Night Night -- an Under Cover report :D

[Inara]

Well, typical -- our companions are always full of surprises. When HRH Inara first came to live with us over 3 years ago at the ripe old age of 2, with her came a large, dark sheet that her former hoomans had used to cover her cage. They said that she hated it. When asked what time they would cover her, the reply was, "When we can't stand the noise!" Translate: at any time of day without predictability or routine, no wonder she hated it.

 

Fast forward to living with us. I never used it to cover her, as after nearly half a lifetime of living with kids, dogs, parrots -- I have selective hearing and just "tune out the noise." Noise is not an issue for me. (OK, unless it is a tantrum throwing, whining human being -- then, I would love to be able to throw a cover over *them*!! hahaha) Not to mention, that since she had negative experiences with it, I didn't want to recapitulate those for her.

 

But I digress (no surprise there!). My Joe aka BigBird, has had three surgeries in less than 7 months. Resting was critical to healing, and HRH's getting up at the crack of dawn to wake up the house, as is her duty and prerogative, was taking its toll by considerably shortening Joe's sleep as he was getting very little, suffering from major bouts of pain all through the night. After talking about it (he was not complaining, but I could see that he needed that extra time in the morning to sleep), I suggested that we try covering HRH at bedtime, and seeing if that would help her sleep in a bit in the mornings. We both agreed that if she showed any signs of distress at being covered, (since in her past it appeared to be used as 'punishment' when she was being her usual, busybody whistling, chatty, R2D2 noisemaking self) we would immediately cease covering her.

 

Well, spin me around and call me Susan, because she *LOVES* her "night night!" As with most things with her, I talk her through it, and set up a routine so that it is predictable. This was no exception. Every night we always tell her, "Night night," before we go to bed, and she replies with her "message received" sound followed with her "bedroom floor squeaking boards" sound. So in getting ready to cover her cage for the first time a few weeks ago, I said, "Hey! Look at this! It is a "night night" here! You are going to go night night, Big Bird is going to go night night, and I am going to go night night." Then I gave her a beak rub, and said, "Are you ready to go night night? OK. One, two, three......(insert putting the sheet over her cage)...night night!" Then gave her my usual night night whistle, she gave back her message received and squeaky floor boards sound, and that was that. We awoke the next morning at 7 rather than 5. I walked over to her home, said, "Good morning, time to wake up," and took the sheet off. She was happy as a little clam, came off her sleeping perch over to the one on her door, and said, "Good morning." It does not cover her home completely, it covers three sides, and she can see out the back of her home that faces the wall, as well as being able to peek out one of her food dish outer clear shells.

 

Each night we would go through the same routine. After night number 3, when she would see me walking over with The Night Night, she would do a happy little wings up bow, and super tail wag in anticipation. Fast forward to now (several weeks after the 1st night) -- she has on her own decided that instead of our usual 9-10PM bedtime, that right around 6PM as the sun out the window she looks out of starts to sink low on the mountains, is *her* night night time. She had let me know this by heading to the perch on her door around that time, giving a new whistle (that now is her regular go to bed whistle), saying, "come come," and then doing her happy wings up bow and tail feather wags. She *loves it.* 1) it is the only time she is covered, and 2) whenever we walk past her, we always let her know it is one of us by saying, "It's just me, going to the kitchen," or what have you, so that she doesn't have to be on alert for "predators." How do I know that she loves it and is not just clamming up because she is covered? Because I know *her*, I know her body language, and most of all because she now "asks" for it.

 

She is the first and only feathered companion I have ever covered, as for some reason I always felt that doing so just didn't "feel" right. Also, knowing the amount of sleep most parrots need, I was never worried too much about that as they often doze/nap during the day. So who out there in Greyceland covers or does not cover? There is no right or wrong -- (well unless you're being an @ssh0le about it and just using it willy nilly at any time of day to shut up what you already knew was going to be a noisy roommate when you insisted that they come to live with you...)

 

Tell all....

[SRSeedBurners]

I used to cover. It got to be a chore to cover all three cages at night. I finally constructed a method to easily hang blackout curtains in the birdroom and it they make it pitch black in there. Now that we have two more littles, I have them in another room (for now) and they get covered every night. However that doesn't stop our conure from listening for the tiniest noise around 5:30am and hitting the screech button. Once they go in the birdroom at nights I'm going to have to get a soft white noise maker to stop her from waking everybirdy up.

 

GreycieMae hated the cover btw. She doesn't like going to bed period and has a game of 1) making hooman chase her around the house and 2) crawling into my shirt when she is finally caught. After about 5-10m of this she will softly let go and go on her re-charge perch.

[Giannine]

How cool is that? LOL She really and truly sounds as if she is very happy to have that sheet covering her cage at night time. I cover my birds' cages because they are in the busiest room in the house and I would like for them to have a sense of peace and calm and not be distracted by every movement of our 7-person household. I would cover them if they had their own room, though, probably. For some reason, I feel like it gives them a sense of privacy, as well, that they might appreciate. It seems more cozy.

