Bedtime for Parakeet?

Question

I have a parakeet about a year old. When should I cover and uncover it? Does it always need to be covered?? I don't stay on a schedule, sometimes I stay up all night, and I cover my parakeet, but I'm afraid it still stays up under its cover because I am still up. Any recommendations?? When do you cover and uncover your bird??

Answer 1

It's advised that parrots get at least 10 hours of sleep, ideally 12. I cover my birds on occasion, but not all the time because they know to go to bed by themselves when they're either tuckered out or when it starts getting dark out (they have a clear view outside), and I can tell they're sleeping because they nestle under the paper.

When I do cover them, I cover between 7 and 8pm and uncover at 7:30am before I leave for school. When I don't cover them, it's when I'm confident that no one will be going into or using that or any adjoining rooms. They obviously won't be able to sleep if they can see the lights you're using or if they can hear you moving around, your television, typing, etc. It's best to provide them with as much darkness and silence as possible during that time, but some birds have night terrors - so they would need some source of comforting light, like a little nightlight.

If you can, keep it as quiet and dark as possible in the room the bird is in. Otherwise, invest in a smaller cage that you can put the bird in during the night and keep that in another quiet, dark room.

Answer 2

i have two conures and they get covered at 7:30pm and uncovered at 6:30 am. For them they need a schedule and for me to be reliable on covering them or they will become stressed out. I once had 11 parakeets (due to one of my females having three different batches of babies) I always covered them too. It gives birds a peace of mind and they feel less stressed when they sleep but if you have the light on they have a hard time sleeping. They need quite when they sleep also.

Answer 3

Birds need 12 hrs of sleep. We cover our bird around 8 and uncover him at 7 but if he doesn't want to be uncovered he snaps so we know he needs more sleep. Cover your bird every night but leave a night light on for him. Even if you're up, if he's covered he'll most likely fall asleep (assuming you're not loud w/ all the lights on and partying all night)

Answer 4

Hi, I have a cockatiel which I found prefers to be covered up (some birds don't like to be covered)...I usually cover her cage at around 8pm...sun is down, and kids are goin to bed at that time too, so she is another baby to get tucked into bed at night. When I cover her cage, The window and blinds are shut and light gets turned out and the door gets closed....then I am out of the room until morning (about 6 am) when we wake up and uncover the cage and begin our morning routine. This works well for us because her cage is in a room pretty much to itself, so there is not much reason for us to be up and making noise in the same room as the bird is in (keeping the bird awake). Main thing is to try to be consistent with your routine (birds thrive with routine). If you are up all night and are in the same room as the bird, then your birds biological clock is going to be thrown out-of-whack and you may see other issues surface later on. If you can, I would suggest placing the birds night cage in a location where it will be darkened and quiet and warm so that your bird can have the night cycle it needs, rather than a 24 hour daylight cycle. Hope that helps!

Answer 5

I have two budgies and they have their routine set. I may not have mine set, but they make sure I do! Whenever they are ready for bed they both get into their "sleeping spots" and that's when I know to cover them. If I'm not going to bed at that particular moment I do have a little light for myself that I keep on by my bed that does not disturb them. I also have a cockatiel and he is learning this routine also. In the morning I turn the lights on low and then sing to them for a little and uncover them. They stay in their spot for a little bit and shortly after scurry down to their food. If you keep a certain routine your baby will learn the sleeping pattern. Always make sure he/she gets 10-12 hours of sleep though.

Answer 6

small birds such as parakeets and cockateils do what they call "thrashing" where they flap their wings in their cages. covering them up at night will help with this. It also reduces the chances of them breaking a blood feather. These are the feathers that bring blood to their feathers. If these should break the feather may need to be plucked or should be taken to the vet if bleeding doesn't stop.

Answer 7

Ummm.....well it needs sleep or else it will be cranky just like us and it will not be sweet and cute! LOL! Cover it around nine and uncover it around 8

Answer 8

we also have parakeets on our house we cover it every night(9:30-5:30) only until morning .

Answer 9

i have one to
i cover him at nine at night
and uncover him at eight
if you keep your light on and cover him with a light blanket then yes he will stay up

Answer 10

i have 3, and when i go to bed around 9:45 every night, i cover them up, and in the morning when i wake up around 6:00 i take the cover off.............. your parakeet schould go to bed around the time you go to bed............. i hope this helps you!!