budgie safety Archives - The Budgie Academy

The Travel Cage Safety Tip You Can’t Forget

Isabel Frabotta — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:00:00 +0000

It’s summertime! With warm weather comes travel, trips, and get-togethers. Many owners find themselves needing to transport their budgies during this time of year.

While a good travel cage should simplify the task of transporting your budgie, no cage is 100% foolproof. Unfortunately, many owners lose their birds outdoors when the bottom of their travel cage comes off or the sliding door is knocked open, causing the budgies inside to spook and fly away.

A quick and easy solution is to zip tie your travel cage together. Make sure the caging is securely attached to the base, and zip tie the door shut once your budgie is inside. And remember to bring extra zip ties in case one breaks or comes loose.

Escaped budgies fare very poorly in the wild, so it’s critical to prevent escapes before they happen. For more tips on making your home as escape-proof as possible, check out our article here.

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Written by Isabel Frabotta

Isabel holds a B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell University, where she studied physiology, nutrition, endocrinology and genetics. She is a writer and graphic designer who uses both to improve education around animal welfare and care.

Edited by Dr. Amy Zhao, PhD.

The post The Travel Cage Safety Tip You Can’t Forget appeared first on The Budgie Academy.

Preventing Budgie Escapes

Isabel Frabotta — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 16:00:00 +0000

This post may contain affiliate links, which means The Budgie Academy may receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

By nature, budgies are quick and curious animals that love to explore their environment. Although this makes for endearing personalities, it can also spell disaster if your home isn’t properly birdproofed. Escapes can happen in the blink of an eye.

No owner should have to deal with the heartbreak of losing a bird to a simple safety oversight. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of birdproofing so you can make your home as safe as possible for its winged inhabitants.

Can Escaped Budgies Survive in the Wild?

Budgies that have been raised in captivity typically fare very poorly in the wild.

Our pet budgies are completely dependent upon us for care. We regulate the temperature of their environment, give them nutritious food at regular intervals, and try to keep them out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, this means that a budgie that escapes through an open window (and isn’t quickly recovered) has an extremely slim chance of survival. This is why it’s so important to prevent escapes in the first place.

What is Birdproofing, and Why Is It Important?

Birdproofing is the process of eliminating or mitigating risks in your home that could put your bird in harm’s way.

Essentially, birdproofing is how we, as owners, must adapt our homes and lives to ensure the safety of our feathered friends. Just like feeding and cleaning, birdproofing is an essential step in caring for your pet. As you’ll see in our list below, a lot of birdproofing deals with securing entries and exits to prevent escapes. But some birdproofing, like double-checking that your birds are in their cage before you leave the house, is more behavioral than environmental!

How Do I Birdproof My Home?

1.) Basic Prevention

As bird owners, mistakes happen. Even the most diligent owner will slip up at some point. The key to preventing accidents isn’t about being perfect at every turn, but rather about creating systems that will catch you when (not if!) you make a mistake, or at the very least, make mistakes less likely. Additionally, unless you live alone, a careful system of birdproofing will help prevent your roommates and/or family members from making mistakes as well.

A major part of birdproofing is basic diligence, practiced consistently by every member of your household. For example, the people in your home should double-check that all budgies are accounted for and in their cage before heading outside, stepping onto the patio, or opening windows. Doors to bathrooms should stay closed, and lids on toilets should be down whenever possible to minimize the risk of drowning.

If every member of the household maintains these basic safety habits, opportunities for accidents and escapes decrease greatly.

2.) Zip Ties for Cage Security

Anytime you take a bird outside in a travel cage, use zip ties to hold the cage together and secure its doors shut. Place a zip tie at each of the cage joints (i.e., where the top piece meets the bottom plastic foundation) and at every door.

Why? Extra insurance. By zip tying your travel cage together, the cage will not open easily even if it is tipped, dropped, or jostled, and nobody (human or bird!) can accidentally open any doors.

One of the most frequent reasons for fly aways are travel cage accidents. Because many cages are locked together with metal hinges meeting metal, a travel cage carried from the top can come apart and the plastic base fall open, scaring the bird and causing them to fly away very quickly.

3.) Secondary Containment

Have you ever been to the butterfly exhibit at a zoo? To enter, you have to go through a door into a small room, then shut the door behind you. Only after shutting this first door can you open the second door, giving you access to the exhibit. When you exit, you repeat the process, double checking in the small room that no butterflies have followed you or are hanging onto your clothes.

Many houses and apartments have spaces like this, and you can easily create this type of two-door separation by carefully choosing where you place your birds. For example, some houses have a front screened-in patio that can function as the “safety zone.” In many apartments, front doors don’t open directly to the outside world, instead leading to hallways or stairwells. Or you can simply place your birds in a room away from your front door, and make sure that the room to this door is shut before you leave the house.

This airlock-type, two-door system gives you time and space to ensure none of your birds are at risk of escaping to the outside world.

4.) Window Locks

You can add locks to your windows and stash the keys in a separate location. This way, you can control who opens your windows and when. This could be especially helpful if you’re sharing a space with children or visitors who might open a window without thinking.

You can also establish house rules regarding windows. For example, windows without screens might stay permanently shut and locked, while windows with screens can only be opened if all birds are in their cage.

5.) Appropriate Equipment

Thinking of taking your birds out in a travel cage? It would be wise to invest in a carrier with the proper measurements. Budgies require 0.375″-0.5″ bar spacing. Anything bigger (even a 0.6” wide space!) and your birds will almost certainly be able to squeeze some or all of their body through. Proper travel cages also have special heavy duty locks rather than simple sliding doors, and other adaptations made specifically for outdoor use. Check out some recommendations here.