[Acappella]

I don't cover Dorian because he has his own room, so I can just turn out the lights and draw the curtains to make it dark for him. He'll wake up in the morning sometimes beore I'm ready to go get him, but he just chatters away to himself until I go and get him, and he's always happy as a clam to see me, so he doesn't mind me being a little slow in the mornings. I couldn't cover his cage anyway because I can't reach the top of his cage! HRH sounds like she's enjoying the new routine. I hope Joe is feeling better.

[Timbersmom]

I don't cover Timber, but that is mainly because his previous owner didn't cover him. He goes to bed when we do, an like GreycieMae he fights it every step of the way (most nights). I think he sees it a game, but that's our routine. Like you, I've learned to tune out noise over the years and we sleep on the second floor, so no problems here.

[Luvparrots]

My greys are not covered only my canary. The greys are quiet once I close the drapes in their room and turn off the lights. They are quiet until they hear me up in the Am. Then they start calling me to let me know they want up too. Sterling Gris can be very verbal about it, with loud "Open the door I want to come out. Hello, open the door, i want to come out!!!" (cage door) Ana Grey just quietly let's him rail on and on because she knows she always gets out first. She is The Boss. My canary's cage is never open when the greys are out as my greys would hunt him down for a quick snack. Moe is very quick but my greys can be relentless.

 

My birds all go back into their cages as they choose which is normally as the sun goes down.

Edited November 1, 2016 by luvparrots

[Kya]

We don't cover cages at night. We are older, and go to bed at a decent time for them, and they usually stay quiet until about 8 am, unless we get up before they do. Lights out seems to be enough for them.

 

I think it is a sense of security for those who are used to being covered, but very surprised that a bird that was covered for punishment would embrace and even ask for it now! (I have a rescue that was covered every time she made a sound, but hasn't been covered since she came to live with us, so I know just how you must have felt covering her that first time!)

[judygram]

I have covered all my birds from day one as they are in our family room, we do stay up some past their bedtime but they settle down and you don't hear anything more out of them. The only time they aren't covered at night is when we are going out and will be gone past their bedtime, when it gets dark they go to bed and when we return late we don't go in their room and disturb them. It would be nice to have their own room where I wouldn't have to cover them but now that they are accustomed to it they might still prefer to be covered.

 

Whichever way you go is fine as long as the birds are ok with it as that is all that matters.

[katana600]

Great thread on a timely topic, thank you. We have gone through trial periods over our life with Miss Gilbert. We have turned off one light at a time over fifteen minute intervals to give her a predictable schedule when she was new, traumatized and frozen with fear. Later, I put sleep cages in my room but that required handling her and she was afraid of hands so that made her get too flustered right at bed time. Flash forward and we have gotten more predictable so the night time snack and natural dimming of the "outdoors" has become our ritual. But, since hubby has been sidelined and he works from home, his computer in the living room has flashing lights that he forgets to turn off. I was just thinking maybe I will move her back to the roost cage in my bedroom routine. But... Since David got his wings sheared off, we put a tv in there. So.... Covering seems like a great compromise. Your success with Inara is an inspiration. I will put some thought into creating a cover system that can be modified so we can keep her comfy and well rested.

Edited November 1, 2016 by katana600
Typo

[Inara]

Sterling, no big surprise that GreycieMae makes a game out of bed time.... I mean seriously, look who she lives with!!! :D !!

 

Giannine I think your sense of it feeling "cozy" is spot on. Our fids' homes are their nests after all and if they look for holes in hollow trees, etc. then having a cozy/covered area in which to retreat at night does seem to be a good move.

 

Acappella, Dorian is such a lucky fellow. And why do I conjure up a mental image of him in there after lights out writing poems by the light of the moon?

 

Timbersmom, I agree that part of the bedtime resistance can just be a fun game. I love how playful our fids can be and how they even invent their own games!

 

Loveparrots, I can just picture the morning scene with Ana Grey calmly taking delight in knowing that no matter what antics Sterling Gris attempts that *she* is indeed Queen of the bird room.

 

Kya, it definitely was a surprise at how easily HRH Inara adjusted and then embraced. That first morning I did have trepidation about what we would find when we uncovered her. I think her life is so secure here, and she is pretty intrepid by nature, that she sailed through it all. Also, once she had gone to sleep (prior to being covered) if we walked into the kitchen (open floor plan) and turned on the light to get something, she would give us her "crazy clacking sound" to show her displeasure. Now, she will give a little whistle or say, "hi sweetie," from under her cover, and we'll answer her so that she knows it is just one of us.

 

Judy, I agree that covered or uncovered doesn't really matter as long as our companions are happy, and healthy about it all. Now that HRH has decided that she loves her "night night," we'll keep it up from here on out.

 

Dee, I will hold out good thoughts that Miss Gilbert will adjust with aplomb. HRH has a curved top cage, and a queen sized black fitted sheet fits perfectly over the top, two sides, and front -- leaving the back open toward the wall. I also pull it to one side a bit so that she can peek out of one of her external clear feeder covers. She could shred the living daylights out of it if she ever took a notion to do so, but apparently that is not and likely won't be an issue. So maybe try a plain colored fitted sheet first to see how Miss GG responds before putting your sewing talents to good use. Keep us posted