Dealing with Night Frights

[Michael]

I just wanted to share an effective method I have found for subduing an ongoing night fright. A few nights ago I just barely bumped Truman's covered cage as I was squeezing by to get something. It threw him for a fit and he was going through the usual night fright experience inside. At first I tried to calm him by talking to him and slowly uncovering the cage so he could see but it wasn't helping. So I opened the door and he flew right out and circled the room a few times and landed on his tree. After a few minutes away from his cage he was fine to go back in. My point is that the best way to help a bird get over its night fright is to let them fly it off. That's what they are trying to do but inside the cage they keep bumping into the walls so it only scares them more and makes the night fright last much longer. But if you're around (or the cause) when it happens, just open the cage door and let them fly it off.

[marie83]

I can see that helping with some birds but I know with my 'tiels the best thing I can do is just switch the light on, at least in the cage they cant hit anything at speed where as mine don't look where they are going at all whilst in a panic and hit walls, windows or anything else in their way

[GreenWing]

Good advice

[dj ven]

nice advice thank you. the thing that i do is that we just communicate , i don't know if you can call it training, they just know that when i am near nothing will happen, no matter if i push their cage or i do anything. My tiels mostly have night frights when a tiel with special needs falls down and starts screaming because she is afraid, but the moment i hear the sound that she fell i woke up and talk without even having realised what happen so the potential night fright doesn't happen. I try to minimize the factors that scare them, weird sounds e.t.c. and stop it before happening but even if it happens my voice is enough to make them calm and happy. I just approach the cage fast looking calm and dancing and then they start dance too.. i can't even remember how much time has passed until our last night fright.

[marie83]

. My tiels mostly have night frights when a tiel with special needs falls down and starts screaming because she is afraid, but the moment i hear the sound that she fell i woke up and talk without even having realised what happen :

I can relate to this, I can sleep through an earthquake (and i have done, it was the birds panicking that woke me- I didnt have a clue until I realised the rest of the household were awake) but the second the birds start flapping round I'm wide awake, out of bed and the lights on before I even know I'm awake. Usually I can't wake up quickly at all, my alarm goes off for ages in the morning before I can move myself to turn it off. Luckily Ollie doesn't get night frights even if Harlie goes off on one and thats very rare these days.