Forced Heat

Question
QUESTION: Hi there!
I have a Parakeet and I'm afraid that the forced heat in my dorm room will cause him to get sick. I have hear that they get bad sinus infections from forced heat, so if it does I will not bring him in my room. I have him in my boyfriends dorm room for now--it does not have forced heat-- but I dont see him all day.. I feel like I am neglecting him if he is in there all day alone.
let me know please....

ANSWER: Forced heat isn't as bad as it used to be.  There are regulations that make these generally pretty safe.  However they do put out very dry air, which isn't good for them.  You may want to get a humidifier or a spray bottle and mist him occasionally.  Not only will this help with the lack of moisture from the forced heat, they love getting sprayed with water because they like being clean.  Humidity keeps their air passages clean and moist, and helps prevent respiratory ailments.  Conversely, dry air can make them more vulnerable.  An average room's humidity is about 30%, a little less with forced heat.  About 50-60% is best for budgies.  Misting him two or three times a day should take care of that.

If he does develop a sinus infection, you may not know it.  They're good at hiding things like that.  Watch for any discharge or secretions from the eyes or nostrils.  They also tend to yawn a lot if they have a sinus infection because of the discomfort in their airways.  If he develops these symptoms, take him to a vet.  Otherwise, your bird should be fine.

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QUESTION: Thank you! The only thing is... when you said that it isn't as bad as it used to be... the building I live in is 100 years old... and I live on the top floor... and it's never off because I live in upstate NY...
Does that change anything? I just don't want to lose him :-(   I will start spraying him though :-) that sounds like something he would like!   
Another quick question... I've tried feeding him fruits and veggies... but he's not eating them-- am I giving them to him wrong? I guess-- how do I feed them to him?

ANSWER: The main problem with forced heating is that it blows allergens and dust as well as traces of build up from the fossil fuels that are often used.          

Since the heater in your building is never off, it's not nearly as big of a problem because the air is constantly moving and these things can't accumulate.  It really only causes problems if the heater is of for a while and dust is allowed to build up in the vents, and then it's turned back on, blowing all of that out into the air.  Plus nowadays they have filters that keep most of that junk from ever getting out of the ducts.  We have forced heating in our house, and every fall when we turn the heating on, we take the animals out of the house and leave them with a neighbor while let the dust blow out of the vents, and we've never had our birds get sick or anything from the heating.

Some birds just don't like fruits and veggies.  How have you been giving him them?  There's no real "right" way to give them fruits or veggies.  They often like to eat things from a high perch because they feel safer.  Some pet stores sell treats that have things like honey and millet, but fruits and veggies in them too.  They only think they're getting spoiled! You can also try getting dried foods and mixing them in with the seed that he eats.  The only problem with dried foods is that they sometimes have chemicals, salt, or sugar added.  It's best to use either organic or fruits or veggies that you've dried yourself.  Here's a hint: budgies love colorful things.  Try greens, red apples, or carrots that will catch his attention.  They also tend to like soft foods like peaches, apples, and cucumber.

PS: if the format on this answer comes out weird, and you have trouble reading it, the site is doing maintenance, and it keeps messing up formating and paragraph layout.  Sorry...

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It sounds like Mr. Pixie will be alright in my room then, because like I said it's never off, and if it is it's not for very long, the room is pretty drafty and like I said I live in upstate NY it's never just--WARM haha. I usually run a humidifier anyway just to keep from getting sick-- as a college student I can't afford that! --

With the fruits and veggies, I tried putting grapes in there, at first I put a whole grape in and it seemed like he was afraid of it so I took it out, and put a grape in there that was kind-of cut up, but I think the thing with that was that it wasn't colorful. I have millets in his cage and the treats with the different kinds of pieces-- I'm assuming that's the honey thing you are talking about. I just wanted to expose him to other things, I didn't have apple in the house, I had grapes and cauliflower, and figured I would go with grapes. what about lettuce? I've heard different things about lettuce. I can get things like-- bananas, nectarines, and apples from the schools dining hall... but I'm not sure how much I trust them so I was just wondering what was good to feed them and I can get that stuff at the grocery store. But if I got say---apples, do I just cut it up and put a piece in there? I'm afraid he will end up pooping on it... and I don't want him eating his poop..

And it's alright the format came out fine! Thank you again!!

Answer
Well I'm glad to hear that things will work out and that you can keep him in your room!

Lettuce can help them learn to investigate and sample new foods, but it doesn't have much nutrition in it.  If you want to try it, get romaine lettuce or pretty much any kind but iceberg.  Iceberg lettuce is mostly water and isn't very good for him.  If you want to try things from the dining hall, they should be alright as long as you rinse them thoroughly first.  With apples, you can get creative.  A little wedge is fine or even applesauce as long as it doesn't have too much sugar in it.  To keep him from pooping on it, just try to put it higher up in the cage or in a separate food dish that isn't under perches or places where he likes to sit.  There's no guaranteed way to keep him from getting poop on it though.  I've had budgies for eleven years, and believe me: they can get poop just about anywhere!

I'm glad that it went through okay.  I guess it's only messing up the formatting on my end!

Take care!