Around the time when the weather gets colder during the winter, we tend to rely a lot on our heaters to provide us with the heat we need. But the funny thing is that it is during such a time when we notice how our skin and hair are getting dryer and dryer every single day and how our throat and nasal passage get sore more often than any other time of the year. That is because we are also in the middle of a season where humidity levels in the air are low.
If you believe that you need some moisture in the air to make sure that your skin, hair, and throat do not get dry in the middle of a cold season, you should also think about how your parrot also needs a similar type of care. A parrot’s skin also needs the care it needs even though you hardly notice it underneath all of those feathers. But when your parrot starts plucking its feathers, that is when you know that something is wrong. If humidity levels tend to be low, your parrot’s skin will begin to dry out and will cause all sorts of discomforts and even diseases that will cause it to itch. This is why you need a humidifier for your parrot.
What is a humidifier?
Simply put, what a humidifier does is that it emits water vapor into the surrounding area to add more moisture into the air and to increase the humidity levels. Humidifiers are especially useful in places that naturally have low humidity levels, such as the colder regions of America. However, there is more than one type of humidifier, but the basic function of these devices is that they really just moisturize the surrounding air to prevent any sort of complication that may arise from dry air.
In that regard, not only humans can benefit from a humidifier, but pet birds do as well since not all types of birds are used to living under cold and dry conditions. In fact, a lot of pet birds and parrots come from regions that are naturally warm and humid. That means that you may want to provide a good humidifier for your pet bird in case the seasons get too dry for it.
Things to consider when choosing a humidifier for birds
There are all sorts of humidifiers you can find in the market. Some of them have different functions and purposes, but they all are useful when it comes to improving humidity levels in the surrounding air. That said, not all humidifiers are made to be beneficial for your pet bird.
Here are the things you need to consider when you are choosing an ideal humidifier for your pet bird:
Humidifier type
There is actually more than one type of humidifier you can use for your pet birds. A cool-mist humidifier gives off a cooler mist of water vapor to make the area around it cooler or more humid. The good part about this is that it can minimize scalding accidents because of how it releases cold air instead of hot or warm air. While a cool-mist humidifier is ideal for safety reasons and during the summer, it is not as efficient when it comes to moisturizing the air and also isn’t the ideal type of humidifier to use during the colder seasons.
Meanwhile, there is also a warm-mist humidifier, which, as the name suggests, releases warm air into the surrounding area. While there might be scalding accidents that could arise due to the warm air released by a warm-mist humidifier, vets actually prefer this type instead of a cool-mist humidifier because the warm mist can help eliminate molds and fungi that can arise in the air due to the high humidity levels.
Capacity
The humidifier’s capacity dictates how long it can run. There are some humidifiers that can only run for a short while because they have smaller tanks. So, if you want your humidifier to run for longer periods of time because you won’t always have the time to refill the tank, the best type for you are the ones with larger tanks. But larger humidifiers tend to take up more space.
Another reason why you might want to go for a humidifier with a larger capacity is that they may be able to run for a very long time and can make sure that they provide warmth and humidity to your birds whenever you are away. After all, you won’t always be at home to refill the humidifier’s tank once it runs out of water. A humidifier’s capacity will always be directly proportional to its run time.
Safety concerns
When using appliances for your birds and anything that releases any sort of air into the immediate environment, it is always important to take note of how safe they are for your pet birds. After all, birds have really sensitive organs and respiratory systems. That means that anything can easily disrupt and irritate your pet bird’s respiratory system. As such, go for the safest type of humidifier possible. Also, you should make sure to keep the humidifier away from the bird’s cage so that the bird does not directly inhale the vapor before it disperses into the air. Finally, always check the manual and the reviews of the humidifier to make sure that it is perfectly safe for your birds.
In relation to this, you should also make sure that you also add to the safety of a humidifier by avoiding using any sort of fragrance or oil that can irritate your bird’s respiratory system. Essential oils and other types of fragrances can be beneficial to humans, but they will only raise safety concerns for your birds because of how sensitive a bird’s respiratory system is. As such, avoid using fragrances or oils when you are using a humidifier for your birds.
Noise or lack thereof
Pet birds need peace and quiet whenever they are resting. Anything that makes noise can easily disrupt their sleep because of how sensitive they are. And since you know how lack of sleep can easily increase the bird’s stress level to the point that it can be too detrimental to its overall health, you do not want anything that could disturb its peace whenever it is resting.
In that case, always go for a humidifier that runs silently so that it won’t make a lot of noise that can disrupt your bird’s sleep. A good humidifier should have a quiet mode. You can also go for ultrasonic humidifiers because they actually do not make any sort of noise audible enough to interrupt a bird’s rest.
Cleaning
The best type of humidifier should be something that is so easy to clean to the point that you do not have to put in a lot of effort just to keep it spotless and free of any harmful molds or micro-organisms. Leaving a humidifier dirty inside, especially in its water tank, can leave your bird open to harmful illnesses caused by dirty molds in the air. As such, always see to it that your humidifier is clean. And to make things easier on your part, go for the type of humidifier that is actually easy to clean.
