Should You Cover Your Bird's Cage at Night - Parrot Sleep and Cage Covering | BirdNerdSophie

[@kupaux]

Just wanted to thank you for this video. My new cockatiel was really struggling at night, but everything I saw (and even her vet) told me to keep the cage covered. But I kept seeing the evidence of night terrors in the morning. I saw this video when it was posted and I got my tiel a night light and keep the front of her cage uncovered. She seems to be sleeping much better now.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m glad it helped 😊

[@oceanlbi]

I totally agree and I'm glad you addressed this. I don't think it's good to make the bird's cage pitch black with a cover. If he wakes up at night it must be frightening to not be able to see anything at all. I pull a cover partway over so he can feel secure behind it but the rest of the cage is open and whatever dim light is around at least he can get a handle on his surroundings. I don't know why this practice of covering got started, in the wild they wouldn't be totally blinded, like you said there is moonlight or whatever to at least get a grip on the surroundings.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching! I’m hoping this video will help people make more informed choices to allow their birds to get good sleep 🥰

[@sydluvsicedtea]

me too! My conure has the backside of her cage open always as its almost never pitch black here as well as a air purifier right near her cage!

[@mansishah6579]

We do cover the cage at night, but we leave the entire back side of the cage uncovered. We kinda have to cover them at night since they share a bedroom with me and I don’t sleep at their bedtime, so I need the lights on. This way I can monitor their sleep and help them immediately if they get a night fright since we’re in the same room and I can hear them flapping. Usually, we wait for half an hour after they’re already asleep to cover them. And we always tell them verbally when we’re uncovering them gently.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

If that works for you and your birds then great 😊

[@pj6299]

Great video..thanks a lot👍👍

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you so much! 🥰💙

[@friendship-resilience]

Hi Sophie, what you said makes a lot of sense! I rescued a wild baby injured parakeet which fell from a large tree and was attacked by a goose! I didn't want to keep him in a cage for the rest of his life. He never recover the ability to fly, So, I adopted a cockatiel and a budgie as a company and at the beginning covered their cages. I did noticed that the poor cockatiel lost during a night's fright all her beautiful tail. Since then, I decided to create, VERY CAREFULLY, a small room as a 'large cage' and they are living there sharing the space pacefuĺy. They don't sleep in their cages anymore and since then, the cockatiel had each year only one night fright episode and fly freely were she feels comfortable, without losing any feather, or bumping with the cage. My husband and me are very peaceful people and I guess, they have copied that peaceful environment among them. They now their limitations and respect each other. I wouldn't recommend my way of given them 'that freedom' because there is a lot to take into consideration and it is a lot of effort to train them and be sure they are happy on a daily basis. It is a team work with my husband. Also, we are most of the time at home! It is more than two happy years now and wouldn't kept more than three or four birds sharing that space! ❤ kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXeXp4VurcagaaMsi=n6G0STq7hscvKMap ❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It sounds like they have a wonderful home with you 💙🥰

[@synnesidenius1968]

I have three budgies and two lovebirds, and I don't cover the whole cage but I put a purple sarong across the roof when I say goodnight 💜 Trying to mimic the night sky. They have some light from outside and lots of air flowing through. They seem to like it and snuggle up on their favourite perches 💙✨ No hormonal behaviour so far. I hope this sounds ok.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s very cute 🥰

[@zonabrown9241]

I have always covered my budgies as u say leaving an opening at front I give them a night light❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Awesome 😊

[@LadyVader]

I kept getting distracted by your upside down conure in the back 😂😂😂

[@BirdNerdSophie]

She’s the real star of the channel 🤣

[@LifeinUs44]

I think it's Best to cover BUT have a mini night light so they can See their food and water and navigate their cage home ❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Awesome 😊

[@theresevincent552]

