phangtonpower Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Hi, I have a CAG and I'm wondering how to keep it warm in the winter. Here's the problem. I live in Japan and it gets really cold. Usually the coldest it gets is 0 degrees Celsius. Sometimes -3 at the coldest. The houses here have really weak insulation and no central heating. Most people use kerosene heaters, which I understand is a no no. I did use one last year, but it was a good distance away and only had it on sometimes. I would also turn on vent fan just in case. I have no idea why they even sell exotic birds here since they don't really have a market to care for them. The biggest cage I could fine here was 2'X2', so I actually ordered a cage in America about 5'X3'X2', but I have no idea how I'm gonna keep the bird warm. Here are a few links to the kinds of heating they use here for birds. http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/heaven/item/395402/ http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/cap/item/10001705/ Which of two would you suggest? and what is a good wattage to look for to heat up the cage? Besides a heater, we were also gonna cover the top, sides and back with vinyl. Money is kinda tight as well since the cage cost twice as much as it should have because of shipping. I would buy a small space heater, but I've heard that some companies use teflon and Japan is not good at giving that kinda info even if you call the company Thanks in advanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 My vet recommended using an oil filled electric radiator. This is what they look like http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/shizenkan/item/5743/ If you do get one be sure to wash it thoroughly and run it for a day or so outside and then wash it again to get off any coating that might have been used after it was painted. A word of caution though. These get hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) Hi,I have a CAG and I'm wondering how to keep it warm in the winter. Here's the problem. I live in Japan and it gets really cold. Usually the coldest it gets is 0 degrees Celsius. Sometimes -3 at the coldest. The houses here have really weak insulation and no central heating. Most people use kerosene heaters, which I understand is a no no. I did use one last year, but it was a good distance away and only had it on sometimes. I would also turn on vent fan just in case. I have no idea why they even sell exotic birds here since they don't really have a market to care for them. The biggest cage I could fine here was 2'X2', so I actually ordered a cage in America about 5'X3'X2', but I have no idea how I'm gonna keep the bird warm. Here are a few links to the kinds of heating they use here for birds. http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/heaven/item/395402/ http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/cap/item/10001705/ Which of two would you suggest? and what is a good wattage to look for to heat up the cage? Besides a heater, we were also gonna cover the top, sides and back with vinyl. Money is kinda tight as well since the cage cost twice as much as it should have because of shipping. I would buy a small space heater, but I've heard that some companies use teflon and Japan is not good at giving that kinda info even if you call the company Thanks in advanced. If your only worry is how to keep your bird warm, this website has a varity of bulbs that do emit heat. They're made for birds and reptiles. 1----The thing you need to understand that these bulbs won't heat up the rest of your home. You would need a separate heater for that. 2----The other thing you should know is that you may have to have them sent to you from the US. Maybe Japan has similar items?? http://www.petmountain.com/category/299/1/bird-heaters.html Edited October 20, 2012 by Dave007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phangtonpower Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 My vet recommended using an oil filled electric radiator. This is what they look like http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/shizenkan/item/5743/ If you do get one be sure to wash it thoroughly and run it for a day or so outside and then wash it again to get off any coating that might have been used after it was painted. A word of caution though. These get hot. Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm really only trying to find a way to heat up his cage. I may look into it a little more though. If your only worry is how to keep your bird warm, this website has a varity of bulbs that do emit heat. They're made for birds and reptiles. 1----The thing you need to understand that these bulbs won't heat up the rest of your home. You would need a separate heater for that. 2----The other thing you should know is that you may have to have them sent to you from the US. Maybe Japan has similar items?? http://www.petmountain.com/category/299/1/bird-heaters.html I think we have those here, but aren't the ones I posted pretty much the same thing except designed for birds? If they are pretty much the same thing, how many watts would you recommend to heat a 5 foot by 3 foot by 2 foot cage either? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 His/her cage won't be warm if the rest of the room is cold. The oil filled heater would be in place of the kerosene heater you have used in the past and warm the entire room. If you are looking to just warm an area for him/her to sit you can try a heated perch or the light as Dave suggested. Some of the heat lamp bulbs are treated with a teflon coating so look for one specifically for parrots. If that is not available to you a heat lamp made for warming small chicken coops should be alright. (Chickens are sensitive to the fumes of teflon coating as well.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phangtonpower Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 The problem with using a heater like that is that the room we have him in is pretty big. The kerosene heater really didn't warm up the room very much either. Really the only option is to cover the cage with clear vinyl, so he can still see out, and try to warm up the inside of the cage. Most Japanese use clear acrylic cages in winter, but like I said, the biggest you can find is a 2 foot cubed box What I'm trying to figure out is what a good wattage is for his cage and the distance I should keep it at. It's hard to experiment in this country because once something is open you can't return it. Last year, when we first got him, we built a small fort covered in blankets and had him on his play stand with a small space heater under to keep him warm. It worked well. He was clipped then and I was always around him to make sure he was ok, but it was dark and gloomy except for the glow of the heater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Rethink the vinyl. It off gasses and is harmful. Perhaps semi (not completely) enclosing the cage your using now in acrylic panels along with using an electric heating element of some kind would be enough to trap the available heat or you could join together several of the acrylic cages that are available to you by removing sides from each to create something larger. There is no ideal solution here only the best of the bad ones and fighting the ambient room temperature is going to be a challenge. Any way you go you'll need to closely monitor the temperature in any enclosure to insure that it is indeed staying warm enough inside and you'll need to make sure that there is sufficient fresh air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phangtonpower Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 I didn't think about that! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffNOK Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 I lived in Japan for several years as an English teacher. I remember well the winters and lack of central heating. I used an electric heater/air con combo and it heated and cooled the room where I stayed relatively well. The room was probably only 150 square feet though. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phangtonpower Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 I live in a big 80 year old house that's hard to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer. To top it off I live on the westcoast where it snows a lot and is way hotter in the summer than the eastcoast:( Anyway my Girlfriends been reading a lot of Japanese blogs and it seems a lot of people use vinyl It just goes to show that different countries care for their pets differently. Japan is a country where you still see their dogs roped up on a five foot of line all day I do agree though that vinyl is bad as it has a smell on it's own. Maybe I'll just cover half the cage with a heavy blanket and a infrared heater. Do you guys think if I get one decently powerful one it would be ok to place on top of the cage? That way if it's too hot where it is, our little birdy has a place to find in the cage that is comfy?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now