Setting up a sleep cage

[Kirsten]

So, I still haven't kicked the habit of sleeping in bed with Skittles and yes yes yes, I know I have to stop. That's why I'm posting actually. I read in BirdTalk about sleep cages and now I'm considering putting one right next to my bed.

Why not just let him sleep in his regular cage? Well we moved his regular cage into my parent's room since there is better AC, he can watch the dogs play in there and there is more sunlight. My parents often have to get up WAY earlier than I do and Skittles tends to be the kind of bird that starts screaming as soon as he hears people moving about or he detects the tiniest bit of sunlight. I actually get woken up regularly by him around 8am and I don't want to put my parents through all that since he is my bird.

So, that's why I want to just put one next to my bed. I just have some questions. Is it okay to have his sleep cage be smaller than his normal cage? Should I keep water in it? In his normal cage, he has one of those yellow, fuzzy huts to keep him warm. Should I keep something like that in there or do you think he'd be fine with just a perch? Also, are there any household items that make better cage covers than bed sheets since they tend to let light through?

[liz]

Myrtle sleeps in a paper bag on her tree. Rambo has slept in one of his tear up boxes.

Why not put a tree branch through a cardboard box with one end open near your bed. He will learn to claim a box for his night cage. You could put a bowl of water on the same night stand.

[Kirsten]

Myrtle sleeps in a paper bag on her tree. Rambo has slept in one of his tear up boxes.

Why not put a tree branch through a cardboard box with one end open near your bed. He will learn to claim a box for his night cage. You could put a bowl of water on the same night stand.

That's actually a pretty good idea! The only thing is I could see him chewing on his box at night or constantly trying to get over to the bed to sleep with me. Though I still might try that just since I happen to have some boxes I could do it with!

[marie83]

I'd be inclined to use a travel cage for the safety aspect and just put his hut if thats what he likes to sleep in and some water in. You can use treats to teach him it's a good place to be in. If you don't like that idea then I agree that lizs idea is good too but I know if I tried it with Ollie he would just keep trying to climb all over us for cuddles whilst we were asleep and I would be scared of squashing him

[liz]

I have had Myrtle for a year. Only twice did she want to sleep with me. She does not move. She rides on my left shoulder (or hanging off my back) during the day. At night she gets on my left shoulder and when I lay down she squats down like a chicken and puts her beak behind my ear. With a couple of paper towels under her I don't worry about a mess.

[Grey_Moon]

To keep up with his accustomed routine and also to avoid having him develop 'nest syndrome' by spending 24/7 eating/sleeping and living in the same cage I'd say keep him in your bedroom.

1) He's accustomed to sleeping nearby you 'the flock'. So you can't just suddenly push him out and abandon him into the dark so to speak. Personally, Jacko sleeps either right next to my head on her tree or she sleeps on my pillow. Of course, this means I've got to wash the sheets more often but I like it, she likes it and she no longer plucks. She enjoys cuddling my nose and falling asleep while we watch tv---of course she moves higher up once she knows I'm asleep.

2) You can't all of a sudden lock him in a cage--if he's accustomed to sleeping 'free' all night then stick to it. You can try what Liz suggested and give him his own box/pillow/bed etc but I wouldn't suddenly lock him up at night. I don't think it does best by the bird's instincts and needs.

The safety thing is a bit overrated IMO. If it was that much of a concern I think any Chihuahua or baby or cat who slept in a bed with someone would die. It does happen, of course, but its pretty rare. Given how you can't make everything 100% safe without taking the 'zest' out of life and living in a bubble---I think the sense of security, love and routine that sleeping as a flock gives our birds is worth any potential accident.

I can say this that there have been times where i've passed out (darn meds) with Jacko snuggled next to me underneath the blankets (as a rescue she was toweled rough so this helps build a more positive association). My partner mentioned that I never moved a muscle while she was next to me. Eventually she crawled out of the blankets, flew back to her cage and then flew back to beak me hello when I woke up

This has happened a few times and minus some instances of birdie poop under the blankets (YUCK) she's a-ok. There is the birdie poop factor but I usually just place a towel under her and she sleeps on it so any birdie poop ends up there.

