K&H heating panels and perches

[MacawMom87]

I didn't even know such a thing existed! How cool! We'll be bringing Gonzo (formerly known as Merlin) in about 2 more months so maybe I'll add one to his condo.

 

[Craftydan]

Good to know that if they do chew through it they won’t be harmed! Thanks for that information
Your second paragraph totally confuses me though… please explain what a wall-wart is.
The wall plates/power points we have cannot be swapped out for something different- it’s illegal because it’s really dangerous. I know that adapters are available for the plugs though I’ve heard many complain that most things used with the adapter plugs burn out pretty fast so it’s not worth buying stuff that’s not straight up wired for our power outlets.
Think if I choose to get one I’ll contact the company or supplier first to find some answers.

A "wall wart" is a nickname for the power adaptors in that form -- they plug directly into the wall and look like the wall has grown a wart. Generally they contain a transformer that steps down the voltage to something safer, and often include some simple electronics to switch the ac to dc power with some filtering and regulation. The prongs that connect to the wall socket on a lot of modern wall warts are on a detachable piece, so the manufacturer can swap those out for the destination country's typical outlet -- this is different than the "travel adaptor" that has one country's socket on one side and another country's plug on the other. More often than not, you order your local version, and the right set of prongs are attached. Sometimes they include multiple countries and you clip on the right one . . . I cant recall which came with the kit I got.

 

[Shezbug]

A "wall wart" is a nickname for the power adaptors in that form -- they plug directly into the wall and look like the wall has grown a wart. Generally they contain a transformer that steps down the voltage to something safer, and often include some simple electronics to switch the ac to dc power with some filtering and regulation. The prongs that connect to the wall socket on a lot of modern wall warts are on a detachable piece, so the manufacturer can swap those out for the destination country's typical outlet -- this is different than the "travel adaptor" that has one country's socket on one side and another country's plug on the other. More often than not, you order your local version, and the right set of prongs are attached. Sometimes they include multiple countries and you clip on the right one . . . I cant recall which came with the kit I got.

Ahhh thank you for that information!!

 

[ktshuttz]

As for the plug, it's just a DC converter -- takes the AC in the walls and steps it down. What's traveling in the wire is lowly 12v like what's running the lights and radio in your car. If the bird damages a wire, you repair/replace the wire -- non-lethal, even to birds

As for regional AC plugs, that part of the wall-wart itself can be swapped to pretty much any AC plug -- the adaptors snap on -- or replaced with any 12v power supply with sufficient wattage (heating elements usually draw a healthy chunk of power, though these don't draw a lot).

The cord itself on ours was broken about half way with a barrel jack connector, and then about 10cm from the jack the remaining 1/2m of cord was encased in a 1/2" steel flex conduit, and shrink-wrapped with a plastic coating. hefty stuff. the big birds might crimp it badly, but they'd have a hard time snipping through it to get to the wire inside.

As far as electrically, as long as the heating controller doesn't fail (and overheat) all the peets and beaks should be safe. Not sure what they're using for thermal regulation -- the perch is potted up pretty well, keeping both bird and users out of the innards -- but considering the intended market, it's neither hard nor expensive to build up a VERY reliable thermal controller that trips off at the right temp, and fails safe (off) when something goes wrong.

Hi! I have had my Ekkie chew through not one, but two cords for her heater pad at this point. It’s the same K&H we’re all discussing. I’m electrically and mechanically inclined; just didn’t have the time to crack it open to repair with a recovering bird. I’m willing now- would you be able to share how you pried the piece open and the gauge of the wire you replaced with? Feel free to shoot me a PM too! Thanks so much.

 

[ktshuttz]

We've used the Snuggle Up heating plates for several years. They've worked perfectly.
For me, the trouble has been protecting the cords, as with anything electrical around birds. I'm electrically inclined so I've been able to to replace the cords a couple of times. I tried putting metal sheathing around the cords but there's always a little bit of exposed cord where it enters the back of the plate. Not sure what can be done about that.

I’m also trying to replace the cord, right where it enters the plate. I’m interested in any suggestions for repair and how to pry open the back plate? I don’t think I have enough room for splicing.

 

[Craftydan]

Hi! I have had my Ekkie chew through not one, but two cords for her heater pad at this point. It’s the same K&H we’re all discussing. I’m electrically and mechanically inclined; just didn’t have the time to crack it open to repair with a recovering bird. I’m willing now- would you be able to share how you pried the piece open and the gauge of the wire you replaced with? Feel free to shoot me a PM too! Thanks so much.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. By "broken" I meant that the wire shipped with a barrel jack connection point about a meter down the wire, not that the wire was damaged.

As far as that repair . . . Ouch. Yeah, that's tight. First things first, I'd pull off the flex sheathing to get to the wire, hopefully getting enough to perform a fair splice. Probably will have to pull the connector off the other end and split the shrink tubing at a minimum. Splice as cleanly as you can -- dont forget the heat shrink.

