How do you manage bedtime?

[Gryphon]

Gryphon was on a schedule at his previous home where he went to his cage when he was tired, usually around 9pm. I'd like to get him to settle down a little earlier, but don't really know how to accomplish this. I don't want to be cruel, since he can hear me in the other room.

 

Should I keep things status quo for now? Should I shut his cage and turn his light out and just wait for him to stop vocalizing? It is about 8pm here now.

 

Thanks,

Stephanie

[judygram]

Stephanie, I would just kind of let him keep the routine he is used to for now and gradually change it as time goes by. He has enough to take in right now with his new home and surroundings, you don't want to overwhelm him so soon.

[Gryphon]

Thanks! I just put him in the cage. He can hear us and is vocalizing a bit, but not frantically. I think he would stay up all night if he could!

 

At his previous home his cage was upstairs and the living room was down. Here the bird room is right next to the living room, so he can hear us.

 

I'm a terrible worrywart.

 

Thanks again,

Stephanie

[SweetFX]

Rexxy Goes to bed about 10 pm. I should say we try.. . This is cranky time 10 pm. So sometimes he just falls asleep on his play tree at this time...if I cant get my hubby to put him away.

 

My husband takes him to bed and puts the cover on. Do to my handicapness I cant put the cover on so it is pointless for me to put him to bed. He just thinks "why is she putting me away" rather than going to bed ....which is just more stressful on him.<br><br>Post edited by: SweetFX, at: 2008/10/13 07:11

[Animalspirit]

My birds go to bed somewhere between 10.00 and 11.00 pm, depending on the time I'm home from work. When I come home I give them some seeds to nibble on, before they go to sleep, and they often come to me to keep me company at the computer or in front of the TV. They also ask me to bring them to bed: Stud, one of the lovebirds, starts asking my attention by jumping up and down my shoulder and being very cuddly, and Fernando, the TAG, says "Come!" Then I first take the amazons to bring them upstairs, and then I come back to take the lovebirds, the rosella and the TAG to their sleeping cages. Sometimes I hear Fernando in his sleeping cage reacting on something that happens downstairs, mostly by whistling the "contact-whistle". Thsi happens when I take the dogs outside for their last walk. I answer him mostly by telling him that he should sleep by now. After that he goes to sleep. A new bird goes along with the others to get used to the rhythm here. No problems here, because I am just one group member, and the rest of the group is together in the bedroom.

[Gryphon]

Thanks! Birds I've cared for in the past have been on a 12 hour cycle but it sounds like these guys need less sleep?

 

I am home with him for a good portion of the day, so it isn't a matter of attention, just how much rest he needs to be healthy and not cranky!

 

Best,

Stephanie

[Animalspirit]

The average parrot needs 10-12 hours of sleep/rest. When you look at tropical areas, you will notice that darkness falls far more suddenly than in northern areas. That can be 12 hours of darkness. So I put a darkening screen for the window of my parrot-bedroom. They go to bed between 10.00 and 11.00 pm and come out of the room somewhere between 10.00 and 11.00 am. So they get their 12 hours of darkness and rest. Then I go to the bathroom to shower with them, and after that I take them to their play trees where some of them first get their training and all of them get their breakfast. Like all animals, they take sometimes a little nap between 2.00 and 3.00 pm, between preening etc.

 

Maybe your grey just wants to stay with the group, which is you and your husband. My group mostly stays together, so they don't mutter.

[Gryphon]

I think that's right. If he can hear us, he wants to be with us. Down the road, I'd like to have a sleep cage for him but while he's adjusting we'll just take it night by night.

 

Stephanie

[casper]

We share the same room as the Greys in the evening.

About half an hour before they go to sleep around 8.45. we put the covers half way over the cages, then once they have settled we fully cover and dim the lights.

We then sit listening to three seperate beaks grinding away!

Everyone will have different routines due to their work commitments, lifestyle etc, you just have to find what works for you and your birds. Mine seem happy enough and on average get about 10 hours sleep.

On a weekend they get a bit more than this (and I get an extra hour in bed)

[Luvparrots]

I found this post very helpful. Thanks for the information.:cheer:

[BaxtersMom]

I adopted a 12 year old grey this past summer. His previous owner said he goes to bed at 10 pm and gets up at 7 am. I guess that was the mans schedule. I go to bed much later. Usually midnight to 1 am and I swear Baxter would stay up all night if he could.

 

I usually put him back in his cage about 30-45 minutes before I turn in and give him a few seeds or pellets to munch on before he turns in. Not that he needs it, there's always food there for him but he seems to like getting a special midnight snack;) and it has turned into a routine:)

 

I get up around 8am and he is usually awake by then too. Perhaps he hears me creeping around. I have heard greys need about 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night but Baxter doesn't sleep that long straight. He usually does take a nap in the afternoon though. I've never noticed him to be grumpy due to lack of sleep so I don't see a reason to change it on him.

 

I have 2 other birds, a conure and an eclectus and they usually get tired around 9pm, go in their cages and go to sleep:) They are easy!

[Gryphon]

These are very helpful, thanks! I like the idea of putting him in the cage a little bit before we actually go up. That way he can adjust and do some contact calls before lights out. This is only night number three but I'm feeling less like he might be scared in here...he's hanging out away from the cage a bit more. The first nights his little calls were breaking my heart.

 

Thanks!

 

Stephanie

[Tycos_mom]

The only one I have trouble putting to bed is my Green Cheeked conure he always wants to play and will play catch me if ou can Until he flies into my arms. Everyone else I just say ok bedtime into your hous and all of them go into their cages and wait for their kiss and scritch good night and then I shut their doors and cover them up I put them to bed around 9pm and get them up around 830 am

[Gryphon]

We tried our new method last night and I think it went well. I put him in his cage with a treat at 8:30 and left the lamp on. The living room is right next to the bird room and he could do his contact whistle. We responded until 8:50 and then I turned the lamp off. He whistled one or two more times and then stopped. We turned off the lights and tv at 9 and went upstairs. Not a peep!

 

Hopefully this can be our new routine. I think it helped that we cuddled for an hour before bedtime. He's already wanting physical affection, which I take as a very good sign after only three days.

 

All best,

 

Stephanie

 

http://world-bird-sanctuary.blogspot.com/

[BaxtersMom]

Oh that's wonderful news. It sounds like it went great. That is alot like my routine with Baxter. I think he knows that when he gets put in his cage his time is limited before it's bedtime so he does a few calls, munches on his goodies and it's no surprise when I go off to bed for the night. I give him a little time to do stuff before it's lights out;)

[HeatherStrella]

I usually put Harrison in her cage around 9pm. This is after a lot of playing and cuddling with me in the living room. She'll either eat or play around in her cage for a bit and then when we hear she's quiet, my husband will go in and turn her TV and lights off. I'm too much of a sucker. As soon as I see she wants to 'step up' (she lifts a foot), I'll bring her back out to the living room. So, I'm banned from putting her to bed. lol