The days of are officially over in my area!

I started to do some of the things I do every year to get ready for the cold and snow.

I placed new filters on all the heat registers and put in a new furnace filter.

Windows have now replaced screens in the doors.

The portable oil filled radiators are in place. One in their sleep room and one near their daytime play areas.

The Humidifier is set up.

I have two windows that are near the birds. I am thinking of putting plastic on those. Can anyone tell me if that shrink wrap plastic that is used on windows is safe?

For those of you in the cold areas what other things do you do to prepare for a safe warm winter for the birds?

We have a new furnace filter in and our heat is on.

I need to look into a humidifier because this past week my skin has been really dry - and it's not even very cold yet!

The birds' room is perfect, their cages aren't on any outside walls (Winston and Lulu are on the innermost wall) and the windows are two rectangular windows higher up near the ceiling. We had new windows installed when the house was bought so they seal pretty tightly. And with the boys' cages being up high, the heat rises and even when I'm on my step stool feeding and watering them I can notice a slight warmer air up there.

what is this "win-ter" you speak of?

Well, another necessary thing is the air purifier so make sure the filters are new and set it up as soon as you cannot keep the windows open. (I would also not use any other kind of heat but electric -anything that burns any kind of fuel has fumes and carbon monoxide in it).

The other thing to take into consideration is a gradual change in diet (actually, this should have taken place as soon as the birds finish their molt). For birds from temperate or semi-tropical climates, we need to reduce the amount of fruit and greens and concentrate on hardier varieties like cabbages and hard-rind pumpkins and squashes and root veggies. I do this for all my birds, even the tropical ones and it works great at keeping those pesky hormonal surges limited to the spring.

Karen, my dad has made & puts up plexiglass windows every winter. (We have a drafty house.) He screws, them in & caulks around. (the fumes are pretty bad for a while from the caulk.) The shrink wrap will tear the paint off of your sills (if they're wood sills.)

I've used the shrink wrap stuff in my last apartment. It really helps alot.

I have a heater in Ollie and I's bedroom that is auto set on 73. I'm wary of humidifiers because of heard that things can grow in them and cause more harm than good. I've done the wet towel and bowl of water in front of the heater though- don't know how much good it does.

Whew... I'm glad you asked, I was embarassed I don't know what it is !!

;-}




(Actually I grew up in ERIE PA, talk about cold! - But in San Diego, All we do here is dust off the oil filled radiator for the bird room at night)

You two are so bad!!! We're 90 miles north of Erie. So you know what winter is like here.

Hmmmm, let's see....OH I reviewed my retirement package and checked the property listings from North Carolina to Florida !

Sure do Karen! And never want to live htere again! Nice to visit though ;-}