Have you ever let your birds sleep outside of the cage all night?

[wingman]

Rio , Gracie and Mango have a room all to their selves to play and fly in all day. I let them out daily and just leave the cage doors open so they can get water and food . I am thinking that I just let them stay out all night turn off the light and just leave a night light on so if they want to get in the cages if they want to. Any feedback on this please!

[spiritbird]

I know someone else that does this. The only problem she had was sometimes the birds would get into tiffs over territory. Over all it worked out ok.

[94lt1]

The only bird I let sleep outside their cage has been Rain when she was having seizures.. And she'd sleep on a perch near me ..I hardly slept and would monitor her. Her seizures were bad and she'd quit being able to breath and I'd have to help her by blowing very small amounts of air into her..I mean small..if I'd have gotten carried away i would've blown out her lungs...

[Mare]

My cockatiel, Chip, always sleeps outside his cage..he sleeps on top of it. We've never had issues with him.

[Lady]

I've never let Lady sleep out of her cage b/c we have two cats and even tho the door is closed I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happen :(.

[kendrafitz]

Rosie has not slept out of her cage. I worry that she might get into mischief while we are upstairs. The dogs sleep in crates so I don't worry about that. Her stand in my room wouldn't work for all night. She perches on the toy hook in the evening on it which is not very thick. I fear she would have foot cramps by morning.

[Mr Peepers]

Every one of my birds have seemed to always know when its dark out that its time to go in to their cages for the night and they just go there. I make a routine about them going to sleep at a certain time every night and they went with it.

I don't know if I would want to allow my birds to sleep out of their cage at night. If they had a night fright and flew off in fear banging into a wall or maybe falling behind a piece of furniture or hit the light in the ceiling or many other things could or would be tragic.

I prefer them to be safe in the cage. If an emergency comes up in the middle of the night and I have to get out of the house fast, I want to reach in the cage grab the bird put him in his carrier and get out of the house quickly and safely. I wouldn't have to chase the bird around the room losing valuable time.

[Birdbabe]

The only time was when I was too sick to put them to bed, some went in the cage, some slept on the tree or ceiling fan ( turned off) ..they were fine.

[PlaxMacaws]

Yes, I have. And I do on occasion. Sometimes Salsa throws a whining fit when I batten him down in his cage for the evening. One way to settle him is to let him out and allow him to sleep on his play stand.

Then the other situation is as follows... At times I fall asleep with Zaf while we are watching TV during the evening. Occasionally we end up sleeping through to the early morning. Zaf prefers to either sleep on my chest or, if we're on his couch, he will sometimes climb onto the backrest (it's against the wall) and stretch out flat then fade to sleep.

Speaking of Zaf and me falling asleep on his couch, it happened just last night. It was a very frightening experience for me. I was going to start a new thread about the incident because it produced 10 seconds or so of horror in my mind.

What happened is this... At around 2 or 3 AM I awakened realizing that I had fallen asleep with Zaf on his couch and that he was sleeping stretched out flat on the backrest. The lights were off and I had apparently switched the TV off earlier with the remote control. I could see Zaf well enough in the darkened room to notice that something was very different from the norm. He was perfectly still (somewhat normal for a sleeping bird) and his head was turned to the left with his right cheek resting flat against the surface of the backrest. That's not so unusual for him. The unusual part is that his left eye was wide open and he wouldn't respond to my voice for approximately 10 seconds. Zaf is typically a very light sleeper... the slightest noise or movement awakens him. But not this time! His eye remained wide open and I must have vehemently exclaimed his name 3 or 4 times before he finally moved. I remember saying "Zaf!", then "ZAF!!", then "ZAFFER!!!" before he finally lifted his head. Obviously the horrible possibility that he'd passed away while I was asleep went through my mind during that 10-second period. I'm so enormously thankful that that wasn't the case!!!! Zaf must have either been in a deep sleep with his eye open, or he was experiencing a bout of sleep paralysis, or he was having some sort of a strange seizure. I'm unsure which it was. But he's never slept with his eye open like that before. I have to tell you, though, I was feeling absolutely devastated for those several seconds. And it was not a dream! For those few moments I really thought I'd lost my best friend :,(. As you might imagine, I was immensely relieved when he finally lifted his head!

Note:
I certainly don't recommend that anyone fall asleep with a pet bird. Doing so truly poses a terrible risk to the bird that may well result in a fatality at some point. It's very important to be extremely careful about how and where our birds sleep. Zaf has simply required the extra closeness since his broken leg ordeal and because of his recent appetite and weight loss issue.

