Caged Birds in Winter: Light, Dry Air and the Moult
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Indoor birds are supposed to be insulated from the seasons. Same room, same cage, same routine all year round.
They are not, quite. Two things change in autumn that matter a great deal to a bird, and both of them are easy to miss because they happen gradually.
The daylight goes, and birds notice
Even indoors, birds track the length of the day. In midsummer a bird in a normal front room is getting light well into the evening. By December that has dropped to eight hours or so, and artificial light does not substitute for it as neatly as we assume.
Day length drives the moult, drives breeding condition, and drives behaviour. A bird that is quieter, less inclined to sing, or a bit withdrawn in November is usually responding to the light rather than telling you something is wrong.
Two things worth getting right.
First, a proper dark night. Birds need genuine uninterrupted darkness, and a cage in a living room where the television is on until midnight is not getting it. Ten to twelve hours of real dark. Covering the cage works, as long as air can still move through.
Second, do not swing the routine about. A bird that gets light at seven and dark at nine does better than one where it depends what the household is doing.
The heating is drier than you think
This is the one that catches people out. Central heating pulls the humidity out of a room, and most parrot species in particular come from climates far more humid than a British living room in January.
Dry air shows up in feather condition, in skin, and in birds that seem to be over-preening or whose plumage looks dull and tired regardless of what they are eating.
The answers are simple. Bathing — a shallow dish, or a light misting with plain water for birds that prefer it, more often through the heated months than in summer. Most birds will use it if it is there and they are used to it.
And keep them away from the radiator. A cage sited for winter warmth often ends up in exactly the driest spot in the room. Away from direct heat, and away from draughts, which matters just as much.
The moult, and feeding through it
Most birds moult in autumn, and it takes more out of them than it looks like it should. Feathers are protein, and a bird replacing the lot is working hard.
A moulting bird may be quieter, less interested in things, and look thoroughly unimpressive for a few weeks. Pin feathers coming through are tender, which is why a bird that normally enjoys being handled may be less keen.
Good feeding through the moult matters more than at any other point in the year. Seed alone is a poor basis for it — a bird selecting its favourites out of a mix is not getting a balanced ration, and the moult is when that shows.
We stock the Versele Laga ranges — NutriBird pellets, Prestige seed mixes, Classic and the Loro Parque parrot mixtures — along with Johnston & Jeff and Bucktons. The Oropharma supplements, including Muta-Vit, are formulated for use through the moult.
Grit, minerals and cuttlefish
Easy to let slide, and worth not letting slide. Mineral blocks, cuttlefish and grit should be available rather than offered now and then, and worth replacing when they get grubby rather than waiting until they are gone.
We keep grit, shell sand, sand sheets and mineral blocks in.
Things worth a proper look in winter
A bird in a heated house through winter is worth watching a little more closely than one in summer, simply because more is being asked of it.
- Sitting fluffed up on both feet for long stretches — a resting bird usually tucks one foot up
- Tail bobbing when at rest
- Any change in droppings that persists beyond a day
- Weight loss — by far the most reliable early signal, and the reason a small kitchen scale is worth having
- Going quiet when a bird is usually noisy
Birds conceal illness extremely well — it is a prey-animal instinct and it means that by the time a bird looks obviously unwell it has usually been unwell for a while. Anything on that list is an avian vet, promptly. Not a supplement, and not waiting to see.
The short version
- Ten to twelve hours of genuine darkness, and a consistent routine
- Heating dries the air — bathe more often through winter
- Cage away from radiators and draughts
- Feed properly through the moult — seed alone is not enough
- Grit, minerals and cuttlefish available, and kept fresh
- Weigh them. Weight change beats every other early warning
- A quiet, fluffed, tail-bobbing bird is a vet visit, not a wait-and-see
If you are stocking up, free UK delivery goes by weight — free over £50 up to 30kg, over £100 from 30 to 60kg, and over £200 from 60kg to 150kg. Email us if you want a hand working out what suits your birds.