Night Frights?

[tarnold]

About an hour after going to bed last night Hershey flipped out on me. I know that tiels have night frights so I am wondering if Greys do also. She didn't hurt herself but I had to sit up with her for about an hour afterwards before she would go back into her cage. When trying to put her back in she grabbed onto my hand hard. As anyone ever experienced this? Maybe something just scared her but it really worries me.

[casper]

Hi tarnold, my eldest grey Charlie suffers with night frights, we use a night light near his cage one of the plug in types you use for children. This has helped a little bit but he does still get the odd one for no obvious reason. Try one if you dont already, hopefully it might help a little.

[tarnold]

Thanks Casper, I have a night light because of my Tiel. I think i'm going to try covering her cage at night.

[casper]

I also cover my greys but this still happens, just not as often, it is usually in the middle of the night and he has damaged his flight feathers a couple of times.

I remember reading it can be common with some greys, I will read up again and get back to you, see if there is anything else that can help.

Do you have any other pets that could be waking your grey?

[tarnold]

I have my Tiel which is across the room from her but he was already asleep. I also have 2 dogs but they were not in the same room. It has not happened since so I am hoping it was a 1 time thing. Thanks for the responses Casper!

[casper]

I hope it never happens again for you, it can be really alarming to wake up to your bird flapping and finding them terrified. Especially when you dont know the reason for it and cant put it right. The worst one for me was when we had an earthquake here about 5 months ago (which never happens in the uk) poor Charlie lost all his flights in one wing then and a lot of confidence. We have had a couple of night frights since then but nothing major. Caroline;)

[judygram]

Night frights must be very frightening for both the grey and the owner, thankfully Josey has never had one and I hope she never does for it would unnerve me as much as it would her:ohmy: .

[dblhelix]

Kip does not have "night frights" but we have had a few earthquakes at night that have woken her and scared the heck out of her. Similar to what tarnold described...she woke us up flipping/fluttering around, trembling etc and we had to sit with her for a while to calm her down. In each case there was a fairly small earthquake (between 2.5 and and 3.5) at the exact time she went nuts. I wonder (with the recent quake in Los Angeles) if perhaps there was something like this that happened the night Hershey got spooked or something you can find in the environment that may have set this off?<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/07/31 07:26

[tarnold]

Again thanks for all the input folks. I have tried to figure it out. I'm thinking maybe she saw a shadow from the night light hitting one of her toys and it spooked her. I'm new to greys and still trying to get used to the moods and differences I see in them compared to my Tiels. For instance last night she seemed to be in a foul mood(no pun intended). She actullay tried to bite me twice. She has only been with me a little over a week so i'm sure she is still trying to get use to things. I try and keep from introducing her to too many things all at once. It's a break in process for both of us I guess. It was a little discouraging because I want the best for her and want to be sure she is a happy bird. Worried I did something to create the mood change.

[Lyric]

My birds occasionally have night frights- I never know what it was that scared them. I usually have to turn a light on for them until they settle back down talk soothingly to them for a little while. Once they realize everything is okay they will settle back down and everything is fine.

There was an earthquake in the midwest earlier this year that woke them all up in a panic. I didn't know there'd been an earthquake until I heard about it on the news the next day. Sure enough it was the exact time that it happened that they woke me up. One of them was flapping around so much that she ended up breaking a blood feather and I had to monitor that before I could go back to bed.

I think a small nightlight can really help if they have night frights but they may still occasionally get spooked by something.

And yeah, greys can be moody. The best thing when this happens is to give them some space and try to work with them again the next day when everyone is fresh and they've had time to sleep it out!

[tarnold]

Thanks Lyric, good to know it may not be me doing something wrong

[casper]

You wont be doing anything wrong tarnold, it seems quite a few of our birds suffer with these frights. Caroline.

[casper]

I found a simple answer to listening out for the greys at night.

 

With Charlie having these frights I found I was laying awake listening for him and not sleeping too well, so the answer.... I bought a baby monitor!

 

Yep my friends think I am more crazy than before but I hear everything now and can get to the birds as soon as possible if I need to.:laugh:

 

Its quite funny when he wakes up talking in the morning as well and he is chattering away:laugh:

 

The things we do, or should I say I do:laugh:

[judygram]

Yep thats a solution Caroline, where there is a will there is a way, you are way too overprotective but otherwise a good mummy.

 

That would also be a good idea for those who have closet talkers, set up one of them in the room where their cage is and catch them talking when otherwise they would be quiet. I don't have to worry about that for Josey is not shy about talking.

[Dusty1709]

Dusty my baby grey has been here nearly five months now x Never exerienced the night frights but she does get in a bit of a ruffle when i put cover over cage, does settle though. Re the moods; i too am currently experiencing my first grey and find this quite amusing its not you its just the way they are xx:blink: