sleeping

[gourdlady247]

Do greys go so sound asleep that they fall off their perch?

When george goes to bed at night I think he goes so sound asleep he fall off the perch he doesn't do it all the time. But when he does he does it at least twice in a night.

Or should this be something we should worry about

[danmcq]

They do not fall off their perches when sleeping normally. Their Talons actually lock in place mechanically and require mental thought to release them.

 

Your Grey may be moving and slip perhaps? If not moving and slipping, there could be a health issue causing this and you may want to visit your vet.

 

One other thing it could be is a smooth perch and improperly clipped nails that do not hold to the perch well enough.

[Kaedyn]

As Dan has said, their feet actually lock onto the perch. An involuntary reflex causes a tendon in the back of their leg to tighten, locking their toes in place. This allows them to sleep on a branch blowing in the wind. Or in the case of my greys, it helps them sleep while perched and traveling in the car. Over bumps, turns, stops and starts, they rarely wake up, and never fall.

 

Have you actually witnessed your grey falling while asleep? If you have access to a camcorder that works in low light, this is a good tool for determining what's going on when you can't sit and stare for hours. The next morning, you can fast forward through the video to find the point of incident, then see what lead up to it.

[gourdlady247]

ah that's a good idea. He has a vet appt. next week.