usually i am home all day until my husband comes home, and if we leave the cockatiel, we put it's cover on until we come back. we are only gone a few hours. i noticed it does not panic when we do that. i was just wondering if it was ok to make it think it is bed time so early, and often. it is with me all day out of the cage so it gets exercise. do i need to teach it that we do have to go sometimes, but that we will come back?
2007-07-09 16:27:14 · 9 answers · asked by karakittle 3 in Pets ➔ Birds
covering his cage during the day isn't such a great idea. It is unhealthy for their feathers and bad for their over-all heath to be in the dark. He should have 11-12 hours of daylight each day. The great thing about cockatiels are they are very easy birds to care for. They do not require the large amounts of attention that the larger parrots require. A cockatiel can entertain themselves for longer periods of time which is a good thing to allow him to do. Leave the cage uncovered and the tv on if you are worried about him being lonely. He will be fine a few hours while you shop and do errands. You do not want to make him too clingy. What if you left for errands and got into an accident or for some reason didn't make it home for several hours? Then your bird will have been covered that whole entire time. He needs to learn to play by himself. You can't be there 24/7 and it is good that he understands this. Circumstances change in life. You may need to get a job one day and he'll need to be left at home. You can't cover him all day. teach him now that there is together time and alone time. Cover his cage in the evening if you want.
2007-07-09 17:04:33 · answer #1 · answered by stop_staring_please 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Agrred you shouldn't be covering the cage every time you leave the house during the day. It can muck up their sleep routines for the evening.
The cage should only be covered at night when or on rare occasions that the bird is too noisy to bare, the cover quietens them.
Apart from this the bird should have natural sunlight & daylight every day as well as be out for as long as possible.
When I go to work, I tell my birds "going to work"
When I go to the shops I say "going to the shops"
Cos my hours can sometime be long & odd so when I say which ever, they know if it's work I'll be gone a while, if it's shops I won't be long at all. You can teach them with simple words. My cockatiel sometimes gets upset when I say "bye bye", he knows I'm off somewhere.
2007-07-09 18:09:50 · answer #2 · answered by kim 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is good that you have your bird out during the day while you're home but it isn't healthy for you to cover them during the daylight hours. I'm having a problem understanding why you think you need to do this. Are you covering him because you feel guilty about leaving him?
Birds need 12 hours of daylight every day. I even have a Ott light, a natural light lamp, to put on them during the winter so that they get enough light.
Your bird will be fine while you're gone without covering him. In fact, to keep him entertained during your absence, turn a radio on for him.
Silver2sea
2007-07-09 20:00:08 · answer #3 · answered by silver2sea 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, your teils sleeping will become a bit messed up and since day is now night to them, he won't let you get any sleep 0:-)
No no, if you are out of the house int he daytime, don't cover the cage. It's best if you don't as he likes to space off looking at things. They are pretty amazed at our way of life. He'll be fine to be alone for a few hours!
2007-07-09 18:36:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Excuse me but alll of my birds eat what I have unless it's got mushrroms, chocolate, or string squash in it. Anything is okay in small docess, like a treat. Sure pop tarts aren't good for them, but it's a reward for their good behavior. You can expieremnet with different foods, just try for the bigger parts of their diets to stick to foods like apples, and greens, and their seed diet. Im a heathly person, and don't eat to much stuff which is why my birds always get a bit of it! ;)
2016-05-22 01:23:59 · answer #5 · answered by shawnda 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes that is ok. I do that with my cockateil and it does not bother him. Your cockateil will be ok while you are gone for a couple of hours.
2007-07-09 16:32:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
thats fine. he will figure your schedule out. :] good luck withyour bird.
2007-07-09 16:30:15 · answer #7 · answered by karen 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Don't see any harm in that! Sounds fine. :)
2007-07-09 16:30:00 · answer #8 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
it is a good to keep a schedule ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, l
2007-07-09 16:30:43 · answer #9 · answered by I AM BACK 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