Next, I'd look at your bar spacing -- that will set a rough minimum thickness for whatever you build up on the other side. Id then consider getting a piece of AL or stainless tubing (bronze would be SOOO much easier, but bad for birdy) that you can slide the cables through and still fit between the bars. Perhaps you can find some lamp pipe in a bird-safe metal? An inch or so will probably do. Slide that over the wire, butt it against the heater block, and tape around it to hold. I'd then pot the tube with thinned epoxy -- pick a slower mix (give yourself some time to work), and mix in a cup with an extra part rubbing alcohol -- it should run like thin syrup, filling the hole well. Clean up what you can then WALK AWAY. JUST WALK AWAY. Give it a full 24 hrs to set.

Slip the sleaveing back on, add on some heat shrink at the joints, reconnect the plugs and . . . Keep your bird away from that wire

 

[faislaq]

We've used the sanded perches with all of our birds. Love them! They're thicker at the base & taper a little towards the tip so your bird can decide how warm he wants his tootsies to be. And like @Mizzely mentioned, the sanded ones are way less slippery than the original grey, but the grit has a smooth, clear coating? of some kind so it's really easy to clean and not sharp on their feet. I've read that since birds' feathers insulate them they might not benefit as much from the snuggle type heater, but they can get heat through their feet more readily. If they get too warm they can move to a thicker part or go to one of their other perches. I usually have the heated perch and one other thick perch at the same height at the top of their cages so either might be chosen equally as a sleeping perch.

We leave the goffins girls' in year round since their night cages are against the wall and they can't reach the cord. We only attach the plug when it's cold out. Bug's favorite sleep perch is actually her XL sanded perch that was a hand-me-down from Buzz. (Hers had quit working but her cage was by a window so we gave his to her and ordered him a replacement.)

Since the boys' cage will be in the middle of the room (and with Burt's history with your faucet) I think I'll thread the entire cord through a PVC pipe that's too large to grip. If I predrill a hole for a long bolt through the pipe, I should be able to secure it to the cage bars like a perch with a nut and some fender washers, right?

 

[JornsBergenson]

I’m also trying to replace the cord, right where it enters the plate. I’m interested in any suggestions for repair and how to pry open the back plate? I don’t think I have enough room for splicing.

I don't remember exactly how, but I took the heaters apart, trimmed back the wire and resoldered them so that the repairs were inside the heater cases. At least I think they were soldered. I'll see if I can dig one of the heaters out of storage and take a picture of the repair.

If you're not handy with electrical stuff, you may be able to find a friend or family member who is. We are not dealing with line voltage here, just 12V DC so there isn't much to worry about from a safety standpoint.

 

[ems08]

Hi! I've been lurking on this forum for a bit and felt I had to finally make an account to share my experience with these products. I had a lovebird, Maddie, from '00- '19 who started losing feathers on her head in '12 and it was eventually confirmed she was PBFD positive. Because of the feather loss (head and neck only) and her occasional infections, she generally needed a warmer environment. I bought her the wall plate warmer and she loved it, but she would often hang on the side of the cage so that she could put a foot on the top of the plate, then switch feet every so often. I thought she needed the perch, since obviously her feet were cold!
I bought the perch version and added it to her cage and she loved it so much. Barely sat on any of her other perches, and after about 3 days of it in her cage I noticed she was sitting on only one foot, which wasn't a typical behavior for her. She had occasional seizures by that point and her balance wasn't great. Lo and behold the pads of her feet got burnt. I caught it early and the perch never felt overly warm to me, so it was just a mild burn and healed on its own in a few days. I think maybe her compromised health meant her circulation was poor and that combined with sitting on it for hours at a time caused the issue. I did not wrap it or do anything to alter the perch. At the vets suggestion I left the wall heater in place, removed the perch, and added a reptile ceramic heating light above her cage.

I have pics of her feet somewhere on my phone I think if you want to see them, but it was really just small reddish splotches on the pads of her toes.

Hope that helps!

 

[je0409]

I have the snuggle up panel and my conure loves it. For a long time she didn't have a cage mate, so she would sleep snuggled up to it. It doesn't get super warm, just enough to be noticeable. I kept it on the back of the cage with a perch running parallel and that became her new sleep perch. I ordered mine off amazon and it came with a metal protector that protected the first half of the cord, but I placed it on the back of the cage and moved the cage up against the wall so she wouldn't be able to get to it just in case. I also check it with my hand once a day to make sure it's not getting too hot. I've had it for about seven months and haven't had a problem with it!

 

[redally]

I’ve heard of heated perches but never bought one because of a bad review I read about a heated perch burning a poor Sun conors feet.

The K&H Pet Products cage warmer is better is you only have one bird. I had a K&H perch which was ok to if you wrap it, I used cotton cord. My eclectus got very angry one winter night when I forgot to turn it on.