Thermo Perches

[GoldenPhoenix]

Im considering getting one for my incoming conure for the colder months, we cut down on heating in winter to save money. I heard that they can be too hot sometimes. Will covering them in fabric help with preventing of burnt feet

[cockatiel92]

i wouldnt cove the thermo perch with anything at all. Since it could get hot the only thing the fabric could do is start a fire. what i would do is have it on until it heats up then once its hot/warm turn it off becuase it doees retain most of the heat for quit a while.

[chirpy]

Don't mean to take over your thread but does anyone know where to get these from in the UK?

[Pepper's Pa]

Originally Posted by GoldenPhoenix

Im considering getting one for my incoming conure for the colder months, we cut down on heating in winter to save money. I heard that they can be too hot sometimes. Will covering them in fabric help with preventing of burnt feet

I bought a Thermo Perch last winter. Being concerned about the heat it produced, I left it plugged in for several weeks, but outside of the cage. I regularly checked it by feeling all around it with my hands. I never encountered any "hot spots" and the temperature it produced would not be described as hot, but as warm. I could wrap my hands around it and hold it and the temperature remained low and comfortable. I had no concerns that it would burn a bird's feet or have the possibility of causing a fire under normal use.
The heat is so low that if you hold your hand an inch away from the perch, you will feel no warmth coming from it. It must be touched to feel its warmth.
I would recommend you plug it in and leave it on. It would not work properly if you continually plugged and unplugged it.
The size of a Thermo Perch is a little deceiving. I have a Senegal and bought a medium. The small would have fit him fine. Here is an image showing the size of the medium perch:



The problem I have is that my Sennie is afraid of the perch. I think he sees its shape as being snake-like and I can't get him to accept it. I'm hoping that the very slow acclimating I've been doing with it since last year will allow me to place it into his cage this year.

[guest1717171]

https://www.debnroo.com/K_H_Thermo_H...P795.html?r=gp is the cheapest site i found them at
they ship to the UK

[mmr]

I wouldn't get one at all. I have heard too many horror stories about scalding and terrible foot burns from these.

[SDavid]

Birds do acclimate to colder temperatures if the change is gradual.
How cold does your house get? And, do you think a heat lamp might be better since it gives overall warmth and not just the feet?

With regards to this type of perch I have a few questions:

Is keeping the birds feet warm going to warm the rest of it's body? Birds survive winters just fine and their feet are never protected so I wonder how much heat or cold is actually transmitted to the rest of their bodies through the feet. Can anyone shed light on this? Also, birds sit down on their feet to keep them warm so is a perch like this necessary in that case?

[mmr]

Originally Posted by SDavid

do you think a heat lamp might be better since it gives overall warmth and not just the feet?

Heat lamps are also terrible and I know someone who used one and the heat lamp burned their cockatiels eyes and caused a lot of pain and long healing time.

You shouldnever use a heat lamp.

[Cece4]

You could buy a Ceramic heat emitter if you decide against the perch.They are used generally for reptiles but you use them like a lightbulb but no light only heat, they have different wattages too.I think they go as low as 40watts and as high as 250.I intend to get one for my conure, it will be outside the cage pointing onto a perch in the corner,so if she gets cold she can perch under it. .They do dry out the air though so Im hoping to use a humidifier for the room as well. I will probably get a higher wattage one and use a dimmer switch to control the temps for her so it stays around 75 near the perch.
I used them for years with my reptiles.They work great but they do get very hot like a lightbulb so the key is to make sure it is placed correctly and securely and cant be knocked over by a dog or cat(or you will have a fire for sure). anyway just a thought.

[mmr]

I wouldn't use anything that emits heat. Reptiles are fine as that is what they are used for, not birds. Keep you house temps a little warmer. I keep mine at 68 degree's and It gets below zero gusting winds in the winter here and mine did fine!