Cage Heater Setup

[HeyItsRaymond]

I don't use the heater in my house during the winter because I enjoy the cold. The only time I'll typically use it is if the interior drops to 45f or below.

I also live in the desert and it might be 40f at night and 80f during the day.

I began to fear that my birds might be too cold after I noticed many of them fluffed up and also huddling together in the nest.

So I set up this heater on a timer. It come on at night after the full spectrum and heat lamp turn off. Even during the day I might use it because the heat lamp doesn't seem to be doing a very good job.

It also has a safety feature where if it drops or gets too hot it turns itself off. Haven't had a problem with it dropping or getting too hot.

I also don't have it pointed directly at a perch or the birds. I have it lower so it provides an updraft of hot air that the birds can sit in on a particular perch if they want to warm up.

Been using it a few days now and they love it. They have been much more active and have even been bathing more often.

[Sally]

I agree, 40 and 45 is pretty cool for finches, so they probably appreciate some extra heat. I'm surprised the heat lamp wasn't enough. Years ago, I had my birds in an unheated garden shed, temps may go below freezing from time to time here, and all I had on them was a heat lamp on each cage. At that time, I used those red poultry heat bulbs in those hooded reflector lamps. The birds would huddle under the lamp if they were cold. This was fairly rudimentary, yet it worked for the one winter the birds were in that shed. Be careful that the heater is not too close to the artificial plants, they are probably flammable. Personally, I would be a bit more comfortable with the heater sitting on the floor, the heat will still rise to the cage.

You really do like it cold, I would be miserable at those temps!

[HeyItsRaymond]

Sally

I'm surprised the heat lamp wasn't enough.

I'm surprised it wasn't either. But I checked it by putting my hand on the closest perch to it and it doesn't seem to be radiating that much heat.

Or the interior temps combined with the large size of the cage (height wise) prevent it from adequately working.

I'm planning on researching some more and hopefully getting a good one that doesn't put out light so I can use it whenever I need to. Even at night.

Be careful that the heater is not too close to the artificial plants, they are probably flammable.

I was worried about that also. But I checked and it barely even heats up the plants. It's a very low power heater so the elements don't get red hot like you'd expect.

You really do like it cold, I would be miserable at those temps!

I really do. Even since I was a child I preferred the cold. But I don't like snow or freezing cold. More like San Francis cold since that's where I'm originally from. I'm miserable here during the Arizona summers.