Birdie bedtime?

[Aquila]

Re: Bed time for birdies

Now's the time of year to get some of those light timers, they have tons of them with the christmas stuff. It really helps when you want to turn the lights on at say, 4:30 as it's getting dark, if you're not going to be home at that time. Don't buy the cheapies like I did because both of mine broke and got stuck, though I reset it each time and it still works fine for a while.

 

[Mimsy01]

Re: Bed time for birdies

I'm home most of the time, so I just go with it. My birds go to bed at sun down and are up at sunrise. So winter months they sleep a lot more and in the summer they are awake a lot more. I notice my birds don't really nap during the day ever though. If I worked outside the house during their awake time I'd probably change their schedule by artificial lighting.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Re: Bed time for birdies

Plum seems to have a consistent 12 hours each night approx 8 til 8 all year round. Was a little confused when the clocks changed here but fine now if I can get a light on before it actually goes dark.

 

[EdgesofTwilight]

Re: Bed time for birdies

Yeah Cosmo tends to sleep 12 hours as well. Just wondering if I should alter his schedule with lighting. When it was light out he would go to bed around 8. He's always up when I open the door hearing it creak in the am when I come home from work. Working 3rd shift is tough because I have to sleep during a portion of his up time. But I try to give him at least 4 hours of out of the cage play time on the playstand and riding around hanging of my shoulder and shirt while I do chores.

 

[Jerseyjeff62]

Don't cover but the cage gets closed at 9:30pm weekends a little later

 

[plumsmum2005]

Re: Bed time for birdies

Yeah Cosmo tends to sleep 12 hours as well. Just wondering if I should alter his schedule with lighting. When it was light out he would go to bed around 8. He's always up when I open the door hearing it creak in the am when I come home from work. Working 3rd shift is tough because I have to sleep during a portion of his up time. But I try to give him at least 4 hours of out of the cage play time on the playstand and riding around hanging of my shoulder and shirt while I do chores.

Shifts are tough, on you and your birds. Plum used to allow me some time in bed then just shout for me continuously. If I don't manage to put a light on before dark now he will settle down. I give him some time to re-adjust with low lights at firstand he's fine usually - sometimes get a "wanna go bubbyes" but I just tell him it's not time yet and all's then fine. Phew lol!

 

[EdgesofTwilight]

Cosmo is really good about letting me sleep. He doesn't start making noise till he hears me up. I try to wake up by noon so I can give him quality out of the cage time before it gets dark and he wants to sleep. I could maybe sleep a little later and keep him up till I leave for work. I have a couple of full spectrum CFL bulbs. I just need to find some fixtures for them. Hanging one over his cage won't be hard, but his playstand is about a foot away from the ceiling.

 

[flyingron]

Bacca gets her bed time story (Good Night, Sammy with the words changed to Bacca). She reads along. If she wants to go to bed before we normally do this she'll start making the words for the story (one like is "Kickety Kick" which she loves to say). One night we were late putting her to bed and she hopped down and walked over to the stairs leading to where her cage is as if to tell us she was going to bed whether we came down or not.

Doesn't take long after the cover goes on the cage until she is oblivious. 30 minutes later I can play the piano in the same room or people can call her name and she won't make a sound. Early in the morning she'll start peeping when she's ready to come out.

Bedtime is typically 8PM. She gets breakfast usually around 7AM.

 

[caiquehead]

Kiki, my caique, really got muddled with the time change. It starts getting dark at 4:00 here in Montreal. Ugh! I turn on all the lights in the living room and dining room (his full spectrum over the cage was programmed to come on at 11:00 am and turn off at 2:00 pm, mimicking the highest light level in his natural environment. His preferred time to start snoozing was 7:00 pm, and by 7:30 pm, I had a really tough time convincing him to come out for his medications. Cuddles after meds, back in cage at 8:00 and covers on, three sides only. Full cover at 8:30 pm. Was always very quiet in morning if I wanted to sleep late. But since his meds needed to be given every 12 hours, I would uncover at 7:00 am, say hi, tell him he was gorgeous and give meds at 7:30 am. Then it was brekkie time.

 

[Taprock]

Maybe we need to make some changes here. Buzz has been with us over two weeks and I can say I have only seen him sleeping once. I'm concerned he's not getting enough and it is adding to his plucking situation. Do birds need quiet after they are covered to fall asleep?

