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Post by siobhan on Nov 28, 2014 16:09:04 GMT -5
It's November in Central Illinois and that equals COLD. And our furnace stopped working overnight. We got it going a while today and it stopped again. Someone is supposed to be calling to get an address to go look at it, which I can't afford, but I can't afford to freeze us all to death, either. I have an electric radiator in the parrots' room because even when the furnace is working, it gets too chilly in there to suit me, so they have that and it was about 60 degrees in there this morning when I uncovered them. Ringo and Trixie have a space heater in their room that's keeping it fairly comfortable, though I really worry about little Trixie. She seemed fine this morning. Both space heaters are electric, so no worry about fumes from kerosene or gas. It's a bit warmer today so that helps. How cold IS too cold for birds?
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Post by cnyguy on Nov 28, 2014 22:35:50 GMT -5
Sorry about your furnace trouble. Hope it can be fixed without costing you too much. Too often, it seems like that sort of thing happens in the holiday season too-- not that there's a good time for a furnace to break down.
The lowest temperature Ralph has been exposed to was 58, which happened when there was a problem with the heat in my apartment. It's a hot water heating system, and the zone valve stuck open. The temperature got up to 92 in here, with the windows open, on a day that was below freezing outside. It was a Sunday, so one of the maintenance men had to be called in on his day off. His solution was to simply shut down the heat to my apartment, which cooled things off in a hurry.
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Post by Caseysmom on Nov 28, 2014 22:51:07 GMT -5
A few winters ago, our furnace was out for less then a day and the house was 63, without any ill effects. But that was a short time. My daughter lived deep in the jungle this summer in Peru, during their winter.... the friajes came off and on bringing lots of rain and really cold temperatures. Even in the wild temperatures fluctuate so I bet your guys will be fine until you get the furnace sorted out. Good luck
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Post by easttex on Nov 29, 2014 7:10:47 GMT -5
Feathers are wonderfully insulating, and birds can actually tolerate a wide range of temps. If given a choice they might prefer to acclimate gradually rather than all at once  , but I think they'll be fine. When it's really cold, they'll hunker down on a perch, fluff their feathers, and cover their feet, which are the most vulnerable. If they get really cold, you'll see the activity level drop as they conserve their energy, but the temps you're talking about are not that extreme. Just make sure there are no drafts. Speaking of devices over the holidays, my refrigerator pooped out on Christmas Day last year.  |
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Post by siobhan on Nov 29, 2014 10:19:23 GMT -5
It turns out I have a couple of Facebook friends whose families are in the heat and air business. One of them spent all afternoon yesterday trying to get the three guys on call to answer their phones and finally told me to call someone else. I called the second one, and they had somebody here within the hour, who recognized the problem instantly and knew exactly what to do. And then gave us his personal cell phone number and said if it went out again over the weekend, to call no matter what time it was. THAT is customer service. He didn't have exactly the right part with him last night, but he had one that will work and said he'd be back on Monday with the right part to install it. I wasn't as worried about the parrots and Maggie and Ringo as I was about my little canary, but the space heater in the room she shares with Ringo really did its job and it was nice and cozy in there.
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Post by msdani1981 on Nov 29, 2014 19:39:04 GMT -5
Great news! There is definitely something to be said for social networking. |
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Post by siobhan on Nov 30, 2014 10:06:57 GMT -5
Ain't that the truth. If you have a big enough friends list, you can almost always find someone who either can help or knows someone who can when you get in a spot.
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, but I think they'll be fine. When it's really cold, they'll hunker down on a perch, fluff their feathers, and cover their feet, which are the most vulnerable. If they get really cold, you'll see the activity level drop as they conserve their energy, but the temps you're talking about are not that extreme. Just make sure there are no drafts.
