FINCHforum

I got a 50w red IR lamp from PetSmart. Well, you can see the red glow, just like when the bigger lamps are used to heat meat in a restarurant. I hope it won't keep him from sleeping.

I put a finch in my "hospital" cage, and in a while he was under the lamp. So you guys were right, they know to go to the heat, to save body energy keeping warm. My thermometer shows about 94F in one part of the cage under the lamp. I would presume that the bird will move to a different part of the cage if it wanted less heat.

He seemed rather listless in the community cage, so I pulled him. This way he can recover on his own w/o commotion and competition for food. He just can't bath in the small hospital cage.

How do you guys give the NV powder. I can't find a small enough glass dish. I read that I should not use a plastic water dish because the water would warm up too fast.

He will sleep fine,he will move away when he gets to hot or closer when cold.
Do you have any small ash tray from your smoking days or small saucers good luck hope he starts feeling better soon

I use one of those lamps on my hospital cage. I also use one at school in my classroom on my shaftails in the winter. It will not keep them awake. It serves as a nice little night light. What kind of finch is it? I put the lamp near my shaftails nest they sleep in and it works great.

I also mix the nv powder and put it into their regular little dishes that came with the cage. They are plastic and I have no problems. I change it two or three times a day. Just mix a quart or so and keep in the the refrigerator.

It is a zebra finch, which is all I have...so far

This is what I have in there for food and water
http://www.fairestfinches.com/catalog/i ... 403018.htm

I never smoked so no ash trays in the house.
I'll just use the regular water tray, and maybe take a trip to the thrift store. They have all kinds of neat stuff that I can't find elsewhere, maybe I'll find a small shallow glass bowl/ash tray.

That water dish is fine.

Hope your little guy get to felling better soon. Put a millet spray in there too. I have found under the weather birds will always eat millet spray.
He should rest well withoput the commotion of the others. Will there be a big temperture change when you place him back in the other cage? To much of an adjustment too quick can cause a chill so be careful when putting him back.

CA
Under the IR lamp in the hospital cage is about 93F, and the community cage is maybe mid/high 60sF (temp in the family room).
When I move him back, I think what I'll do is turn off the IR lamp, and let the hospital cage cool down, then move him back to the community cage.

Although a dimmer is probably a better idea. So I can gradually lower the power going to the lamp, rather than turn it off.

CA
I was watching the bird.

During the day, it hops about the cage. When it sits on the perch, it is to the side of the heat lamp. So he is not at 90F during the day. I need to take the temp of the different parts of the hospital cage to see just what temp he is at.

Only at night does it sleep directly in front of the heat lamp.

Since he isn't under the heat lamp during the day, maybe he won't get chilled when I put him back in the community cage. But I think the dimmer might be a good idea anyway, to get him aclimated back to room temp w/o a heat lamp.

Oh BTW, the IR lamp at night seem VERY bright. Way brighter than the 7watt night lights.

Or possibly hook the lamp on the other cummunity cage.... that way he could still have acess to some heat if he wanted it.

CA
I have a 60w incandescent on the community cage right now. But it is on a timer to go off at "lights out." So there is no additional heat at night.

I think when I move him back, I will reconfigure to put the 50w heat lamp on the community cage, and let it run 24x7. Then as you said, he can sit by the lamp if he wants to be warmer at night. And according to my thermometer there is a significant difference in the night time ambient temp of the cage 60-65F and under the heat lamp at about 90-93F

Thats A good way give heat if they want I think some other birds will be setting by the heat also

Well the IR lamp in the community cage at night did not work.

It is almost 10pm and I heard them chasing one of the birds (he has a distinctive peep). The red light was too bright (enough for them to see and fly) and his white feathers look really different than the others under the red light.

So I turned it off for the night.
Have to figure out something else. Maybe I have to get that expensive IR heater element. The problem is the local stores only have the 150watt unit. All I want is the 50watt one, don't need the electric meter spinning any faster than it already is.