Enough sleep - sleep cage?

tuki

Regular Member
Hi all,


Have been wondering whether our conure, Charlie, is getting enough sleep and if this could be one of the causes of his biting?


His cage is in our living room (which faces the street), so that he can feel like part of the family even when he is not out of his cage. It is not next to a window but against a wall close to the window so that he can also partly look out on the street and see whats going on. However, we live on the main street in our part of town, and it can get quite busy at times with traffic from early in the morning, the occasional ambulance, etc. And I'm wondering if this noise will be keeping him awake?


We cover his cage with a blanket for the night, usually at around 9-10pm, but we are often up longer than that, watching a film, etc. and he doesn't seem to be settling down until the room is silent, which most of the days doesn't happen until about 11-12 ish. We are up again the next day at around 7-7.30 and keep the door to the living room closed, to give him some peace and quiet while we get the kids off to school etc. But even so he seems to be awake early and I can hear him making little noises under his blanket, sometimes even before we get up. 


As I can tell from other people's opinions on sleep, he is definitely not getting enough, especially since he's still only 6 months old. So, I'm wondering if the best solution would be to get him a separate sleep cage and put him in our youngest son's room for the night, which faces the garden and is more quiet? 


Could anyone tell me how they use their sleep cage and if this has been beneficial to your bird?


How big does it need to be? Should we make sure he gets to know it before making him sleep in it? Does it need toys or better just plain with no "distractions"?


Thanks in advance for your always great advice! :)


Kat
 
This is very interesting and I shall like to know what members think.


No doubt he naps during the day time like they all do.
 
This is something that concerns me too. I have 2 Sennies in seperate cages and both are in the living room. I am usually an early riser getting up around 05.00 sometimes and of course when I am up and moving about the birds are awake. But, I often dont go to bed until the middle of the night. (this morning it was 05.00 I went to bed). So they dont get 12 hours of unbroken sleep, however, with me sometimes getting less than 4 hours a night I do like my siesta and can doss off for 2 hours or so and other times when I am in here I often see the birds sleeping with their heads turned round and resting on their backs so, all in all I would say mine get at least 10 hours sleep although it is not 12 hours solid.


I dont know if it affects behaviour but hope and believe it will be enough to keep the birds healthy. I am not so sure on a sleeping cage and think a bird would feel more at ease in a cage that it knows and can relax in easier. Make sure you have at least one perch high up as that is where birds like to go for sleeping.
 
May I just  say if you start with a 'sleeping cage' it will be something you have to continue and at times it may not be convenient for you all as a family.
 
It will be interesting to hear what others think.....but as Pyrrhura conures aren't Equatorial birds generally, their instinctive body clocks may not be as rigid as say Amazons.


we have a blue crowned conure (25 years) he won't settle in his cage even with a cover on....so our birds (we have an Amazon as well) go to bed at between 10-10:30 and if we want to carry on watching tv, do so elsewhere. They get up around 8...but the conure is always up and munching away, before then, especially if we are moving around. The Amazon tends to wait until he is uncovered. The conure naps during the day. Have never bothered too much about it as am sure he used to sleep during the day when we both used to be out at work everyday...he naps now, but then he's quite an old chap for his type. 
 
Do have a sleeping cage motivated in tackling Willow's plucking. Went from covering to a black out room, have read and do myself that Greys don't need the 12 mine work on 9.5-10.


Can't say it has produced a solid sleep. Still take a while to calm down, will try for half an hour to get someone. Also can't completely dedicate pure silence else where so have to sneak into bed seem partially awake and will try the occasional flock call.


Being Greys just a base off, will say you can tell when Hickory hasn't had enough, she does become less tolerant. Those days she's called ratty knickers. Will snuggle up for a little shut eye.


As for size Hickory more often ends up in the lge travel cage. I had to split mine at night time for fear of drama rewarding, due to the odd squabble and Hickory jumping to the bottom.


Still use it but honestly can't say it's made sure they get a solid sleep. Sleep cages are pretty bare, just water and perches with the odd bit of millet legacy from Willows plucking.


So whilst sleeping cage was a factor in stopping his behavioural problem. Not only a grey but I also don't buy into own a parrot get bit. Never been bit even when wrestling with a towel into a feather teather. Taught mine from an early age what is acceptable mouthing. I never play with the beak with hands, used for tickles and step up. If Hickory nips she'll even put her self away sometimes. I wouldn't accept a toddler biting every one so didn’t accept a parrot. So for your specific problem can't help but was a factor highly doubt the main contributor though.


For sure been tested my opinion is a lot of times the bite is rewarded. My mum started teaching mine by stopping step up when they nipped. If biting gets the reward why will it stop. Sometimes the reward is drama, noise is fun time they don't know oww means it hurts. I taught gentle and nicely from early days.
 
Our Charlie seems to be a very energetic wee conure, he's always playing about in his cage when he is not out and seems to very rarely sit still. I definitely dont think he naps during the day, and if he does it won't be more than 5-10 min. We work from home so can keep an eye on him when he's in his cage, but I have honestly never seen him sit with his head tucked into his wings. 


Maybe its cause he's still very young?  He isn't the type to sit and have a nap with us either, even if we are sitting still. His favourite place is on a finger or hand but he would rather play about than take a nap, it seems ;) Maybe its like you said, TomsMum, they just dont need as much sleep?


