bed time

[CathyJr]

Ive been having trouble with my Hannah Bo going in her cage at bed time, First I go to my Cockitiels cages and cover them up and say good night to them, then i go to Hannahs cage and tell her its bed time its time to go in the cage. for a long time its been a fight to get her to go in , but the last two nights she has just went in no problem , I hope it lasts.

[Shelly Yokum]

Oh good luck. Val totally refuses to go to bed. She can be a sweet heart all day, and will fly, bite, do what ever she can to prolong her bed time. I have it easier putting the boy to bed.

[Luvparrots]

I have trouble getting Ana Grey, the Tag, to bed. She will go into the birdroom and sit on a perch on her cage but when I try to step her up to go in her cage.... off she flies. Sometimes I have switch off the lights in the room and then there is no problem stepping her up in the semi-darkness. Now Louie, the Zon, and Sterling, the Cag, are sweethearts at bed time.

[CathyJr]

I just hope it becomes a habit with her.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Bedtime, is bedtime! While we have " open cage", if they walk out past 8pm... I put them back in their cage. Tell them... Shhhh... bedtime! I don't cover their cage, but their room is dark, and their is no stimulation. My birds are all ten years old. Bedtime, was established eight years ago. They go to bed, at 8pm. Nancy

[chezron]

Pancho, the amazon, steps up no problem and goes right to bed. Jimpster, the quaker, puts himself to bed really early. Now Brutus is another story!

He HATES to go to bed and will do almost anything to avoid being separated from us. The only solution is turning off ALL the lights, so he can't see, then I can pick him up and put him to bed.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

It is hard, as parronts. how to establish bedtime routine. Decide on the time for bed, stick to your guns. Some like to cover the cage. Make sure the room is quiet. I personally don't cover the cage. The room is dark, and their is no stimulation of any kind. What I did for my kids, I did the same thing for my birds. If they cried, I got up, went and reassured them, snuggled them, and put them back to bed. Repitition is important, as well as letting them know, you will keep them safe.

Twelve years later.... my gang puts themselves to bed. Of course, once in awhile, someone may have a nightmare... call for me during the night. Of course I am there if they need me. They all know that. There is no doubt in their minds. Nancy

[chezron]

Nancy,

 

You sound like a good mommy!

[katana600]

I can relate to your frustration, but with our first parrot, Java. She is the one to fly through the house screeching like a banshee when it is bed time. Fortunately she grew out of that. She is five now. We have a routine, I turn off certain lights and progress until I get to the last lamp by their cages. This is when I spend some time with her, then give her an almond and take Gilbert out for his close time and night night snuggle. He can hardly wait to clamor into the cage to get an almond. The only time I give them food is inside their cages so it has become their habit to hurry in to get their treats. I was lucky when Gilbert came to us that he already was set in his ways. He prefers to go to bed right around eight pm and asks "Ready to go night night?" and regales us with "Sweet Dreams". He has been a huge help in training Java. I hope your new routine with Hannah Bo gets better and better to make it more pleasant as you part company for the night.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

chezron... you as well! two out of three! lol you'll get there with the youngest challenge. Its a given... just a new challenge! Nancy

[Morana]

I always praise really abundantly when Zak gets into the cage so he does it now without problem. If he won't come in, I don't push it. I do something else for a minute or two then I come back and try again. usually it is enough. If I have to go in a hurry, and he won't go inside I put fresh fruit or something he likes best and off he goes;-) So he gets positively reinforced every time he goes into the cage..

Best luck! ;-)

[CathyJr]

Thanks for all your responses , Hannah is getting better at going in her cage.

[Morana]

She has such a beautiful name:)

[chimaysmommy]

Chimay has a separate sleeping cage in a different room. Usually when he sees the sun going down he will go through his usual dusk-time whistles and chatter. Once it's dark out, he lets out a very specific whistle that he only uses at bedtime which I have interpreted to mean "let's go mommy it's time for bed!" lol. I find that in instances where he needs to go to bed earlier (daylight savings changes for example) I have to manipulate the light in the room that the "flock" is in, namely me, Chimay and my fiancé. We darken the room, lower the tv volume, lower our voices and he follows suit. Within 20 mins he's all puffed up and doing his sleepy time whistle.

 

Another note, and I'm not sure if this is just Chimay's quirky little personality, but I will sometimes put warm water in his sleepy cage rather than cold or room temp. Seems to have a calming effect, almost like tea or warm milk would have on us.