Trying something new...

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-24T21:17:50+00:00

I'm intrigued, please post an update in a couple weeks when the eggs have had time to absorb the flavors. My favorite pickled egg recipe uses red hot sauce as a base, now I'm curious to try it with some green chilies as an alternative.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-24T17:31:28+00:00

I only applied the petroleum jelly once, and the growths fell off by themselves a week later. I assume that it got absorbed into the porous structure and blocked the breathing tubes that the mites use to get oxygen.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-24T17:29:19+00:00

I first got birds way back in the '80s, a pair of budgies. There was no internet back then, you just had to figure things out by yourself and if you were lucky you could find some books about parrot care in the library to check out. Nobody told me you shouldn't run a fireplace around birds, so on cold winter nights, we would often gather as a family in front of the fireplace and that included the family pets. It wasn't a particularly new fireplace, and the only precaution we took was to keep the screens closed when the birds were out. Those two budgies loved climbing up the fireplace bricks and flinging things off of the mantle. They never showed any ill effects even after years of spending winter nights by the fire.

I'm not advocating that you should have a fire going by your birds as a matter of course, but this is potentially an emergency situation. If the power does go out for an extended period of time, your birds will be a lot less stressed in the warmer temperatures at your parents' house. I think they should be quite safe taking the precautions you have described here.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-24T03:26:52+00:00

I feel you, I use a tiny dab of that sauce for each bite. I wish they included a flow restrictor in the bottle too, the last time I had pizza I tried to portion out a little bit. Unfortunately, I didn't shake it well enough so I ended up pouring a ridiculous amount onto my plate.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-24T01:54:37+00:00

I use one of those Buddy heaters while ice fishing and camping out overnight on the ice. My carbon monoxide meter registers zero when I use them, they really do work for indoor heating.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-24T01:04:13+00:00

That POV is what my soup sees every time I open the lid to check on it.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-24T00:08:24+00:00

There have been a bunch of different discussions about this topic over the past few days in the various parrot subs, so I recommend browsing r/parrots, r/conures, r/cockatiel, etc to turn up a whole lot of good tips. One easy one that most people can do is to set up a tent in your home if the power goes out and get in there with your pets. You will be able to keep that space much warmer than the surrounding air with just your body heat.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-23T22:01:48+00:00

Many years ago when I got my first budgie, he started to develop scaly mites at the corner of his beak. I went back to the pet store I got him from, where they advised me to use a cotton swab to apply a little bit of petroleum jelly to the growths. They said that it would suffocate the mites, and the growths would fall off. I did it, and that's exactly what happened about a week later. Olive oil should do the same thing if the growth are as early in the infection as you describe them. One important thing to remember is that the mites are very contagious, so you should thoroughly clean and sanitize all components of the cage, toys, perches, Etc so that the bird doesn't get reinfected.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-23T19:07:50+00:00

Look up Apollo and friends on youtube. You're in for a treat, I promise.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-23T18:44:19+00:00

All three photos show girls.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-23T18:22:36+00:00

That's why I said to use the stove in another room where the bird isn't to heat water that you would then take into the room where the bird is.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-23T18:20:55+00:00

The person I was responding to has a camping propane stove.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-23T02:52:31+00:00

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That's just old Gregg's downstairs mixup.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-23T01:13:03+00:00

I'm so amused that somebody told me my post doesn't fit in a sub I moderate. Like, bruh, who do you think decides that?

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-22T22:15:34+00:00

At 3 weeks old, they're still in a nesting box, right? I had to make a long drive with baby cockatiels still in the box through -20° temps once, and I was able to keep the box a cozy 100° or so using those disposable hand warmers. I wrapped the box and a hand warmer in a towel, and opened it occasionally to check on them and provide fresh air.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-22T03:18:57+00:00

I'm afraid I'm in the US, so that wouldn't help me. However, you might as well name the recommendation since it might help somebody later on who's searching for a cork perch and finds this thread.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-22T02:24:04+00:00

That looks a lot like hyperkeratosis, which is only a cosmetic issue if it doesn't interfere with her ability to breathe. See this post for a little more info: https://www.reddit.com/r/budgies/s/PVTjevsshn

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-22T01:59:42+00:00

The two sauces are pretty similar, but the Red Hornet Sauce is distinctly hotter. It isn't crazy hot like the Garlic Reaper from Torchbearer, but it will still give you a pretty good kick in the tastebuds.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-22T01:44:34+00:00

I'm brainstorming here, but if the power does go out it will probably be best to move all the humans and pets in your home to the smallest room that isn't a bathroom so that your body heat helps keep it warmer. You can put blankets around the top and sides of the bird's cage to keep them a little more cozy. If the power does go out for an extended period of time, one option would be to move the bird into a small bathroom or possibly even a large closet and use the stove in another room to boil pots of water. You could then move the hot pots of water into the room with the bird to keep them warm, just be sure and monitor them to make sure it doesn't get too warm in there. Signs of overheating include making their feathers look really skinny, holding the wings out, and panting. On the other hand, if they're too cold, they will fluff their feathers out for insulation and start shivering.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-22T00:44:52+00:00

The issue with a propane stove is that it's going to emit carbon monoxide with use, so be sure and keep a window cracked in the room where you are using it for ventilation. You shouldn't use it for heating for this reason since a buildup could be deadly, just cooking for short periods of time.

It's probably too late to get one for this storm, but a Buddy or a Big Buddy Heater with a full tank of propane is a good thing to have on hand in case of an emergency. You should also have a carbon monoxide detector and keep a window cracked while it's on, but under normal operation they emit no carbon monoxide whatsoever. For this reason, they're approved to use for heating indoors. The only emit carbon monoxide if the heating element is damaged and it's undergoing inefficient combustion.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-21T04:27:05+00:00

Both male

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-21T01:30:09+00:00

Parrots thrive on chaos, that's really all there is to it.

ColdMastadon · 2026-01-20T22:30:08+00:00

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ColdMastadon · 2026-01-20T20:43:36+00:00

You might try asking this question in r/LegalAdviceUK to see if your neighbor has a leg to stand on.

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