6.) Magnetic curtains

These self-closing curtains are a must-have for every bird owner’s home. They attach to any standard doorway and automatically close behind you as you go in and out. This makes it more difficult for a bird to follow you out of the room if you want them to stay inside. For example, a magnetic curtain could be ideal in a kitchen entryway to prevent birds from entering while someone is cooking or the stove is hot.

Wrapping Up...

Mistakes happen. But if we take steps to safeguard our homes by locking windows, creating boundaries with magnetic curtains and two-door systems, and reinforcing travel carriers, we can minimize the frequency and severity of these mistakes.

Looking for more budgie safety tips? Check out our guide to parrot-safe cleaning. Or, if you’re thinking about taking your budgies out on the town, see our article on travel carriers here. And don’t forget–we’re on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Connect with us on social media to stay in the loop.

Written by Isabel Frabotta

Edited by Dr. Amy Zhao, PhD.

The post Preventing Budgie Escapes appeared first on The Budgie Academy.

How to Keep a Budgie Warm in Winter

Isabel Frabotta — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 16:00:00 +0000

When it comes to safety and comfort, it’s not enough to simply know what temperature range is optimal for your budgie’s environment. There are many other factors to take into consideration, including whether your chosen heat sources are safe for use around birds. Follow along as we answer common questions you might have about keeping your budgie warm!

What temperature range is safe for budgies?

65-75°F is a pretty comfortable temperature for most budgies.

They can, however, still do well in lower temperatures of 55°F+. If the temperature in your home dips below that, it’s definitely time to think about some bird-safe heating. Not all human heating solutions are bird-safe, so read labels carefully and contact companies if necessary to get more information.

Can budgies tolerate sudden temperature changes?

Sudden, large changes in temperature can be dangerous for budgies and should be avoided.

Budgies are nomadic parrots originally hailing from the semi-arid regions of Australia where temperatures fluctuate widely from near-freezing to extremely hot. However, these changes are usually gradual throughout the day and not acute, sharp changes.

Should I add extra insulation to my home to keep my budgies warm?

If they aren’t already, make sure your windows in particular are well insulated.

A poorly insulated window can allow warm air to leak out and cold air to leak in. Most home improvement stores sell pieces of foam specifically for this purpose. Tape the foam to the bottom of the window and shut the window on it, creating a seal. The foam should be hidden by the window so your bird cannot access it. This will help prevent drastic temperature changes and help you save on your utility bills which is good for your wallet and the environment.

Is it dangerous to expose a budgie to drafts?

It’s best to avoid having a draft blowing on or around your budgie.

Cold air in motion carries heat away from the body, so a space that would normally be warm when the air is still can actually become quite cold once the air starts moving. Try not to have your birds right in front of a window, and as mentioned earlier, insulate your windows and doors to prevent drafts of cold air from entering your home.

What heating solutions are not bird safe?

Any heaters that require the burning of gas or fuel are not bird-safe.

Many electric space heaters also cannot be used because a Teflon coating is applied to their internal parts to prevent dust accumulation. These coatings are sometimes burned off gradually over time, but it’s hard to know how long this takes and/or how old your heater is, so it’s wise to avoid these types of heaters altogether.

Are oil radiators safe to use around budgies?

Oil-based heaters are generally considered bird-safe because the heating elements are not exposed and they usually don’t contain Teflon.

However, it is critical that you check with the manufacturer to be sure! Some of these heaters also have a burn-in period, so make sure to read the manual carefully to see if that is the case. It may need to have that burn-in period elsewhere before it can be used safely in your home. They can still become quite hot to the touch depending on the setting so weigh that factor carefully. If it is too hot too touch the back of your hand to for a few seconds, it’s too hot for your bird to land on.

This is the one we have been using in my office where the budgies are for the last two years. I called the company Pelonis and they said there is no Teflon in the heater. When I first got it, I ran it on max settings on the porch for 12 hours before bringing it inside so burn off any other potential coating on it.

1,500-Watt Oil-Filled Radiant Electric Space Heater with Thermostat

Are ceramic heaters safe to use around budgies?

Ceramic heaters can be safe but need to be kept out of reach to prevent burns.

Ceramic heating elements get very hot to the touch, so they must be used in a way where birds cannot physically touch them because landing on them or touching them can result in burns. Some ceramic heaters can also contain Teflon so we would recommend calling the manufacturer to be sure.

Can I use heated panels or perches with my budgies?

Heated panels that can be mounted on the side of a cage are a viable option for providing additional heat.

Before using a panel in your bird’s cage, plug it in for several hours and feel it with your hand–it should be warm but not extremely hot to the touch. Devices should be built with a temperature regulator so that they only heat up to a certain temperature but they can potentially malfunction in rare occurrences. These are safest mounted next to a medium length perch so birds can scoot away if it malfunctions and overheats. On the other hand, heated perches pose more of a risk to your bird and so is less ideal. If the perch overheats when you aren’t around (e.g., the middle of the night), your bird may not be able to get away easily and could sustain burns.

Do budgies need a certain amount of humidity?

Most homes range 40-60% humidity and is ideal but budgies do well even outside of this humidity range.

Budgies are a species from the semi-arid regions of Australia and so their biology prepares them for a much drier environment and higher water loss to their environment than the rainforest species like conures and macaws. As a result, they do well in the typical 40-60% humidity range but continue to do well even outside of this range.

Now that you know how to keep your budgie warm during these chilly months, check out our other articles at The Budgie Academy to learn more about your bird and their care requirements. And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram so you never miss out on new content!

Written by Isabel Frabotta

Edited by Dr. Amy Zhao, PhD.

The post How to Keep a Budgie Warm in Winter appeared first on The Budgie Academy.