Now that it's almost summer and we've had a taste of the brutally hot and humid weather to come, I've started coming up with ways to keep my pets cool and comfortable
( Read more... )
I'm in New England, and it's normally in the high 90s with almost 100% humidity during the summers. :) (This June has been WEIRD and FREEZING - it was 40* last night!)
My apartment stays relatively cool, though, and my birds are from the tropics (their species, anyway), so I don't worry too much about them overheating. I just figure they might like a nice cool treat.
Those are really awesome ideas. I bet food frozen into a "popsicle" of sorts would make for a neat foraging toy in itself for some birds. Mine liked cold food.
When I had ferrets and rabbits, I would fill plastic soda bottles (label removed) with water and freeze. I'd put a bottle or two in the cage so the critters could snuggle up to them if they were feeling hot.
I never noticed my rabbits enjoying the frozen bottles but the ferrets LOVED them. I don't know if they would go over well with parrots but they might :)
My rabbit likes frozen plastic bottles, but she has a tendency to nibble holes in them so that they leak water all over the place when they thaw. We've switched to rubbing her down with a wet rag and putting ice cubes in her water dish.
I was going to comment with this same suggestion. I bet that one in a bird cage would help wonders. They might even fancy the idea of tasting the condensation. :)
They might even fancy the idea of tasting the condensation. :)
Ooh, I like that! I suspect my birds would, at least for a little while. They find ice cubes pretty boring, but little droplets of water are appealing.
I do the same things as you! :) I only really came to the thought of freezing day-to-day foods in ice cube trays very recently (and thought it was the cleverest idea EVER). And go figure, when I'm ready with all these neat ideas, it rains and storms and the temperature drops 15 degrees.
Anyway, I do the ice cube treats, add little ice cube chunks to their whole veggies, ice cubes in the water bowls, and my Tweety has this insane obsession with having epic battles with my water bottles, which are usually nice and chilly, but only outside of the cage. I'll also grab a spray bottle, which they HATE with ALL their little mights, and show them how I spray myself and give them a teensy squirt. I always keep my organic pellets, dried fruits/veggies/little added treats, and seeds in the freezer, and other pellets and grains are in the fridge. The whole upstairs fridge/freezer belongs to the birds year round, so it's just an existing bonus in summertime. :)
Well, when I buy popsicles, I give the birds some nibbles. They're healthy popsicles! Well, as healthy as frozen fruit juice can be, anyway (which is the kind I buy and share; I don't share chocolate or artificially flavored popsicles).
Usually, though, they don't look like they're too hot until well past my own comfort level, and I am now living in a house with a/c, so it's unlikely any of us will feel cooked this summer.
Comments 10
Reply
My apartment stays relatively cool, though, and my birds are from the tropics (their species, anyway), so I don't worry too much about them overheating. I just figure they might like a nice cool treat.
Reply
Reply
Reply
I never noticed my rabbits enjoying the frozen bottles but the ferrets LOVED them. I don't know if they would go over well with parrots but they might :)
Reply
Reply
Reply
Ooh, I like that! I suspect my birds would, at least for a little while. They find ice cubes pretty boring, but little droplets of water are appealing.
Reply
Anyway, I do the ice cube treats, add little ice cube chunks to their whole veggies, ice cubes in the water bowls, and my Tweety has this insane obsession with having epic battles with my water bottles, which are usually nice and chilly, but only outside of the cage. I'll also grab a spray bottle, which they HATE with ALL their little mights, and show them how I spray myself and give them a teensy squirt. I always keep my organic pellets, dried fruits/veggies/little added treats, and seeds in the freezer, and other pellets and grains are in the fridge. The whole upstairs fridge/freezer belongs to the birds year round, so it's just an existing bonus in summertime. :)
Reply
Usually, though, they don't look like they're too hot until well past my own comfort level, and I am now living in a house with a/c, so it's unlikely any of us will feel cooked this summer.
Reply
Leave a comment