Feeding Schedule

[zandische]

Hello, I am a new grey owner and I apologize in advance, but I know this is going to be a very newbie question. My grey won't be coming home with me for a few weeks yet and one of the biggest questions I have been wondering about is how to set up her schedule properly.

 

From what I've read, Grey's need at least 10 hours of sleep each night. If she goes to bed around 8, that means she'll be waking up around 6. This works out ok for MY schedule, giving me about an hour in the morning to prepare her food and give her attention, but since I don't get home until around 6 that only gives me 2 hours in the evening to be with her, and I'd really like more time.

 

How do you working folks handle this? Do you let your grey "stay up" and then wake her up before work for breakfast and some head scratches, with the expectation that she'll catch some winks while you're gone? What about feeding her unspoilable food (seed/pellets) for her morning meal without really disturbing her, so she can eat when she wakes up? Or do you think it would be better to give her a full 10 hours of sleep and just enjoy what time you get to have together, even if it's only a few hours?

 

Thanks for your advice!

[Guest briansmum]

ive read lots of things saying that greys should have 10-12 hours sleep but mine never has that much.. he goes back in his cage about 9 ish and he'll doze or chat to us from there till we go to be at about 11, sometimes 12, at which time i cover his cage. when i get up at 8 he's already wide awake and playing waiting for me. so he's gettng about 8 hours of sleep and waking up on his own. he takes a nap in the afternoon after his dinner. that seems to be plenty of sleep for him.

 

anyway point being, you can't force 10 hours sleep on them your grey will let you know when she is tired on a night, and if you're only getting in at 6 i would imagine she'll want a good few hours with you. i find it best to work out the schedule with my baby, some nights he likes to stay up later than others.

 

if she is ready for sleep at 8 then just make the most of the time she is awake. and it's probably better that she is awake on a morning and she has a breakfast routine with you. greys are very vocal on a morning and like to call to their "flock" if you're not there when she wakes up it could upset here. spend some time with her on a morning and she will lean to look forward to you getting up and understand when it is time for you to leave.

 

i hope that makes some sense, i babble a lot sometimes

[zandische]

Thank you, Beccy! I appreciate your advice! I guess it makes sense that she'll develop her own individual routine. Thanks again.

[Guest Monique]

We put Isaac to bed around 9:00 each night and he gets up with me a little before 6:00. I do give him perishable food in the morning before I go to work but it is chunks of things not mushy things and few enough that he will either eat them or throw them out of his dish during eating in the morning. I do this because he seems to eat much more in the morning than at night and he eats around 8-9 at night if he's still hungry and that's a bad time to give him a fresh meal.

[judygram]

I put Josey to bed around 9:30 or so, she is usually already on her perch where she sleeps by then anyway. I uncover her in the morning around 6:45 to 7 am and she is already awake. I don't hear anything out of her until I uncover her. I give her a warm meal in the morning before I leave for work and put pellets and veggies and a few seeds, fruits in bowls in her cage for her to eat during the day. I get home around 4:30 or so and she comes out and plays on her playstand. She gets a little food off my plate in the evening. You don't have to adhere to a rigid schedule, in fact it is best to vary it some from time to time.

[Guest]

Zandische welcome to the forum, I'm happy you joined us

 

I have a question to your question (which probably more experienced members here could answer to?) -

 

does it anywhere say that those 10 hours of sleep have to be continuous? Meaning: that if at night she sleeps less, during the time you're at work she might doze off to regain the hours she MIGHT have missed during the night?

[Caspersmum]

Hi, and welcome to the site,

 

Just thought I'd add my tuppence worth to what the others have said. I keep really odd hours, as I'm a medical student, and I can be at home studying alot of the time, while on other days I'm in the hospital for 12 hours at a stretch. Casper goes to bed at 10(ish), and gets woken up at about 7.30 - which gives him about 9.5 hours sleep each night. I have him out of the cage whenever I'm at home, but this varies greatly from day to day. This goes completely against everything that we've ever read about parrots, bed times, and schedules. It seems to work for us - and if you're getting your CAG as a baby, they're remarkably flexible.

 

Casper gets pellets and fresh fruit and water in the morning, then 'human' food at night. I also have more pellets in the feeder on his play stand, which he can eat if he gets a bit peckish (who said he's spoilt?!).

 

I'm sure some people will disagree, but you just need to make things work for you - and I have read other books that say parrots only need 8 hours of continuous sleep.

 

Julia

[judygram]

I agree Julia, mine does not get 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night, but she may take a nap during the day while I am at work.

And it is best to not have them on a rigid schedule and they can adjust to whatever works for you.

[Guest briansmum]

yes, i agree, i think greys enjoy a bit of variety just like people do. especially if your grey is quite easy going. i should imagine it would be hard to get an older grey to adjust to a flexible schedule, but your baby should be pretty relaxed about it. i would have thought maybe it's a bit exciting for them to have something happen at a different time, a bit out of the ordinary sometimes. keeps everyone on their toes.

[zandische]

Thanks guys for all your comments! So basically, I should stop trying to be neurotic about it and just be flexible. It makes sense after all, since all the info I'm reading says to give greys lots of variety!

 

She is just a baby still and of course, very easy-going.

[dblhelix]

The more adversity you expose your baby to the better. In fact, try not to set up too rigid a routine so that they will be more accepting to change and less prone to emotional problems when something invariably will need to change. The more people, places, foods, sounds, smells, toys (you name it) they experience the more well rounded they will be.

 

Of course dont overload a baby at once, just like a human baby..It can be tough, but they very much key off your energy. If you fuss and fret about something as simple as "oh my, I hope moving her cage does not spook her"...then moving her cage will spook her! None of us are perfect, but the more we can educate ourselves to control our own behavior the better! If you make things fun, they will have fun!!

 

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Be flexible and your feathered friend will happily follow! B) Keep up posted on how things progress.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/05/24 22:08