evaporate. Do you have small "freezer packs" designed for picnic baskets? Freeze and place around her cage if possible, avoiding direct contact with her beak as the fluid may be harmful. Alternatively, use ice-cubes and pack in plastic bags around her cage - it should lower the temp a bit. Misting fans are available to disperse fine droplets that lower temperature. This would work well provided you don't aim it at her at high velocity and your humidity level is low.

At some point you may have to take drastic actions with water or otherwise in a safe manner she may not like but will help save her life. Do you have local public "cooling areas" such as malls that allow birds in carriers? I realize Covid restrictions make this more difficult.

 

[Inger]

I?m out of the country and missing the PNW heat wave, but my BFF has Bumble and her own 4 birds. They?re blowing a fan across a block of ice to help keep the fids cooler.


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[fiddlejen]

-Can you try placing some veggie such as romaine lettuce in the cage, get it nice and wet first.

-You might order a super-fine-mist sprayer. (I know, this will not help Today.) This is what I use, and my spoiled conure will not accept a shower any other way, and this has spoiled my budgies as well.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WTV4D2J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
So, they will not accept showers from a regular-mist sprayer. This one, sprayed into the air above the cage, basically they get wetness without any feeling of "droplets."

- Likewise my spoiled birdies think the water droplets in the shower are Too Large - BUT they like the humidity. If I bring them in, they will sit on their perches in the shower -- as long as it doesn't hit them -- and enjoy the humitidity. Perhaps you could try something similar? Run a Cold Shower and bring your bird into the bathroom. Close enough to the water that it might help, but, Not Under Nor In the direct spray. You could bring her in, inside her cage. (That is how I started mine originally.)

 

[SailBoat]

Greatest error Humans make is aiming sprayers at their Parrots!

Get a fine mister and mist into the air about your parrot allowing it to fall gently on them.

Never Spray or Mist Directly At Your Parrot!

Ice cubes in their water bowls and try not to hover as they will void drinking if they think you are watching.

 

[wrench13]

We have to hide the nozzle in my hand when I spray/mist Salty, and that works for him. The water just seems to magically appear from my hand. You can try some small ice chips , he likes those too when its really hot. I also put a treat in small ice cubes and he like to gnaw the treat out.

 

[Laurasea]

There could be a health issue, and not just heat. Get a kitchen digital scale, and weigh daily for a while. Decline in weight or more than 3% body mass lost, seek veterinarian care.
Feeding some fruits can increase water, like apples, watermelon ect. But do not over feed fruit or will cause overgrowth of yeast. And diohera. If your bird has a problem with poop already it needs sorting with an avsin veterinarian. Yeast overgrowth, or bacterial infection can be a common problem, and need treatment

I rarely observe my parrots drinking BTW

 

[noodles123]

Hello! I live in British Columbia Canada and currently we are experiencing a heat wave. My pineapple green cheek is NOT handling it well, but she will not drink water for whatever reason, and she is afraid of spray bottles so I cannot spray with water ? I already tried and now she's afraid of me!!! She also won't take baths more than once a day but it is so hot here that I myself have to take several cold showers in one day. Please help if you have any advice, I'm worried about her health as she is quite fragile and has had serious digestive issues recently. At first I assumed that as a tropical bird she should know what to do and I provided her access to water in her surroundings, but she just sits there with her beak open and her body is HOT! Thank you for any suggestions you have for us.

They shouldn't be in temps above 80 and it takes them a period of a number of days to adjust to shifts of 10 degrees or more for prolonged periods. Can you turn on the AC or possibly get a window unit? You don't want air blowing directly on her, but what you are describing is not good....Do you have a basement that is cooler? or any room?

 

[Farnoosh]

Thank you so much everyone for your replies and all the advice given. It was a highly stressful situation as I almost lost Daisy in the heatwave over the weekend. She was about to go into a coma. What I did was call her Dr. and she advised me to give her sugar water with salt. And then because I was panicking I just took her and put her under running water. Probably wasn't a logical thing to do and it was just a reaction, but it turned out that I saved her life. Half an hour later she started going back to normal. But I have to keep an eye on her for two days when we had the heat waves because it was so hot in my apartment and I don't have air conditioning. So many lessons learned!

 

[Littleredbeak]

I mist myself infront of mine and then I mist them! This process seems to help! Also a fan may help as well pointed near them so they are in constant moving air or the can step I. And out of the air. Ice cubes maybe in an empty dish ? Or hanging on the fruit and veggie skewer maybe helpful. Wishing you and your bird well

 

[Scott]

Thank you so much everyone for your replies and all the advice given. It was a highly stressful situation as I almost lost Daisy in the heatwave over the weekend. She was about to go into a coma. What I did was call her Dr. and she advised me to give her sugar water with salt. And then because I was panicking I just took her and put her under running water. Probably wasn't a logical thing to do and it was just a reaction, but it turned out that I saved her life. Half an hour later she started going back to normal. But I have to keep an eye on her for two days when we had the heat waves because it was so hot in my apartment and I don't have air conditioning. So many lessons learned!

Great instincts on your part and advice from vet. Sometimes preservation of life requires emergency measures to immediately lower body temperature and replace lost electrolytes. I hope your temperatures begin to normalize so Daisy remains out of danger.