 

[BridgetsFlame]

Atti goes to sleep at dusk, but in winter he wakes up with the sun and in summer he wakes up a couple of hours after sunrise, he's determined to get his twelve hours and is the grumpiest old man if anything interrupts his sleep. I don't cover him, he's in front of a window and just follows the natural light patterns, I try to avoid using the light in his room at all. He does sleep in a breeding box year round so he has somewhere dark to retreat to.

If I'm still in bed when Atti wakes up he quietly amuses himself till he hears me moving around the house, at which point I am summoned to wait upon his majesty.

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

I feel like a bad dad...to be honest..Kyleigh is put up around 10PM.. I feed her a morning feeding around 7..then she normally sleeps off and on during the day until I get home.

 

[Anansi]

I feel like a bad dad...to be honest..Kyleigh is put up around 10PM.. I feed her a morning feeding around 7..then she normally sleeps off and on during the day until I get home.

Nah. It's pretty much the same here. Sometimes even a little later. But my birds have adapted.

In addition to their uninterrupted sleep time, mine obviously nap during the day. And they don't get stressed about exact schedules and routines, either. But some birds apparently do. (I've always been fortunate with mine in that regard.) If mine did have trouble adjusting, however, I'd make changes for the sake of their health.

As is, Jolly is very good about letting me know when he's DONE. He'll just up and fly back to his cage. Hard message to miss. Hahaha!

Maya, on the other hand, would stay up all night with me if ever I let her. She'll go into her cage when I ask her to, but never without one short, and loud, cry of protest. Makes me feel guilty for putting her to bed every night. Smh.

 

[plumsmum2005]

My friend's Galah was plucking and one of the changes she made in an effort to stop it was to bedtime. He has a large cage in the main living area and now goes to bed in a smaller cage in an upstairs room and is given approx 12 hours. Thankfully he has been much happier since and asks to go 'beddybyes' when he's ready. No more plucking either. I note that mine rests for several hours before actually going to sleep. Another thing is they do take a little while to adjust to normal house noises - we have a fan outlet that rattles when it's windy for example and they both ignore it now.

 

[flyingron]

Bacca sort of naps during the day. She'll get real quiet and be standing on one foot on the perch. She'll perk up if I call her or tap on the perch but otherwise she's zoned out.

 

[Jessw931]

So I've read a ton of online info. But curious as to real owners advice! What time do you "put" your macaws to bed? When it gets dark? When they want to? Currently we keep Sammi up most nights until 8:00/8:30 and she usually sleeps till about that time in morning. Is this average normal? Sometimes she gets a lot crankier, such as today and went to bed around 6:30, but I have a feeling I'll be up bright and early with her ��

Also how many of your birds nap during day? Sammi doesn't but not sure if we should be letting her?

 

[Scott]

While I believe bed-time and wake-up ought to mirror the natural cycle of the season, it is just not possible, particularly during the truncated winter months.

I never cover their cages, just a matter of turning the lights off and shutting the window coverings. Most of the parrots in the "bird room" have cage doors open (have to cycle them due to some animosities) and tend to sleep on a large t-stand. During the winter months lights are off around 7pm while they enjoy natural light until about 8:30pm in the summer, so lights are on till about 9:00pm.

Birds in the garage have flight cages, and the garage doors have glass openings to let in ambient light. A street light serves as their "night light." As typical in California homes, my garage never is occupied by cars or other internal-combustion machines - nothing that can effuse harmful odors. Most of us lack basements, so a fully finished garage is a valuable extension of the home square footage.

 

[PrimorandMoxi]

This is how Primor used to sleep, on this perch outside of his cage.

View attachment 15946

But over the last couple of months, around eight O'clock he is ready for bed and as soon as he sees me with his cage cover, he flies to his cage and climbs to one of his perches on the inside to sleep. We leave the cage open, giving him the option but he chooses to stay inside.

 

[Flboy]

My bad! My JoJo goes in about 1030 covered! Normally sleeps till 8. Since I have been working with the rescued flock of lovebirds, I have to start everything at 7 now.

 

[gracebowen]

Jet has recently started refusing to go to bed till I do. I try to get him in cage by 11. It used to be 10 but he just bites me and runs up my arm back to my shoulder. By 11 if I have to I lightly wrap in shirt and cage him. I cover cages. They get uncovered around 9 am. I have partial blackout curtains so it stays fairly dark. I also be as quiet as I can I only ever see Jet sleep when he falls asleep on my shoulder at night while Im watching t v.