Cage cover vs curtains?

[U2Chloe]

I have a 15 year old female umbrella cockatoo, Chloe. Chloe's cage is in an upstairs room with gauzy curtains on the windows. I don't have a sleeping cage or a cage cover for her, and that's mostly because of my weird work schedule. I work nights so I leave the house at 4pm and get home just before 6am. I felt like that was too long of a time to leave her "asleep". DH doesn't get along with the bird so he can't/won't physically transport her to a sleeping cage at a later bedtime on the days I work (and doesn't interact with her when I'm not home). I think cars driving by are throwing lights on the walls and that is startling her, cause sometimes when I'm downstairs late at night I can hear her suddenly flutter her wings as a car goes by.

My question is, would it be better for her to have a cage cover and just be covered for 14 hours of the day, or would it be more helpful to put heavier curtains up that will be drawn 14 hours of the day. Or some combination...partially drawn curtains with a partially covered cage, for example. What do you guys think?

 

[QuackQuack]

Everyone is probably going to weigh in differently on this topic, but I don't cover my current two. My first parrot that I ever had needed to be covered because disturbances like someone going to the bathroom or getting a midnight snack were too disruptive. My current two are right by a big window and when it dims they put themselves to bed and they stay quiet until about 9 or 10ish. You could try a few things and see what works for you.

 

[Riio]

Maybe some thicker curtains so the car lights don't bother her, but if your afraid of leaving her in the "dark" to long, what about a light that is maybe on a timer. You could draw the curtains before you leave and have the sun lamp on and a timer to turn it off later in the evening. Then when you come home in the morning open her curtains up. Just a thought! Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[KatherineI]

Maybe some thicker curtains so the car lights don't bother her, but if your afraid of leaving her in the "dark" to long, what about a light that is maybe on a timer. You could draw the curtains before you leave and have the sun lamp on and a timer to turn it off later in the evening. Then when you come home in the morning open her curtains up. Just a thought! Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

I think that this is your best solution. Your bird is older (although I don't know how long you've had her) and not every bird can adjust to being covered. Some actually hate it. I personally think 14hrs is slightly too long to be "in the dark" because in their natural habitat, it wouldn't be dark that long anyway. If Chloe isn't already covered at night, it might not go so well for her. My Loki hates being covered with a passion and is quite nasty if he gets covered. It took us about a week to figure out that that was his problem; we stopped covering him and all is (pretty much) well.

I also suggest thicker curtains, and as Riio said, draw them before you leave for work. Put a lamp on a timer and then she won't have to be in the dark for too extended of a period.

 

[MikeyTN]

Here's what I do with my birds and ones that freak over headlights. I leave a night light on for my birds every night and a timer that turns their day light on. I have no night fright issues and I didn't replace my curtains.