heat lamp advice please

[Phoenix811]

Hi, I currently have 2 finch birds, separately caged at an adjacent angle (they have matching prevue flight cages) 1 is an orange cheek waxbill I have had for 1 yr, the other is a redcheek cordon bleu -Ive had for about 6 months (both male) - last winter I used a space heater to heat the entire room. I know this can be a fire hazard, and would feel much more comfortable with a heat lamp that does not emit light/ for use over night.
can anyone recommend a good one for 2 finch birds that are indoors, there is regular heat on as well. I would like to place it behind where the 2 cages meet- Im not sure of the specifics of wattage and distance from cage's etc, I read on one of the Finch sites someone recommended 60 watts - although I couldn't find anywhere /except as a light source. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated! thank u

[Sally]

Phoenix811

I like the ceramic infrared heat lamps. They put out heat but no light, so they let the birds have their normal sleep at night. I would think a 60w bulb would work for 2 finches. If the cages are side-by-side, you could put one of these lamps over the adjoining ends, so each cage get some of the heat. You always want one end of the cage to be without the heat coming directly from a lamp, so the birds can get away from the heat if they want. Also, I would use a bulb holder with a ceramic socket, as these bulbs get quite hot.

https://www.amazon.com/Reptile-Heat-Lam ... dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Premium-Re ... ating+lamp

For more general heating, I love the heaters that look like radiators. There is no fan blowing air around, creating drafts, and they work very well. I like the ones that have digital controls, so you can set the temperature you want to maintain.

https://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-Therm ... a+radiator

I got mine at Lowe's in the past.

[Sally]

Phoenix811

Have you thought about putting your two finches in one cage? These two species should get along just fine, as neither one is an aggressive or pushy species. They'd probably become good buddies, and finches really prefer to have a companion.

[Phoenix811]

Sally first, I just want to thank u for your speedy response, and the links, u are always so very helpful (I was searching on amazon prior to my post/ u literally find the needle in the haystack!) yes- my ideal goal in getting the 2nd finch was to house them together, as I knew from the 'housing chart' they should be compatible, however, my cordon bleu was 'shipped' to me (Ive learned my lesson/after discovering this site) and he was very wild and very aggressive- and surprisingly almost twice the size of my orange cheek, and he would go after him during their free flight time out of the cages (which I am always present for) Just to give u some background I got my orange cheek from a pet store- after seeing him being pecked on repeatedly in an overcrowded cage of zebra finches- he was the only orange cheek, he was the runt, he had an injured leg (they were literally pecking on his foot and knocking him off the perch- it was horrible abuse) so I had to take him, and thus began my learning of finches- so, I don't want to put him in a situation where he is going to be in fear- they are interactive with the cages next to each other etc, my cordon bleu has calmed down quite a bit, Im aiming for January getting a really big cage and trying again...my orange cheek still has the injured leg, but he is doing much better, Im just not 100% comfortable leaving them alone together yet...trust me I will check back in with questions when I am going to house them! I don't make a move now without coming here first. They are both happy and healthy, chirp to each other, and mirror one another (they'll take baths at the same time, eat at the same time, so they are bonding- Im sure Im just being overprotective due their opposing backgrounds- as they say 'an ounce of prevention' lol) Thank u once again for your thoughtful replies

[Dave]

How cold is your room at night? I had some Red Cheek Cordon Bleu (a pair) that lived and bred in a room that got as cold as 45° F (7.2° C) at night.

I don't know how Orange Cheek finches react to a room at that temperature.

[Phoenix811]

Hi Dave I live in NY, its currently about 72-77' f at night, I have an apartment and they control the temp, the heat is not on yet (I had the ac on last week, very low) it hasn't gone below 77 in my room where they are, I keep the cages covered at night and also have a space heater...(I kept the room at about 82' f last winter- it was like a tropical island in here LOL ) Im not sure if I understand your post, 45 degrees Fahrenheit/ or Celsius which would be 113 degrees f? I didn't know they could live at those temps- I must be misunderstanding... either way, my cordon bleu has amazing genetics, whereas my orange cheek may have been the runt of the litter (they are like the old movie 'Twins', with Arnold S. and Danny DeVito haha
also, my concern is because they are caged singularly they do not have the body heat of another bird (yes, Ive tried housing them together and my orange cheek will not go in the cage if the cordon bleu is in it, however they can fly around and hang outside the cages just fine- the cordon bleu was aggressive and went after him in the beginning and the memory stuck....) so for now the heat lamp will have to do..

[Sally]

Phoenix811 I should have asked about the temperature of the room, I assumed it was unheated. In winter, I keep my house at 65 to 68 at night, and my birds (waxbills) do fine. Unless your temps go below 50 degrees F, you don't have to worry about your birds. Even without another bird to cuddle with, they should be fine at your temps, and you really don't need to keep them in the 80's. I still like to keep a ceramic bulb on hand in case of a sick finch, they make great heat lamps for illness.

[Phoenix811]

Hi Sally I guess I should have asked u that question first- I just assumed because the pet store was so hot and humid/ the windows are foggy when u drive by, my Orange cheek got sick last year in Nov the temperature went down to 67f (thats when I started using the space heater, had the room between 78-82 all winter- he seemed fine...but its not so great for us humans lol...ok well I ordered from the link, and I will just use the heat lamp if I notice they are not feeling well, Im glad I found out prior to another 'tropical winter in NY' thanks again