[marie83]

Grey moon makes an excellent point about suddenly locking a bird away, obviously if you did choose a cage your bird needs to be introduced slowly.

I suppose the safety thing is personal preference but I wouldn't do it, they tell you not to sleep with a baby in the bed, obviously a baby is different as it cannot move away but on the other hand birds are so small if you did roll onto it before it had chance to move your either going to get a very bad bite and scare the bird alot or it's going to get hurt.

The pro's of letting it sleep how liz suggested are good as grey moon pointed out but another pro to the sleep cage is it is still nearby but also you can just grab it and go if theres ever an emergency. It's not likely to happen ever but I've often wondered how the hell I'd manage to catch the birds and get them in a travel cage quickly if we had to get out fast and they were already panicked by something especially as their cages have small doors so its hard to reach in. My boyfriend doesnt want them in the bedroom though so thats why I don't put them in a sleep cage. Swings and roundabouts as theres pro's and cons to letting them sleep in their normal cage, small cage or free sleeping.

[Kirsten]

I definitely understand what you mean about putting him away so suddenly. That's why I want to keep him right next to me, maybe even able to see me.

When he sleeps with me, Skittles either cuddles up next to my face on the pillow, sleeps on top of my teddy bear, or on my shoulder. I almost have some sort of parental thing going on where when I go to turn in my sleep I actually lift him up and turn, then put him down or he just moves with me. One thing that does concern me a little (aside from potential overheating and squashing) is that he just doesn't poop on my bed. He has only ever done it once. He usually starts biting me to wake me up and I take him to his perch on top of his cage in my parent's room where he unloads a dump that could possibly be half his body weight. I can't help wondering if him holding it all in like that is bad for him or not. I mean...it is a LOT of poop.

I'll admit, I've tried using my travel cage before. One problem I had was that it opens from the top and he will thrust his legs out and grab either side of the opening so I can't put him in (although he's much better about this now since I've been rewarding him for going in) and the other thing that eventually made me give in was he had his whole body pressed against the bars and was giving me the saddest look...

I know, that's not really an excuse. I really need to just cover up the cage but he loves my body heat and I'm afraid he'll get cold.

It is nice to know that I'm not the only one that sleeps with her bird though!

[Grey_Moon]

Not pooping all night won't hurt him---just means he's sleeping soundly. Which is great.
Most birds sleep all night then let out one biiiiig dump when they wake up. Otherwise they'd be up every 15 mins pooping and never sleep well.

Personally, if you like it and feel guilty about locking him up, and Skittles likes it and obviously dislikes sleeping in his carrier alone...annnnd he's not pooping on your bed (SO SO Sooo jealous about that ) I'd say don't bother changing it. He's sleeping soundly and not really in any danger of getting hurt as I see it because he sleeps high up on the bed and sort of out of harms way so to speak.

[susanmaurer]

Well, my 14-week old Indian Ringneck, Petey, sleeps with me, and I believe that in the balance, the safety factor and the positive bonding factor work out fine for us. Normally, I sleep on my back and he snuggles up on my chest just under my chin, and somehow I remain conscious of him there even though I'm asleep. I think I would have to be under the influence of a sleeping pill not to be aware of him. And normally he doesn't poop on me, either (although there is the occasional accident). I wear a bird bib to bed just in case, and I keep a towel on the pillow next to me in case he should decide to move over there (he never has). But normally he waits until he wakes up in the morning to poop, and then he makes his way to the edge of the bed and poops on the floor (where I have laid out some paper towels). It seems like a perfect arrangement; he likes it, I like it, and I just don't worry about people who tell me that I "shouldn't" sleep with him. It's between him and me; and while I understand the reasoning of those who think it's a bad idea, it's still a personal choice and I'm happy with it. So I would say that if sleeping with your parrot feels good to you and you feel reasonably certain that you will not injure the bird, then do what feels appropriate to your particular relationship.