how many hours does my lovebird need to sleep?

Question

i started a new job. i work 2 shifts of 7am to 3 pm and 3 shifts of 3 pm to 11 pm..
i tryed to keep the draps open, so when it gets dark, she would go to her bed and sleep.. but she does not seem to be going to her little bed.. im worried that she is not sleeping, and just sitting in the dark. maybe she is waiting for me to put her sheet on her cage. the latest i get home is 1110 pm.. i hope she is not sitting there for 4 hours waiting for me.. i really dont know. i do take her out of her cage for an hour or 3 a day, to play with her..
+what is the best thing i can do for her?
+what are thing i can do for her to make her happy?
+how much time does she need to sleep?
does any one have some ideas.. i want to make my little baby happy.. does anyone know anything about lovebirds? can you help....

my lovebird was a hand feed as a baby. i gott her from a breeder, that had hand feed her, and told me she was a she. she loves to be out of her cage and play. she likes to give me love bits on the hear. does not hurt at all. makes me giggle. every time she is out, she loves to try to get at my rings. she is a loveable love bird, with a bit of an temper on her. have not had her for very long, but we have bonded. she was born in may of 2005. i have came to love her. she is part of the family. i want to try to give everything i can. she will be spoiled.

Answer 1

The standard is 10 to 12 hours a night. This is normally what birds sleep...seasonally a little more or less, depending on daylight hours. Most birds sleep when it is dark. In the wild, dark means danger. So they huddle up in their roosts and stay quiet.
When it is dark, don't worry, she will sleep.
I'm happy to hear that you play with her. Does she have toys? Bells, craft sticks (ice cream bar sticks from the craft store) shoelaces, regular bird toys, and the cardboard from toilet
paper rolls are all fun toys.
Try and invent interactive games. On the floor, get down and roll a little wiffle golf ball around and see if she chases it. Give her a treat for doing thngs with you.
There are tons of websites available with all kinds of information:
healthy food, toys, activities, nutrition guidelines,recipes,
The best thing you can do for her is to feed her healthy food, spend time with her, pay attention to her and love her. Train her to do little tricks. Learn positive reinforcement and teach her to wave, turn around, "High Four"...anything you can think of. This gives them a sense of accomplishment and gives you a reason to praise her. It is a form of communication and you will love her even more!
Some websites:

http://www.petbirdpage.com/

http://www.birdsnways.com/

http://www.parrotparrot.com/lovebirds/

http://www.parrotparrot.com/

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/behavior/a/birdtraining.htm

There are tons more websites to give you ideas and information.
Start reading...with your little guy watching to and you will learn to have more fun with her!
Good Luck.

Answer 2

Wow! I've handraised lovebirds for the last 6 years. I'm not a professional... but, your bird will sleep when she wants, drapes opened or closed,night or day! As long as your bird is comfortable in her surroundings, she is getting her sleep. You are calling you bird "her, "she"- how do you know? Do only have the one? Have you had the bird long enough for it to show you traits that you believe it to be female? Did you handfeed the bird from a "no feathers yet" baby? If the bird is friendly and use to being out of it's cage for activity then you can always turn the sink on low water and watch it go crazy playing in the water. They love that! As far as healthy, a Cockatiel seed diet is the best seed for lovebirds. Lovebirds will eat anything, they love all fruits and veggies. When I have green beens left on my plate or a piece of corn, I may offer it to the birds. They really like to pick at grapes.

Answer 3

I doubt she is sitting in the dark waiting up for you. Lovebirds pretty much do what they want! :-) Anyway, do your best to let her get 12 hours of sleep per day. This should be in a quiet dark room, not in a room where people are up late, watching TV, etc. This is hard when you work and want to play with her but it is about what wild birds get. Not only do birds get cranky and sometimes get health issues from lack of sleep but female lovebirds can become chronic egg layers and getting enough sleep will help curb that.

Answer 4

Phoenix gave you some very good on the nightly required sleep. In the wild, 'most' parrots go to roost at dusk and wake up at dawn. Your lovebird needs adequate sleep for good health, but too much day light hours can trigger hormones that cause egg laying.

Only one statement caused me worry. Please do not give your bird the card board rolls from paper towels and toilet paper! There may be significant amounts of zinc in the adhesive found on paper towel and toilet paper rolls.

Zinc toxicosis is extremely common in companion birds. Even low levels of zinc exposure can accumulate over a period of time a become harmful. Some symptoms of acute zinc poisoning are vomiting, loss of appetite, larger than usual green droppings and, in some cases, sudden death. Kidney damage, digestive tract upsets, increased thirst and even feather picking have been linked to zinc toxicity. The smaller the bird, the less zinc exposure it takes to cause illness.

Birds do not have to actually ingest the flakes of glue to get sick, they can absorb the zinc by just mouthing the adhesive and it can be leached into their water or soft foods, and, theoretically, leached into the water by soaked paper towel rolls if you have a bird that loves to dunk its playthings.

A bird does not have to have visible metal in its system for a positive diagnosis. The only way to accurately diagnose zinc toxicosis or other heavy metal poisoning is through blood tests. Chelation therapy, which removes the metal from the blood of a sick bird, is used to treat heavy metal poisoning.

I copied this e-mailed reply from a major paper towel manufacturer to ask about the possibility of zinc in the cardboard rolls.

Thanks for your e-mail about SCOTT® towels.

Although the core glue is safe for its intended use, it is not intended to be ingested. It is not food grade and does not meet indirect food contact regulations. Therefore, we cannot recommend that it be used with pets.

Thanks again for your e-mail.

Consumer Services

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

To read more about the zinc in the adhesives used in the production or card board paper rolls, go to the website, exotic pet vet and click on the link about the avian species and then, zinc toxicity. Any glue that is not intended for human consumption can contain zinc.

I've seen several birds sick from zinc exposure, but it is not always possible to determine the exact cause....anything metal in the cage that is not stainless steel can contain zinc and even glue. It's just better to be cautious than regretful.

Good luck with your lovebird. They make great companions. As you have discovered they can have a little temper at times due to their territorial instints.

Answer 5

awwwwwwwwwwwww that is sooo beautiiful.
You are a wonderful person, your little girl is so lucky to have you.
I breed lovebirds , have done so for 7 years now, i have handraised my own and they, aswell as my 2 scaley lorikeets are my babies.
she will sleep when she wants, dont worry.
Making her happy, is when she is out of her cage and spending time with you, so keep that up.
Make sure you worm her, every (3 to 6 mths)
Make sure she is offered heaps of fruits and vegies.
( corn on cob, spinach is a favourite, mung beans etc, get a lovebird book to go over, this will help you to find out a lot of good tips.
multigrain or fruit breads, boiled egg, pasta, apple pear mango watermelon
Make sure u have cuttlefish, and hang it on her cage, this is a source of calcium, and she will help herself when she needs to.
Toys to play with.
NAtural greenary of non toxic plants.
Natural branches, instead of dowel perches.
A radio left on while your out.
2 bowls of water, one to bathe in, the other to drink

Answer 6

10 or more

Answer 7

supply the fowl seventy two hours to settle first.that's definitely no longer as lively as that's while its coming to a sparkling place.supply time,see what happens after that.Its looks like a male & lady. yet this are no longer love birds they are referred to as Budgies.