Rip van Winkle lives! And is going by the psuedonym Percy ;)

[MomtoPercy]

Master has decided that bedtime is no longer his thing and he won't do it no more, thank you and don't let the cage door hit you in he butt on the way out!

He is his normal cutesy, kissy, cuddly, chatty self all afternoon long but he seems to have developed Mentalist skills because the second I start thinking he needs to go to bed, he starts pinning the eyes, flaring the tail, flashing the wings and of course, where that beak lands, you can be assured, there will be blood!

It is becoming a total PITF (pain in the finger due to bites LOL) to get him back in his cage for bedtime. During the day, he goes back without problems if we need him to. We cannot let him sleep on his gym all night because we can't be sure what he will get up to. He's also had a few night frights and if he falls from the gym in the dark, he could get seriously hurt - if the dog (a pug, but still) doesn't eat him first. Remember, he can't fly. He can only flap enough to get him into trouble.

I've tried mixing it up and taking him for a walk before bedtime, playing, whatever - nothing works. He loves his cage and always has lots of toys to play with in there. We also make a point of not caging him as punishment. Even if he bites really hard, I will just say NO and put him on his perch in the cage but not close the door. He comes right back out and starts chirping how sorry he is

Any tips please?

 

[PetoftheDay]

Do you have an established routine - like "bed time is *always* 8 p.m.? That sometimes help, but bless you in the meantime, getting through the adjustment! My fingers feel your pain!

 

[Birdman666]

Well, I was never one to allow birds to bite me.

"Time for bed." Means time for bed, no arguing. You can step up nice, and go to bed on your own. OR My friend, Mr. Towel, can put you to bed.

It's your choice.

Having said that, mine all sleep out on playstands. I'd be more concerned about the bird eating the pug than the other way around.

 

[Kiwibird]

I agree with bird man. When it's bedtime, Kiwi can climb up on my hand and get kisses and a treat and some time half covered to nibble some seed and settle in OR he can get the stick and straight to bed. Theres no "room for discussion". Rarely does he choose the stick. We have him used to the key phrase "birdie bedtime" so he hears that and understands what is happening.

While you should never punish a bird, being firm and authoritative is necessary when they step out of line. Giving a consistent cue of what is expected (announcing bedtime) in addition to a choice of if they want to go to be nicely and get kisses/cuddles/treats (positive rewards) or the hard way where they get put back like it or not and immediately covered. They're smart little buggers, and they will pick it up FAST.

 

[Birdman666]

We have him used to the key phrase "birdie bedtime" so he hears that and understands what is happening.

ODDLY ENOUGH... My CAG like clockwork every single night FIVE MINUTES BEFORE bedtime will tell ME "It's time for bed!"

Maggie sits on top of her cage, but sleeps in the same corner. Sally sleeps on the tree perch looking out the window. Lila and Tusk sleep at one end of the big playstand. Sweepea wraps herself up in a toy at the other end of the playstand...

MY CAG PUTS THEM TO BED! He tells them time for bed. They go to their spots. I give them each a head scratch and a kiss good night. And when I shut off the lights, Tusk tells ME goodnight.

In the morning, also like clockwork, Tusk also tells me when it is "TIME FOR BREAKFAST!" If I sleep in, every once in awhile I'll get a subtle reminder. "Time for breakfast!"

If I wait too long, my red front is considerably less subtle about it...

And my CAG says: "Sweepea! That's too loud!"

It's actually quite fascinating.

 

[Kiwibird]

Kiwi can't exactly put himself to bed, but he's very used to his 9pm bedtime, and usually starts getting real antsy about 5/10 minutes beforehand, lets out some squawks to let you know he's ready. We go through the whole "it must be birdie bedtime" routine and give him a bunch of kisses while taking him back to his cage. Kiwi likes a little snack before bed, and he likes to sleep in his hut.

His prior owners had no bedtime or routine of any kind, so it was not easy to get him used to the 9pm cutoff, but after a few years, he is well and adjusted to it

 

[JenJen]

Zulu is one to tell me when he's ready for bed by getting excessively chatty (ie: Jenjen? JeeeeenJeeeeen! Jen? Jeeeen! Jen?) Prior to that, whenever it got dark, he would go in his cage and go to sleep. I would joke that he was like an old man because he was in bed by 7pm sharp every night. I guess the only real constant in both scenarios is that Zulu is awfully motivated to go into his home when the room gets dark. Maybe you could try switching off some lights a half hour or so before you plan on putting him up for the night to slowly convince *him* that he wants to go to bed?

JJ

 

[RavensGryf]

Robin hates going to bed (he'd probably stay up til 2am if he could), but I think it's just so auto-programmed into him that all I have to do is say "in", and he'll immediately drop everything and go in with his "in" treat. He knows that "gotobedbedtime" means to go in also. What he absolutely throws a fit over is getting covered. He'll attack the cover like he's killing it every night. He doesn't mind going in his cage, but he hates going to sleep, and he knows what the cover means!

 

[strudel]

My girl seems to be quite animated at night-time. She talks a lot (she's usually very quiet) and when she comes out for a "visit" she's very dancy and hello-y.

Does Percy have anything he really likes that can be reserved for bedtime? My girl loves cashews. I think she'd go "home" for a cashew (but, luckily, she's a good girl and I don't have to push her around, she just does what I tell her she's doing).

 

[MomtoPercy]

We do have an established routine - bedtime is 6.30 sharp. He starts yawning by about 6pm. But now that we are going into winter, it gets darker earlier so maybe that is what tips him off

I did try the "no nonsense" approach and tried to get him to step up on a stick (actually I made my son do it) but that just traumatised the poor baby. I will find a way to handle this. I'm sure there is something I can do, I just have to find it