How many hours sleep?

[Charlie]

Hello all,

First I apologise for not being able to contribute to anyone else's posts. I am a novice, I own no birds and so I am a taker at the moment!

I have been reading about parrots needing plenty sleep. I have heard the ideal number of hours quoted as 10, 12 and 14. I assume, though, that it's different for different species and within that, individuals?

I think I read somewhere on Michael's website (please correct me if I'm mistaken) that Kili his senegal is often training and playing at 10pm? I know the website also advises plenty sleep, so would Kili then sleep in until 10am?

Lastly, how do some of the northerly parrot owners amongst you prevent the sun from waking your parrots early and keeping them up late in the summer? Surely like most birds they won't want to go to bed until sunset, and will wake at sunrise?

I'd really like to hear more about the patterns and routines you have with your birds, and what problems/solutions you have with this issue.

Thanks!

[Jenny]

Hi Charlie,
the more sleep you can help a companion bird to get, the better, as long awake hours often lead to hormones being triggered, which can result in all kinds of behavioral & physical problems for the bird. So, no matter in what part of the world you live, or what your personal schedule may be, you try, try, try to make sure your birdie is allowed 12-14 (& sometimes longer if birdie is really struggling w/hormones) of dark, undisturbed sleep time. So if it's light outside at 6am, but birdie hasn't slept long enough, you cover the cage when birdie goes to bed so birdie doesn't waken w/the sun, or you put birdie in a spare room w/few windows, &/or window blinds, &/or windows blacked out. Whatever it takes so birdie can sleep! If you saw something on Michael's blog where Kili was up at 10pm, it wouldn't matter what the specific time was, as Michael is probably manipulating her sleep schedule utilizing heavy covers on her cage - maybe Michael didn't uncover her till 8pm, which is both his & her wake-up time (I don't know that that is the case, I'm just providing an example).

I think most bird owners struggle w/the recommended 12-14 hours. How do you manage that, work a full 8 hours (often outside the home), & spend time interacting w/your bird?? I personally make sure my tiel gets 10hrs, then snag more time whenever the opportunity arises. Right now, that amount of time keeps his hormones at bay. If there comes a time when that doesn't seem like enough, well then, I have to weigh the risks of a hormonal bird against the risks of a less tame bird. You end up asking yourself "what's best for the bird?" & make your decision from there.

Does that help?

[Charlie]

Thanks Jenny, that does help a lot. That's interesting about the hormones - it never crossed my mind but of course longer days immitate the breeding season. I am sure I can figure something out with cage placement and thick curtains to keep the sun out. I think the most difficult thing for me will be structuring a routine without it becoming too rigid.

Does this mean, then, that a breeding bird sleeps less than a companion in general, or for just a short period of time during the real or artificial breeding season?

[Michael]

My parrots sleep from 9:30PM till 9:30AM. That ensures 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep daily. The shades are always closed and the lights are on timers. This makes it easy to follow a daily routine and ensures they stay on it if I'm away or late.

[Bobioden]

My GCC climbs into his sleep cage at around 8p. I cover him up and his is good until I uncover him at 7:30 or so the next morning. I do hear him play with his foot toys before I uncover him, but he has yet to make any other kind of noise. Thankfully.