Acclimating to outside

tursiopschic · Post by **tursiopschic** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:17 pm

I just bought a bigger flight cage for my birds and wanted to try having it outside on the balcony of my apartment. I live in San Diego so its pretty temperate, but do you have any suggestions for acclimating them? I'm concerned about the wind and the nights when they are used to being indoors.

Thank you for any help in advance.

~olivia

Crystal · Post by **Crystal** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:09 pm

It is best to try to do it gradually (a few hours each day when it's not too hot or cold out, then a few more, etc.). However, this is not super practical, especially if the outdoor cage you have cannot be rolled indoors, etc. What I did for my birds was monitor weather.com to find a time when it wasn't expected to be too hot (too cold is not a problem right now) and when it wasn't going to be storming. I put my birds out at night one night when there was just enough light for them to find perches to roost, and they have been outdoors since with no problems. The temperatures here are as low as 65 at night and as high as 97 during the day--but when I put them out they were ranging between 78 and 92.

As for wind, you can try to provide cover with potted plants placed around the cage, or even "curtains" in some strategic locations.

Good luck!

tursiopschic · Post by **tursiopschic** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:40 pm

Thank you. I will try and pick a warmer night for their first foray. I think I'm going to build a flight cage stand and incorporate panels or curtains for the wind issue.

Do you have heat lamps for yours outside?

Crystal · Post by **Crystal** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 6:20 pm

I do not because I do not have an outdoor outlet, but if I did have an outlet, I would install heating for the winter. Because I do not have any ability to install heating, I plan to pull the birds indoors when it starts getting cold.

Before I moved here, I had an outdoor aviary with outdoor electrical access. I used ceramic heat bulbs in special reflectors for heating and it worked out well.

tursiopschic · Post by **tursiopschic** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:23 am

Update, they are doing just fine. It looks like they are eating more though to keep warm. I may add a heating element.

btw I love your flight cage that you built Crystal. I may do something similar or just do a sturdier shelving unit that I can roll around.

Crystal · Post by **Crystal** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:38 pm

Thanks. I am actually wishing that I had given mine wheels; it is such a pain to move since it's so heavy (being filled with gravel)!

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:02 pm

I added casters to my flight and am oh so glad I did. I probaby could have done without them as the birdroom is so small the flight only fits in one spot, but if I need to get behind it for some reason all I have to do is roll one end out away from the wall.