I've read some older posts about sleep cages, so hopefully some of you who use them will come on and tell us bit about your pros and cons! :)
 
Hi guys,


Would still be great to hear from any of you who have experience with sleep cages! 


Hope you can find a minute to give your opinion! Thanks so much!


Kat
 
Hi Kat


Well I cannot help you there as my birdies just sleep in their usual cages.


I cannot see the advantage of a sleep cage if I'm honest. :dntknw:


Your little chap must be getting enough sleep .
 
The only thing I can think is that Parrots like to roost at night. Alfie wont sleep in his cage unless he is on his roosting perch at the top of the cage- I suppose it makes them feel safe and secure.What type of cage did you have in mind? I know a travel cage would be no good for Alfie as he would be too low to the floor and wouldn't settle. 


I have never really given a sleeping cage much thought- Alfie has late nights and early mornings but naps during the day. If your house is quiet during the day (children in school/ adults at work) he may nap to make up for it?
 
Hi, missed this first time around.


we have a black out cover as Ruby goes to bed when we do, about 12 at night.  If she went to bed earlier, she'd hardly see us.  So no unbroken 12 hours for her but I do know she naps during the day.


behaviour wise, she's always a happy little girl.  She does bite but I think it's her way of communicating to us what she doesn't like.  We've just been through the terrible twos too and that seems to be passing now.  What does make her grumpy, is over stimulation.  So we don't tend to over fuss her, just let her come to us if she wants company.  In the evening, she sits on her Java tree and there are times there when she will sit quietly resting.  


So although she doesn't have the uninterrupted sleep she should, I don't think it is affecting her.  Your Charlie could be biting because it's what parrots do.
 
Its not the sleep that is making your bird use his beak t is the nature of a lot of conures especially if they want attention or they are telling you off.  I normally hold the top beak and calmly say no to mine if they start to nip.  if they wanted to bite they will rip the skin and cause bleeding but the shape of the beak can be like a pin hole that bleeds but these nips are not intended to cause harm although we fill them in a slightly painful way.  conures are rough players even with other conures and this is the natural behaviour but they can be trained away from this habit.
 
A sleep cage???? Ok lost me..... 


My birds sleep in their cages that they use as per normal when i am not in.  They have their cages in dining room which isn't a dining room any more its their room minus everything human!! They each have a roosting perch the highest perch within the cage that they choose to sleep on and at their bedtime then cages are covered the lights are then dimmed they get themselves settled and then its lights out and they are not disturbed until the next day.


Have to have you explain what this sleep cage is just in case its some new fan-dangled thing ... or is it some new fad that peeps are coming up with  :dntknw:  
 
I used to have different cages my birds slept in, in the old place we lived they were all in the lounge and we like to stay up late watching tv or reading most nights so I would put my lot in different cages in another room so they could get a decent undisturbed sleep, it was fine they all new the routine and had no issues, here we don't do that and have got rid of my spare cages now as we have a bird room and the birds in the lounge get left alone as we can go upstairs (we used to live in an annexe with no upstairs)
 
oh that's what they are .... my lot have their normal cages as their night time cages and they are in the dining room which is through from the living room but living alone, rarely ever have visitors and never in the evenings and i don't watch tv (its another rare thing in this house to have it) they go off to bed and settle themselves down and that usually end of game plan for the night.... i say usually as Henni sometimes has midnight snacks i hear her climb down say hello when she peeps under her cover to look at me then you hear a bit of rustling and a few things getting scoffed and then she tootles off back to bed lol


I sit with a night light on besides me that doesn't cast light as such into their area will go off upstairs in about 15 minutes and the light down here will be off :)  snoozy bedtime birdies
 
Kobe has always had a sleep cage since he was a baby.  I stay up very late and I was worried he wouldn't get enough sleep.  I put him to bed in my bedroom and join him later - still do.  Ollie came along and since he wasn't tame I couldn't very well transfer him to a sleep/travel cage.  Then Chico and Bobbie arrived.  Kobe is the only one who gets most sleep, yet is the most "aggressive" of the four of them. 


In the wild there is always the fear of predators... they can feel the slightest vibrations through their feet to warn them, so I am assuming they don't get 12 straight hours.  Young 'uns are usually more active than when adult.  I would say that if your Conure needed more sleep he'd take more naps during the day.


This is Kobe in his night cage.  It's just a travel cage with one rope perch, one soft toy and right now he has some fleece snuggles at each end of the perch instead of the cotton hideaway you can see in the pic:





You could try a night cage and see if it makes a difference.  The plus side is that there should be no hesitation in the future about going into a travel cage to the vet if need be!
 
Thanks for the explanation Roz and the lovely picture, thank you little Kobe very kind of you to to pose for us :)  
 
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Thanks for all the replies guys and sorry I havent been around lately! 


we've not gone through with the sleep cage after all but are now shutting the door to the living room for an hour here and there during the day, in between being out with us, to make sure he will get some extra rest and no noise, so he can take a nap if he wants to :)  Seems to be working out alright like this and yes, he still bites, so I'm guessing its just a parrot thing and not due to lack of sleep ;) 
 
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