How cold is too cold for the birds?

[OregonBudgieMom]

So what kind of response do the budgies have to too cold temps?

we had freezing temps last night and the fire didnt stay going, it was about 50 F in the house this morning, we usually keep it above 60. Mid day today when I finally got the house warm enough, I went to let the birds out, one of my guys, Vinnie, stayed inside. I went over to see what was going on with him and his head was wet and he looked like hell. I grabbed the heat lamp and put it on him and then put some ornacycline in the water (had some on hand from when Louie was sick a few months ago). he is drying out and rubbing his head on stuff but is slow and has a droopy tail. He was out flying around like kind of the world yesterday. Can one night of cold put him in that bad of shape? I know he didnt just take a bath because there was no water on the floor of the cage or on the walls or anything.

I am hoping that warming him up and a round of the Ornacycline will do the trick. any other suggestions?

ps... i just saw him throw up... maybe it isnt the cold but the cold brought it out? ugh going to repost this in the main forum for help.

[Saloth Sar]

Budgies can withstand alot of cold, but it's drafts that they don't cope with, a chill wind coming through a window or under a door will knock them pretty quickly.

[lochender]

Good idea with the generator
just a word of advice dont run a kettle off the genny as it uses alot of fuel

[TWR]

Really good information for those who live in climates where it does get too hot or cold. Like some others, I have more concerns about by tropical fish tanks in a power outage, than I do about my fids.

I am lucky I don't need to worry about temps for the birds. Living in Australia and in an area where it never snows and winters are (comparitively) mild, I don't need to worry about heating / cooling for the fids. I don't use either air conditioning or heating, so my inside fids naturally acclimatise to the seasonal temps. Plus, being the natural climate for the parrots who live wild and free all around my house convinces me that there is no need for me to worry.

Our budgies, who we plan on getting 26 January, will be outdoor aviary birds. It's still summer here, so they have time to gradually adjust to the cooler weather as the seasons progress. We have provided them with cozy sleeping places and there is adequate shelter from wind and rain.

[Cerulean]

We had a big snowstorm at the end of October that knocked out our power for six days. We had gone on an overnight trip, leaving our budgie with ample food and water, but we never thought we'd lose power. By the time we got back to him, the house was 52 degrees during the day. I'm sure it went lower at night. The budgie wasn't breathing right. We immediately took him to the vet for boarding and treatment, where lots of other birds and reptiles were being boarded to keep them warm. Although our budgie never recovered, it wasn't the cold that killed him but rather a (likely) tumor or liver disease. We theorized that the drop in temperature hastened his death by adding stress to an already stressed body.

Our vet recommends no greater temperature change than 10 degrees, although my guess is that healthy, young bird can withstand a lot more than older or immune-compromised ones. The practice also recommends that ordinary visits (non-emergency ones) be scheduled during milder months when the birds are unlikely to encounter extreme temperatures. I live in an area where summer temperatures can get as hot as 100 degrees F and winters can get as cold as zero degrees F.

[Prettybelle]

Since we heat the hosue by wood , power outages arent a problem that way, but at night when the fire goes out in the winter I always worry that they will get too cold but Tinkerbelle and Willie survived years and never died in the winter , and i also worried that they would get too hot as it does sometimes and their huge cage is up next to the ceiling and can't just be moved so when we the house gets quite warm we turn the fan on so that its moving the heat from the ceiling down which wouldnt be helpful if the power was off though but we could slow down the fire in the stove.. but after reading your post I wont worry as much about the overnight tempertures in the winter but should be more concerned about them getting too hot during the day..