This is what I have to deal with at african grey bedtime..

[lovethatgrey]

 

 

[JeffNOK]

Emma is a lovely grey. I'm a new grey parront (3 weeks), so my question may seem naive. Is it necessary for us to make sure our greys are upright on their perches before covering them up for the night? Would it have been a problem for you to just say "nite nite" and cover Emma even if she was not quite settled? I know a lot of parronts have issues getting their fids in their cages at night, but once they are inside, does their posture and postion matter that much? Can they get hurt? Usually my Gracie is in one place when I cover her at night and at another when I greet her in the morning. So far when i put Gracie to bed she is pretty settled, but in the event that she is climbing the walls or hanging from the ceiling, should I make sure she is upright before covering her up? I've heard greys don't see well in the dark--is this the concern?

Edited January 3, 2012 by JeffNOK

[Ziggy2011]

Hi, I was reading through some posts and I saw yours, and seeing Im not that far from once having a 3 week congo. When I had my congo I actually keep him in a shoe box with paper towel because he wasnt strong enough to perch on his own and slept right beside me on my night stand lol. But when he started sleeping in his cage, I usually just tell him "nite nite, sleep time" and he'll still be swinging around or hanging around whistling or whatever but i'm guessing he understand that when his cage gets covered and the lights go off and I put the radio on for him lol he eventually settles down then goes to bed, which then becomes routine. Also when Ziggy was just beginning to sleep in his cage for like the first month or so he use to sleep weird lol meaning hang off the perch like he was going to fall off so maybe it's just something they do as babies. And another helpful tip would be to line the flooring pretty cusiony with like paper towel then some news paper on top, if your african is that young, cause the last thing you want is for them to climb up and fall down and hurt themselves, you can also keep the perch low until your african gets older. And birds just like you and I we move around in our sleep so will birds, but I don't think you have much to worry about. Hopefully I've helped

Edited January 3, 2012 by Ziggy2011

[thenabrd]

both our girls will have nights when they're just "not ready" to go nite nite, lol!! most nights when i tell them it's nite nite time, and start putting on the covers, they come over to where i am for a last bit of attention or a rub. then they'll go up to the place they like to roost for the night. but once in a while, just like young kids, they're not ready. they'll keep or start playing, talking, moving around, etc. they'll peak out from the edges of their cover, sometimes they'll even start munching on their pellets, etc. we leave one side of their cages uncovered at night, just in case they get spooked by something so they can see better, the room isn't in total darkness either, but has very low level light.

[lovethatgrey]

@ Ziggy..

 

I do feel that it's very important to make sure that before you turn the lights off, to make sure your grey is perched comfortably on a stable, familiar perch and has her bearing. It is my opinion that the best roosting perch is a nice cotton one installed high up like in Emma's cage. YOu can buy some Comfy brand perches or some custom cotton perches from Mother pluckin bird toys. 1 inch to 1/4 inch is ideal I'd say but not more than 1 and 1/2

 

Try to imagine how you'd feel if you were swinging around upside down and suddenly found the power had gone out and you were stuck in the dark? Some parrot owner like install a small night light too so their parrots aren't completely in the dark. Personally, I turn off the lights completely but leave and turn on the bathroom light on for about 5 minutes. It is located in the hallway so a bit of light still shines through. This allows my parrots to prepare themselves for full lights out very shortly and get themselves settled.

 

With that said, this doesn't mean that they have to be in the mood to go to bed.

 

Don't forget that our parrots are creatures of prey. In the dark they feel quite vulnerable. Doing the above will help minimize feelings of stress or disorientation for your parrot and it is called thoughtfullness on your part. As you can probably tell, Emma comes across as well adjusted. Well, she is, and I would believe that alot of that has alot to do with how we care for her and always have.

Edited January 3, 2012 by lovethatgrey

[MarcusCAG]

The original post has been removed.

Edited April 1, 2016 by MarcusCAG

[Ziggy2011]

@Lovethatgrey

 

Well usually when i'm putting Ziggy to sleep the lights are dimmed so my 2 floor lamps are on then the cage gets covered half way meaning the back is covered and he can still see me while im seeing about my jenday and putting him asleep. Ziggy will talk and whistle then as soon as i'm about to fully cover the front of the cage he goes onto his perch or sometimes he's still playing but he's never in complete darkness my kitchen light is always on. I do have the rope perches that you mentioned I have 2 of those in his cage and 2 of the cement perches for his nails. He's got his favourite swing which the one in my avatar.

[carlsjr]

Emma is a lovely grey. I'm a new grey parront (3 weeks), so my question may seem naive. Is it necessary for us to make sure our greys are upright on their perches before covering them up for the night? Would it have been a problem for you to just say "nite nite" and cover Emma even if she was not quite settled? I know a lot of parronts have issues getting their fids in their cages at night, but once they are inside, does their posture and postion matter that much? Can they get hurt? Usually my Gracie is in one place when I cover her at night and at another when I greet her in the morning. So far when i put Gracie to bed she is pretty settled, but in the event that she is climbing the walls or hanging from the ceiling, should I make sure she is upright before covering her up? I've heard greys don't see well in the dark--is this the concern?

 

 

ummm no. i cover my birds and they still climb all over the inside of the cage. Gracie will be just fine.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

lovethatgrey, watched your video. Perfectly normal. I have always put my birds to bed at 8pm. I don't cover the cages. Many do. That is ok also. If Sophie walks out during bedtime, she gets put back to bed. She doesn't walk out a second time. That is because, I am her "ROM". I am her mom, and she is not allowed to second guess my rules. I have always treated Sophie, as my child.It has always worked for us. Nancy

[lovethatgrey]

Just to add another note, I never cover the cage FULLY. I always leave one side exposed as you see in my video.

[judygram]

I cover the entire cage, always have for they are in the family room where we are still up watching tv and such, they have no separate room for sleeping.