Restricting light

[Melscamp]

I adopted 5 budgies, 3 males and 2 females. They are all super horney. I have them in my family room. I get up around 7 and go to sleep around 10. From reading, this is to much light for them. The alternate is moving them in my bedroom which has no natural light. It's so nice to see them waking up to the sunlight.
I do not want them to procreate and don't want them to go thru egg laying with no nest. It could be heart breaking and traumatic if their instincts are to sit on the eggs. Plus, I'm still the scary hand lady and wouldn't want to take them.
I'd like to cover them at bedtime but read that it acts as a big nest and reinforces breeding. Plus, some light would still get in. And do I have to be completely quiet?
I want them to have amazing, stress free lives so I don't know what to do. Is this a 6 of one, half dozen of another situation?

 

[itzjbean]

My best suggestion is not listed here -- it would be to separate the males from the feamels and keep the two genders in separate cages.

This is the best option for you without having to worry about them mating, pairing, becoming aggressive, nesting, laying eggs...and then you don't have to worry so much about their light schedule. It is a factor with hormone-driven birds, yes, but not the only one to consider, so again I strongly suggest you get another cage and put the males next to females in side by side cages. Lots of people keep budgies separated this way to prevent this very thing.

 

[Melscamp]

I have 2 bonded pairs so it seems mean to separate them. The third male joins one of the pairs sometimes too. It's only the alpha male that is a jerk sometimes. I'll research separating bonded pairs. Thanks for the suggestion itzjbean.

 

[fiddlejen]

I don't think that covering the cage at night for sleeping reinforces breeding. I think the problem is if there are spaces within the cage that are covered & dark then those look like nests. A cover on the Outside of the cage just means security; its safe to sleep. As long as the cover is cage-darkening, then it also means nighttime-go-to-sleep. And I think that more hours of darkness tells birdie that it's Not-breeding season.

For me, my first action with your situation would be to cover them at night with darkness covers.

 

[Melscamp]

I think the cage is big enough that covering them should be ok. They are all just so happy together, separating them send like a last resort. I didn't even want to consider it. Thanks Jen

 

[SailBoat]

I have given-up on trying to set in place a false schedule enforced by our Human life style. Our Parrots, like it or not, exist best in a natural Sunlight driven schedule year around. This assures that there is only one Hormonal Season, which is easier on them.

In a multi-generational home, it is very possible to have it operating very near 24 hours a day in active noise and light. Even a home that has a single Human can have a random schedule over any given week.

It is truly not that difficult to darken the home as the Sun naturally sets and lighten it up as the Sun naturally rises. Adjusting background noise is just as easy. In fact, one quickly comes to the reality that outside noise very closely follows this schedule.

Yes, covering the cage will help greatly, but the home needs to follow a like schedule. You will find that your Parrots are happier and that your sleep patterns will also be more consistent.

Hoping that controlling light will limit or eliminate breeding is like hoping for warm water in Lake Superior in February.

 

[fiddlejen]

Also, how big is the cage?