Winterizing

[jebediah]

Hey guys. Newbie question here.

I have a few questions on getting my zebra finches ready for the winter. They're inside, and currently in the sunroom, but since it's starting to get in the 30's around here, I'm a little worried about them keeping warm. We live in an older house and it can get a little drafty. I already have a full spectrum light for them (still need to find a good day/night timer if anyone knows of one), and want to get a heat source for them.

I already read the following pages:
http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/lighti ... midity.php
http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/heating_systems.php

Does anyone have a brand they prefer? How should it be set up? Does it need to be right up against the cage, or should it be a few inches away? Would it better to put it near their nests or place it elsewhere?

Any help would be appreciated.

[finchmix22]

jebediah
Welcome to the forum!

I recommend the cage be up against a wall. If your sunroom is all outside walls, that may not help much. In winter, I clip bath towels to the sides of the cage and drap one over the front to keep out drafts. Also, a heat lamp sits over the nest/perch and another day light bulb is over the rest of the cage. That seems to work for our drafty and colder seasons. If the sunroom is not in use by the rest of the household, you could put an electric heat lamp stand in the room, next to the cage. I use one in my bird room in winter. It has three levels of heat and the heat fills a 9x10 foot bird room.

[KarenB]

I read the name of the post, and I'm all, "Winter? What's that?" I come from the land of very little winter. We might get two weeks of real cold weather in January, but other than that.........

Sorry, no help here, but stay warm!

[jebediah]

The birds are actually going to be moved into a spare room when it gets colder on a regular basis (i should've mentioned that), but it has 2 outside walls so it'll be colder. But I think I will use the bath towel trick and place the heater above the nest.

Do you have a brand of heater you recommend?

KarenB: This is early for us! We had an extremely mild summer though so we're expecting it to be a harsh winter. We already turned our furnace on...

[ApricotMuffins]

http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-11893-Digit ... B0012GTRSW

This is the timer I use in my bird room. It is such a time saver. Unlike my birds, I am not up at the crack of dawn, and sometimes there isn't anyone home to put on their moon light/night light if classes or work run extra late. Personally, I haven't had any problems with mine, however, the reviews for it are mixed, so you might want to look at similar alternatives.