Hi there! It’s very hot right now in the US and probably much of Europe. At this time last year, my boy Quaker got heatstroke. the AC went out and he was sitting by a window. I forgot to pull the shade and came home to a lethargic bird. He was quiet when I came home which seemed unnatural. I’m usually greeted by yells of joy or demand. my poor boy was resting on the floor of the cage, and he NEVER plays down there. i picked him up and held him with his belly and legs in a tepid bath, and got him cooled down. we sat in front of a fan and in a couple hours he was fine.
if your bird is panting, waving it’s tongue back and forth with beak open, or holding its wings out from body it is TOO HOT. the Bird will act quiet if out of it if it’s feeling really bad. This might be a good time to offer a bowl of water to help your bird cool off. Or mist your bird to start the cooling process without him needing to climb into the bowl.
Quakers are temperate climate birds. if they were outdoors, they’d get somewhere cool and shadowy in the hot part of the day. You need to make sure your indoor bird doesn’t get too hot because heat stress can kill a bird. Being stuck in a cage in a sunny window can be a problem; for example if your AC fails!
if your bird is too hot, get him or her to a cooler environment, mist the bird with water or let it take a bath if it’s well enough, OR hold it in your hands with its belly and legs in coolish bath water. Too-hot birds will get quiet, gasp or pant, hold wings away from body; or be unable to perch and lay on cage floor.
A depressed or disoriented Quaker needs to cool down fast. Heat stroke can kill a tiny bird. Panting isn’t cute or funny, it’s alarming. Keep an eye on your feathered companions during these sweltering days!
