Budgies are native to Australia’s warm and dry plains, where temperatures are 70-100 degrees Fahrenheit.
So, budgies are well-suited to 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit, which is found in most homes. It’s usually cold weather that kills budgies, as their small and lean bodies lack the means to stay warm.
Cold weather can kill budgies once the temperature falls below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Budgies get colder at night when the temperature drops, but the risk of hypothermia can be reduced by moving the cage to a draft-free room, putting a cover over the cage, and providing a heat lamp.
Even if a budgie doesn’t die in the cold, prolonged exposure to low temperatures is harmful. It can compromise a budgie’s immune system, reduce its appetite, lead to inactivity, and cause hypothermia.
Do Budgies Get Cold at Night?
No matter where you’re located, temperatures will drop at night. However, this will be more or less extreme depending on the local climate and the time of year.
Budgies get colder at night. As long as the temperature drop isn’t extreme, they can usually cope. After all, a budgie’s nightly routine often includes:
- Perching on one foot, so the other can stay tucked into its feathers and retain warmth
- Puffing up its feathers as insulation from the cold
- Huddling together in groups to share warmth, if the budgie has cage mates
When the temperature of the room is below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, a budgie will be uncomfortable. Elderly and sick birds are more likely to be adversely affected by a cold snap.
You can remedy the situation by placing a blanket over the cage at night. Also, if the cage is near a window or exposed to a draft, consider moving it to a warmer place.
Can Budgies Get Too Cold?
You’ll know that a budgie is too cold when it stops being as active or engaged.
It’ll appear to nap more than usual by standing one on food, holding still, and puffing up its feathers for long periods during the day.
Budgies routinely exposed to temperatures outside their ideal range may get sick. This happens if your budgie is kept in a room that’s consistently at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
According to Food Australia, budgies migrate to avoid colder temperatures and find more abundant food sources. Because they’re native to Australia, they travel north of the equator to warmer climates.
How Cold Can Budgies Tolerate?
Budgies can tolerate limited exposure to the cold, naturally evolving creative ways to cope with temperatures below 70 degrees.
However, as temperatures get closer to 60 degrees and lower, budgies become increasingly unable to tolerate the cold weather. These temperatures can be harmful to such small birds, which only have so much bodyweight and feathers to use when generating heat.
In lower temperatures, a budgie’s immune system will slow down. This can make it vulnerable to sicknesses, diminish its activity levels, and reduce its appetite.
Can Budgies Survive Cold Weather?
There are occasions when wild budgies survive cold weather, usually when they don’t migrate in time. According to Watchbird, budgies have been found tunneling under soft snow to access water.
Normally, temperatures below 60 degrees are more likely to kill a budgie.
It’ll become less energetic if a budgie is exposed to uncomfortably low temperatures. This is intended to preserve energy for essential body heat production.
So, budgies can sometimes survive in cold weather, but they won’t thrive. They’ll be uncomfortable, distressed, inactive, and may grow ill.
How Do Budgies Keep Warm?
Budgies have developed ways to stay warm during cold weather, including:
Huddling Up
Budgies are flock animals that live together in large groups of up to 100 birds. They often huddle together during the winter months to exchange body heat and keep each other warm.
Puffing Feathers
Budgies retain warmth by puffing up their feathers. Since their plumage is insulating, they can trap some of the body heat they produce.
Standing On One Leg
Because their legs release so much heat through their thin skin, budgies often lift one leg and tuck it into their feathers. This enables them to stay warm while they perch.
Staying Active
Since budgies are small birds with fast metabolisms, they need to remain active throughout the day to stay warm. This activity may include playing with other budgies and grooming.
During cold weather, budgies may remain active and flit around constantly to prevent their body temperature from dropping too low.
Once the temperatures drop severely, though, the budgie will do its best to retain warmth by hunkering down and limiting its activity.
Did My Budgie Die from the Cold?
During the winter months, you wake up to find your budgie dead in its cage. It’s natural to wonder if the cold killed your budgie, but various issues can cause sudden death.
To narrow down if it was the cold, consider the budgie’s behavior in the last days of its life.
Lack of Activity
If your budgie can’t tolerate the cold, it’ll show signs of weakness and diminished movement.
This is most often due to its compromised immune system and slowed metabolism, reducing the amount of energy your budgie can expend during the day.
Lack of Appetite
If your budgie wasn’t feeding well in the days leading up to its death, this is another sign that it might have died from the cold.
Sleeping Too Much
If the budgie was sleeping during the day, it might indicate that it died from the cold.
Due to a lack of energy, the budgie might have taken more naps to recuperate. Also, it may have puffed up and held still in a way that looked like sleep, but it was awake.
Shaking or Loss of Balance
Did you notice your budgie shivering or trembling in the days before death? This could be compounded by a loss of balance and coordination.
You may have found it on the bottom of the cage more often than usual. This could indicate it was disoriented by the ill effects of the cold or hypothermia.
How To Keep Budgies Warm
Here are some ways to warm up budgies:
- Turn up the heating when temperatures plummet
- Ensure that the windows are shut at all times
- Don’t keep your budgie in a drafty room
- Get a bird-safe heating lamp
- Cover the cage at night with a fleece blanket
- Provide extra food for energy
Budgies can die due to continued exposure to cold weather. To keep your budgie at a comfortable temperature, maintain a warm environment and keep your budgie well-fed during the winter.