I have just 1 parrot, Chico. He's an Amazon Parrot. His cage is about 2 feet long by about 1 ft. wide and about 1 ft. high. I just put 2 bath towels on his cage while I'm up. I'm a night owl. So I get up late in the morning. The towels don't cover the back , so he gets airflow. Then I take them off when I go to bed. That way he'll be able to see the sunlight. I should mention that I live in a 1 bedroom apartment. I left him covered at 1 point. He seemed to get depressed. He does better when I uncover. By the way, Chico is 22 yrs. and boy, does he know his own mind.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for sharing 🥰

[@rhonda2260]

I found out years ago that covering your bird is dangerous. I found my umbrella cockatoo's feet tangled in the fibers of the cover after he chewed on it. Thank God that I was home and found him soon enough to rescue him from losing his feet or even death. Birds like to see all around them because they are prey animals. I wouldn't even consider covering any of my bird cages ever again.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m so sorry to hear that happened - what a scary experience and it definitely highlights some of the dangers!

[@theresalayton9286]

Thanks so much for this video ❤ I'm a first time Bird momma 😊 I was really wondering about this❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad it was helpful! 🥰

[@theresalayton9286]

@@BirdNerdSophie no more blanket anymore. 🥰🦜

[@Batko10]

My male Australian Eclectus sleeps on the pillow next to me. I could cover his cage, but won't be in it. LOL

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Be very careful with that! I’ve seen a lot of birds lost from sleeping near their human when we roll over in the night or they get caught in the sheets 😞

[@Batko10]

@@BirdNerdSophie I hear you. However, we've been doing this for years. He has his own pillow and stays on it. When he has to poop he hits me on the head with his beak, I stick out my hand, and hold him out over a piece of cardboard I have on his side of the bed. LOL My bird's main problem is that he doesn't know that he's a bird!

[@Sarshu2]

❤ so helpful birdnerdSophie lot of love from India

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching 🥰

[@edwardbowen-humphreys9758]

As winter is upon us, should it be worth purchasing a UV lamp for my Conure? 🤨🤔 BTW. My Conure has also taken over the living room. 🥴

[@BirdNerdSophie]

You can do but they have to be used very carefully to avoid injury! The brand we recommend is Arcadia!

[@Dawn-km5yo]

I enjoy your videos, thank you I have a question, what do bird owners who have bird rooms… What is your floor? Tile, wood, carpet plastic covering For cleaning purposes 😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

We have zero VOC vinyl wood plank flooring for our room 😊

[@MariaRossi-gi2rc]

I have a female umbrella cockatoo. I was told by the vet that she has to be covered for 12 hours a day to stop egg laying and hormal behavior. She has been on hormonal therapy and implants to prevent ehh development. I stopoed all hormonal treatment since covering her up. This has worked. She has not had an egg in over 2 years. I hated doing this but it has worked. She can not pass an egg and has had to have surgical removal twice. Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated. TY Just subscribed to David's channel. Wishing u luck in reaching ur goals.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

If it works for your bird then that’s great! What’s her diet like? Does she forage? What’s her training routine like? I assume you also know not to pet her back etc? You can always email me if you’d like to chat about it!

[@MariaRossi-gi2rc]

@BirdNerdSophie yes I had to change her diet too. I took away what she can't have. Not so successful in getting her to try new things that should be in her diet. Working on foraging too. Thank u for all ur helpful videos and great advice.

[@aksu6362]

Hi, birbnerdsaku here, copycat of your name LMAO! I like this topic, as I've been struggling with getting my budgies to sleep 12h+. While all the reasons that you described are completely legitimate and I do agree with them, I would also like to point out that if your parrot is doing fine with a cage coverer and it makes stress go away then I believe you should continue what your doing! With this knowledge in mind, you should use a breathable material that can cover all 4 sides of your birds cage. Also, if you can't ensure that they get 12 hours, parrots typically still take naps!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Yep, as I mentioned in the video, I’m not telling people what to do, but presenting new ways of thinking to maximise parrot welfare! 😊

[@zonabrown9241]

I cover my budgie leaving the front open i have a night light

[@rein4]

