Optimum humidity levels are crucial to keeping your pet bird healthy and prolonging its life expectancy.
Most birds can regulate their body temperature, but parrots lack sweat glands. They rely heavily on their outer surroundings for homeostasis, so you must be careful if you live in an extremely or sparsely humid place.
Keep reading to find out more about keeping your home environment comfortable for your pets!
Types Of Parrots
To know the humidity tolerance of your parrot, you must be familiar with its species and breed. Now, there are a hundred types of these green-feathered birds, but they can be roughly categorised into three families:
1. True Parrots
The most diverse group, True Parrots, are natively from Oceania but can be found in Central and South Africa and America. Among this group, Parakeets are the most common type found in Australian homes.
2. Cockatoos
The following family is Cockatoos, which also hail from Oceania but are found in Southeast Asia. If yours has a prominently curved bill and crest and is less colourful than other parrots, it’s most likely a Cockatoo. People generally prefer keeping Cockatiel as a pet bird.
3. New Zealand Parrots
New Zealand parrots are exotic birds and exist only in three parrot species - Kakapo, Kaka and Kea. They are categorised as endangered species and, as is evident from the name, are found only in New Zealand and neighbouring islands.
What Is My Parrot’s Preferred Humidity?
Your parrot’s preferred humidity depends on its species. Pet birds would be more comfortable living in similar conditions to their natural habitat. So, we advise researching your parrot’s breed before setting the humidity.
1. Overall Ideal Humidity
Most parrot species prefer a humidity level between 50% and 70% at a temperature between 20°C and 28°C. Conditions other than these can make your parrot act out and weaken its respiratory system. They can start obsessively plucking their feather, picking at their skin or destroying their toys. If you notice these signs, your pet’s skin isn’t getting the required moisture.
2. Ideal Humidity For Cockatoos
Cockatoos typically nest around water bodies in their natural habitat and prefer a semi-arid environment. So, try to mimic those conditions in the room where you keep your parrots. You can consider installing an aquarium to keep them company and give them the comfort of a water body.
As a rule of thumb, keep the direction of the AC vents or heaters away from your birds, as they can suck moisture from the air, giving your bird dry skin. The ideal temperature for Cockatoos is 21°C to 26°C, so keep the cooling in that range.
3. Ideal Humidity For Parakeets
Parakeets are found in deserts, where the temperature is relatively high, and the air is pretty dry. They survive the intense heat by finding shaded and cool spots or water bodies to wash. One important thing to note is that this species is prone to respiratory problems if the humidity is too low.
So, to keep your Parakeet comfortable, maintain a humidity level of 60% to 70% in their living space. It can be too humid for humans so you may drop it down to 50%.
How To Deal With Parrots And Humidity?
Here are a few suggestions to maintain the right humidity level in your house are:
- Spray cool mist on your parrots daily
- Keep the birdcage in the shade
- Keep your parrot in the washroom with a closed door and run the shower
- Minimise the use of fireplace and woodstove
- Bathe your parrots routinely, and keep a bird bath near their cage
- Use a humidifier
Should I Buy An Electric Humidifier?
As long as you live in a naturally humid place throughout the year, you don’t necessarily need a humidifier. However, if the humidity plunges too low in some months, it would be best to invest in humidifiers.
You can either keep vaporisers in every room or buy one for the room where the cage is kept. Additionally, we suggest buying one equipped with a built-in hygrometer that can be set at specific humidity levels.
Mould and mildew start growing at 70% humidity, so ideally, do not surpass this level on your humidifier, and you will be good.
Do Parrots Like Frequent Baths?
Parrots like to take showers to keep themselves cool and maintain comfortable humidity. Therefore, do provide your parrots with a means to bathe themselves. You can give them a shallow dish of lukewarm water for showers or drizzle mist on them using a spray bottle.
Taking Care of Your Parrot During Humidity
Overall, parrots like to live in an environment with higher humidity of 50% to 70%. If you live in a naturally humid climate, it’s excellent, but if not, buy a vaporiser to keep your parrots comfortable and alive for long periods.
For more information on your pets, be sure to check out our blog at Planet Pet! You can also shop online with us for the best bird food and accessories, like a bird bath, a shower perch, and more!
