Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just fnish building this cage for my budgies is it ok if they stay oustide even at night time?

This would depend on a lot of things. I don't see a pic of the cage, did you post one in the gallery?

Okay where are you located or what kinds of temps do you have at night?

How secure is your cage from predators?

Do you live in the country where cats, raccoons, oppossums, etc might try getting at your bird and if not actually able to get to the bird may cause it a great deal of stress? Or are you located in a town or city where you might have to worry about stray dogs/cats or even curious neighborhood children that might accidentally let your bird out?

Personally I would never leave a bird outside overnight, I don't even let them out during the day unless they are supervised but we do have a lot of cats and dogs in our area that I would worry about. I do know of other people and even sanctuaries that have outdoor enclosures for their birds where they stay overnight and sometimes even year round so a lot would depend on how you answer the above questions.

no i didnt post any pics up i dont have a camera..i live in fremont ca right now that its almost winter season the lowest is prolly 40 and there is no predators around my neighborhood which is good

40 is quite cool for the birds. Birds can survive more extreme temperatures than people give them credit for but I personally don't like mine to get below 60-65 F. Usually our heat or cooling is set right around 68-72 but this is not a "must" for anyone. If there are no predators (even hawks and many other large birds can be predators) etc then I imagine it would be safe as long as your cage is really secure and as long as you watch out for temperature extremes, the same would go if it got too hot in the summer. Not sure how hot it gets in your area of CA since I am in the cold midwest but just use good sense. If it seems too cool for you it is probably too cool for your birds and if it seems too hot for you again it is probably too hot for them. If your birds have been very used to set temperatures and always being indoors I would try to acclimate them slowly to make sure it does not cause too much stress to them.

well my birds r used to it since i used to bring them outside all the time and yeah i have a windbreaker so yeah thank u, u guys have been really helpful MaryNY and PHIggysbirds

I would also add, do you have a windbreak up? For many birds, it isn't the air temp, it's the wind. Our first budgie came to us. It had been living outside and eating with our ducks. We caught it and brought it in. I have no idea how long it had been out. I had first heard it in late spring. We have no idea where it came from, but it was doing fine in western NY's early spring (early spring her ranges from 80 degrees down to snow. It's not unusual for people to wear shorts and winter boots.)
Our poultry have an outside shed, unheated except for over their water bowls. We've never lost any to the temperature, but we do keep them in on windy days. (They have an enclosed shed and an outside enclosure.)

Thanks Mary! I didn't think of mentioning that. You are definitely right in that it is usually the drafts or winds that cause respiratory problems instead of temperature alone. Our outside cages are in a fenced in area with a high fence where the wind is at least mostly blocked so it didn't even cross my mind to mention this besides the fact they are in when it is cooler.