Climate guidelines, can budgies live outside in South Florida?

[keetcrazy]

I live in Southwest Florida and you know the weather is OK but we have cold fronts, the temp last night went to 48 degrees and it is 56 right now. Is this too cold for my birds? They love summer, I keep them out of the sun on the lanai with a ceiling fan. But winter has me nervous so they are inside. What are their temp. comfort ranges?

[kathy5]

I would say 60-65
but not at a sudden drop it must go up or down slowly this way they won't catch a draft & die

[Monica]

Birds need time to adjust to climates. If they do not adjust well or are not adjusted at the right times this could cause problems. The best time to start adjusting birds is middle spring to early summer usually when the temperatures are best (or when the climate is milder as there are also hurricanes to worry about during the summer). I've seen macaws and cockatoos in flights outside during the winter though the smaller birds may not be able to adjust this well.

Cold fronts here are usually 20 degrees to 5 degrees below 0 F... With adjustments though birds should be able to endure 40 degrees weather as long as they have a place to keep warm and out of drafts should the need arise. Try locating some breeders in Florida to get a broader idea of temperatures and adjustments.

[Melika]

I housed my birds outside for a few years (I live in the Tampa area) and when the temperature was going to drop suddenly, they came inside. When it's cold here it's usually from the wind or comes with wind so leaving them outside was not an option for me because of the drafts.

Even if you cover a budgies cage, they are usually so small compared to their cage that they cannot warm up their space. I did have a friend with an aviary full of budgies that she would tarp up the aviary and install some heat lamps for the winter. But they also had nestboxes to help keep them warm as well.

For pets, it's best to bring them in. After all, in Florida we get about three day long winter spurts at a time, lol.

[keetcrazy]

Thanks for the info. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and bring out during the day and bring them in in the late afternoon.