Steady warmth matters more than high warmth
An African grey does not need a tropical room all winter; it needs a temperature that does not swing. A cage beside a front door, a draughty window or a radiator that cycles between hot and cold exposes the bird to repeated chills and overheating in the same day. Choose the most evenly heated lived-in room, set the cage against an internal wall, and let the bird live at the temperature the household actually maintains overnight, because the coldest hour is usually just before dawn when heating has been off longest.
Guard the long winter night
Greys need a long, dark, uninterrupted sleep, and winter tempts households to keep the bird up under bright lights because the evening feels endless. Cover the cage or use a sleep cage in a quiet room so the bird still gets its full night even while the family watches films next door. Consistent sleep protects mood and immune health in a species prone to feather damaging when it is tired and stressed, and a grey that starts plucking in winter is often a grey whose nights have quietly shrunk.
Dry heating air is the hidden winter problem
Central heating dries indoor air for months, and a grey's skin and feathers show it first: flaky skin, dull feathers, more dander than usual and itchy preening. Regular bathing opportunities through winter, a shallow dish offered in the warmest part of the day or gentle misting in a warm room, help the feathers stay supple. A room humidifier running near, not aimed at, the cage can ease the dryness, provided it is cleaned scrupulously so it does not become a source of mould spores in the bird's air.
Feed and watch weight through the quiet months
A grey that moves less in winter can gain weight on the same diet, while one in a cold spot burns energy just staying warm, so weigh your bird regularly on a perch scale and learn what its normal range feels like through the keel bone. Offer warm, cooked vegetables on cold mornings for comfort feeding that does not load the diet with seed, and keep fresh water from sitting cold and stale by refreshing it through the day. A grey that is fluffed and quiet at the bottom of the cage, breathing with a tail bob or off its food for a day, needs an avian vet promptly; birds hide illness well and winter is not the season to wait and see.
Use the season for health housekeeping
Winter is a practical time for the annual vet check, a review of cage condition, and replacing worn perches and tired toys while the bird spends more hours indoors. Note moult timing, weight trends, bathing preferences and any feather changes as the season passes, because patterns across winters tell you and your vet far more than one visit can. Holding those seasonal records together in your grey's KinsLe Pet Passport means the vet sees the whole winter story, not just the bird on the day.