His foot is very cold!

[Brittany0208]

As I'm cleaning up Java's cage after breakfast, I pick him up to give him a chance to scratch his head. Prior to picking him up, I noticed his foot was pretty pink and raw-looking, so after I let him scratch his head, I started to put him back in the cage when I felt his foot. It's so cold! My room is relatively warm and the space heater is facing him. I'm going to put him on his heated cushion after I clean his cage. How can I keep his foot from getting cold throughout the night?

 

[Tanya]

Having cold feet can be very normal for a bird. Many species have something called "countercurrent circulation" in their legs to maintain body temperature in cool environments. See Temperature Regulation and Behavior for more details.

Rhubarb's feet are cool, cold or hot depending on what she's been doing just before I pick her up.

Cold = Recently played in her water bowl or ate a large meal (may be blood rushing to her stomach?)

Cool = Normal activity level such as swinging toys and chewing cork

Warm = Tucked up foot for nap or higher activity level of beating the snot out of toys or upside down push-ups on boing

Hot = Emotionally excited or hard exercise, such as a long fly (radiates away excess body heat)

 

[Brittany0208]

Having cold feet can be very normal for a bird. Many species have something called "countercurrent circulation" in their legs to maintain body temperature in cool environments. See Temperature Regulation and Behavior for more details.

Rhubarb's feet are cool, cold or hot depending on what she's been doing just before I pick her up.

Cold = Recently played in her water bowl or ate a large meal (may be blood rushing to her stomach?)

Cool = Normal activity level such as swinging toys and chewing cork

Warm = Tucked up foot for nap or higher activity level of beating the snot out of toys or upside down push-ups on boing

Hot = Emotionally excited or hard exercise, such as a long fly (radiates away excess body heat)

Oh wow! I've never heard of this. I hope that's the case. Thank you

 

[d_msparkles]

That's very interesting! I've noticed Waffle's feetsies alternating between chilly and very warm and I never knew why. She seemed to be acting normal so I never thought much about it.

 

[faislaq]

Warm = Tucked up foot for nap

In the morning when Luv Bug first comes out of her cage I can always tell which foot she was perched on because it's noticeably cooler than her toasty, tucked up foot. But if she's been napping on hubby's knee they're equally warm.

 

[Dartman]

Nerd bird was growling and biting at the carpet by the door to the small garage at our old house. It was deep winter and the door and garage wasn't sealed up very well and his ankle feathers over his feet were ruffling in the wind blowing under the door. The garage was about 30 degrees out there so that breeze was frigid. I grabbed him up and his feet were ice cold. He was very put out that I stopped his game and he wasn't shivering and never got sick or anything. So I'd also say cold feet isn't always a bad thing if the rest of him is fine. We've noticed the same with Lurch and Dobby, sometimes cold, sometimes toasty warm depending on what and where they've been doing something. The house finch we raised used to love to perch over the table lamps and right on the bulbs and her feet got HOTbut she never seemed to burn them or get overheated but it explains why most bird love to sit on monitors, TVs, and like that, it feels good and warms their cold feet.