Heat For Sick Birds

Heat – Sick birds need all of their body energies to fight disease. You can best help them by providing heat so they do not waste their own energy staying warm. Temperatures for sick birds should be 85 – 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat should be provided in a manner allowing the bird to move closer or farther away from the heat source in order to adjust the amount of heat it obtains. If the bird is too cold, it will continue to fluff its feathers. If the bird is too warm, it will begin to pant. Temperatures too warm can kill. Temperatures too cool drain energy from the bird.

Heating panels or bulbs designed for birdcages can be obtained from several sources. Keep one on hand for emergency use. Do not use a hair dryer, any other hot air blower, or any method that will not allow your bird to move away from the heat.

If the weather is cold, be sure to provide a heat source to keep your bird warm while transporting the bird to and from the veterinarian. A hot water bottle or plastic bottle filled with hot water and covered with a cloth can work as long as it doesn’t leak and as long as it is secured so it will not bounce into the bird. Wrap the carrier in a blanket to retain heat but leave an opening for air so the bird will not suffocate. Also provide something for the bird to hold onto so it won’t slide around in the carrier. I usually cut a piece of 1” x 2” pine the width of the carrier and drive screws into it from the outside of the carrier for a perch. Keep the perch ¼” off of the bottom of the carrier. Use two screws on one side to prevent the perch from turning. Drywall screws work well for this purpose.