If you’re raising a budgie you’d want them to be warm and comfortable at all times, this is especially true in the winter when it’s cold out.
This article explores if budgies like blankets and if giving your bird a blanket is a good or a bad idea
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Do budgies like blankets?
We humans need a lot of things to help keep us warm in cold temperatures, but many animals do not. Here are the arguments for and against giving your bird a blanket.
The case against it:
Putting a blanket over your budgie’s cage is considered a bad idea because not only will the blanket cut off air supply in the birds cage causing the bird to suffocate if not laid properly, but the blanket can also cause the inside of the cage to get too hot
If you do choose to give your bird a blanket at night then it is recommended that you make sure that the blanket doesn’t fully cover the bird’s cage, and ensure that there is a gap open that’ll allow fresh cool air to enter and hot air to exit.
You can also just use a cage cover on your birds cage, cage covers are objects that have been designed to allow air to move past them into the cage making it comfortable for the bird in the cage.
These birds have their own ways of keeping warm, that is: fluffing their feathers up and warming up the air between their wings and their skin to keep them warm.
Because of this, the birds are likely not as cold as you think they are.
But if the birds do get cold then using a cage cover is the way to go. You should also not keep the bird’s cage near a heater to try to keep your pet warm.
If you put a blanket over the bird’s cage, or if you wrap the bird in a blanket, then the bird may start to chew through the blanket and this can pose a significant health risk.
Your bird’s body can’t digest the fibers of the blanket, the fibers will wind up clogging up the bird’s crop and the bird’s gastrointestinal tract and this may need surgery to repair.
If the bird can’t seem to keep itself warm then you may want to take the bird to the vet for a check-up.
Another case against giving your bird a blanket is that the bird will see the blanket as nesting material and may turn hormonal because of it.
This hyper-hormonal state, if left to go on for too long, can cause the bird to develop chronic health issues.
The case for it:
While your budgie does not need a blanket to feel warm at night giving the bird a blanket will help them relax.
The birds are quite emotional so doing this is one way to help your bird relax and feel more comfortable, this is good for the bird.
Because the birds are so emotional, calming them and keeping a blanket over their cage will keep night frights at a minimum, but not all birds need this.
If the bird does not need the blanket then you can let the bird sleep uncovered during the night as some birds can actually dislike their cages being covered at night.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Is My Bird Rubbing Its Face On Everything, Why Does My Conure Rub His Beak On The Cage?, Do Female Budgies Hump Things?, Lovebird Rubbing beak On Cage, Female Budgie Not Allowing Male To Mate, Why Do Conures Rub Their Beaks On Things?, Parakeets Mating But No Eggs, Why Do Parakeets Rub Their Beaks Together?, Budgie Vomiting Undigested Seeds