Hi Sophie, thank you so much for posting this video! I noticed that my male cockateel (I have another female one) has been getting very aggressive recently. He has been screaming and biting whenever I approach him and I did not know why (my other cockateel hasn't been displaying similar behavior). His cage is on top of the other cockateel's cage and I put the cover over him every night. This video helped me realize that maybe covering him has lead to the change in behavior. I am going to try not covering them to see if there are any changes. Hope you are having a great day ! ❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It’s worth the a go! Bear in mind that not using the cover at first might be unusual for him, and it may take a little time to see behaviour change 😊

[@praying4you]

🐜🐝🐞🦗🕷🕸🦂 My bird wants to be covered. It only goes half way down long cage. My Cockatiel loves the dark.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

If it works for your birds then great 😊

[@neymessi914]

Thank you for this video ! I was just considering buying one because the cage of my conure is in the family living room and some members of the family make no effort to keep quiet and turn off the lights at night no matter what i tell them they dont take it seriously and I sense when my conure didnt get a good night of sleep, she’s more restless during the day and perhaps even more stressed than usual ? Would you move the cage to an another room ? Or is it best to cover the cage and leave it in the living room where she seems more people ?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Some birds do okay moving rooms, some don’t! It would be a case of experimenting, but make sure you leave enough time to get used to the room before lights out! You can also tell your family never from me that sleep is super important for birds, and they can have increased stress, anxiety and aggression if we don’t make lifestyle adjustments for their sleep schedules 😊

[@neymessi914]

@@BirdNerdSophie yes of course ! Actually I’d be moving her cage to my bedroom which she already spends some time in to get her training ! We got her not too long ago (it’s been around 10 days) but she seems to enjoy being in the living room and I’m afraid she might not like to be in a room where there is less people visiting her (she loves the attention :

[@PepperAndLemon]

I don’t cover mine and they sleep the entire 12 hours no problem. I just keep lights off in my room after 8pm

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Awesome 😊

[@goodgrief888]

What if you have them in your bedroom with you and your husband snores loudly? Do you think the birds would wake up from that?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I personally recommend not having your bird in your bedroom if you can avoid it!

[@goodgrief888]

@@BirdNerdSophie thanks for responding. I appreciate it. We were going to convert our walk in closet to a bird room, but it doesn’t have any windows. We have air purifiers. But I am now worried that the room will be too cave-like since it gets pitch black due to no windows. I’m just trying to make them as healthy and happy as possible.

[@DreamsAtDay]

I have noticed that my bird wakes in the middle of night, chirps or talks a bit and then goes back to sleep, is it normal?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

If they hear movement, they might make a little peep to check in, and then go back to sleep, so yes it’s normal 😊

[@DreamsAtDay]

@@BirdNerdSophie thanks for replying💝

[@belindaransby2357]

My 17yr old African grey whom I've had all of that time has never been covered at night. He's happy and healthy. So no covering at night isn't necessary in my opinion. He's never slept in complete darkness either as I'm a night owl with TV on into early hours. Hasn't done him any harm. Depends on your bird I guess.

[@duniaundso6649]

Thank you for the video! Informative as always:) I have a question about the night light - I’ve been struggling with where to put it, and I cant find examples anywhere:( i have about the same cage size as your cockatiels in the back, and put mine on the height of a small lower table, im not sure where else? My birds sleep at the perch at the very too. Or Should I stimulate moonlight by putting it much further up? Thanks anyways, hope you are having a great day!:)

[@BirdNerdSophie]

We have one on the table on the opposite side of the room and one plugged in low down! You can experiment with the placement but this works for us! The only placement I wouldn’t recommend is right next to them 😊

[@duniaundso6649]

@@BirdNerdSophie oh damn, i put it on the table besides them, maybe thats why it hasn’t been working😅 definitely will try out your suggestions tmrw. thank you so much! I appreciate it!

[@duniaundso6649]

@@BirdNerdSophie definitely worked, im seeing the difference in their nap time!:)