[spiritbird]

OH my goodness I can see how you would be very afraid that he was not responding to your voice. Glad all is well with Zaf.

[Mr Peepers]

Yes, I have. And I do on occasion. Sometimes Salsa throws a whining fit when I batten him down in his cage for the evening. One way to settle him is to let him out and allow him to sleep on his play stand.

Then the other situation is as follows... At times I fall asleep with Zaf while we are watching TV during the evening. Occasionally we end up sleeping through to the early morning. Zaf prefers to either sleep on my chest or, if we're on his couch, he will sometimes climb onto the backrest (it's against the wall) and stretch out flat then fade to sleep.

Speaking of Zaf and me falling asleep on his couch, it happened just last night. It was a very frightening experience for me. I was going to start a new thread about the incident because it produced 10 seconds or so of horror in my mind.

What happened is this... At around 2 or 3 AM I awakened realizing that I had fallen asleep with Zaf on his couch and that he was sleeping stretched out flat on the backrest. The lights were off and I had apparently switched the TV off earlier with the remote control. I could see Zaf well enough in the darkened room to notice that something was very different from the norm. He was perfectly still (somewhat normal for a sleeping bird) and his head was turned to the left with his right cheek resting flat against the surface of the backrest. That's not so unusual for him. The unusual part is that his left eye was wide open and he wouldn't respond to my voice for approximately 10 seconds. Zaf is typically a very light sleeper... the slightest noise or movement awakens him. But not this time! His eye remained wide open and I must have vehemently exclaimed his name 3 or 4 times before he finally moved. I remember saying "Zaf!", then "ZAF!!", then "ZAFFER!!!" before he finally lifted his head. Obviously the horrible possibility that he'd passed away while I was asleep went through my mind during that 10-second period. I'm so enormously thankful that that wasn't the case!!!! Zaf must have either been in a deep sleep with his eye open, or he was experiencing a bout of sleep paralysis, or he was having some sort of a strange seizure. I'm unsure which it was. But he's never slept with his eye open like that before. I have to tell you, though, I was feeling absolutely devastated for those several seconds. And it was not a dream! For those few moments I really thought I'd lost my best friend :,(. As you might imagine, I was immensely relieved when he finally lifted his head!

Note:
I certainly don't recommend that anyone fall asleep with a pet bird. Doing so truly poses a terrible risk to the bird that may well result in a fatality at some point. It's very important to be extremely careful about how and where our birds sleep. Zaf has simply required the extra closeness since his broken leg ordeal and because of his recent appetite and weight loss issue.


Wow, that would have freaked me out.

I'm glad Zaf was okay and I'm terribly jealous that you actually get to have a lie down with a big parrot snoozing on your chest in your arms. How amazing that would be! :th_smile:

[kendrafitz]

So happy that Zaf is ok. I imagine your heart skipped a beat or 5!!!

[Mare]

Tony, I'm happy to know you and Zaf survived your night! I've seen my birds lie down when they are cuddling and blissing out but I didn't know they lie down to sleep..? How do they stay perched in a cage?..?..

This question has entered my mind, more than once. Amigo's sleeping perch is 5' above the bottom of his cage. Sometimes I wonder about the time he was hurt and had to spend time at the vet hospital..could he have fallen asleep and fallen off his perch?

[PlaxMacaws]

Thanks Dianne and Kendra.

Nick: Zaf's dedicated affection is something I can't imagine living without. He seems to adore me nearly as much as I do, him. When it comes to me, Zaf is a very cuddly, trusting, loving bird. He will sometimes fret all night/morning if he's not allowed to come sleep with me. It's a terribly bad habit that may someday result in catastrophe :(. Zaf is a lot like a fluffy teddy bear, but one who's alive... so it's indescribably pleasant to have him so near and snugly.

Mare: Zaf prefers to sleep like a cat or a rabbit. He'll flatten himself down on me or a soft surface and fade away. Afternoon naps are really great! :D As for why birds don't generally fall while perched and asleep, there are regions within the avian brain that control balance and monitor for threatening sounds. Those regions remain alert and functional during a bird's sleep state.

[Lady]

Wow, It surely had to feel wonderful when you saw him raise his little blue head. Such emotions these little creatures put us through, but boy oh boy having a snuggle with a hy, or any bird is priceless! I too, am so very glad all is well!

I often thought about our birds being on their feet for their entire life span an have always wanted a solid platform perch or shelf for Lady. I know how much my feet ache after 8 hours, I can't imagine not being able to get off my feet.

When I finally get a bigger cage for her she will have a platform perch!

[PlaxMacaws]

Wow, It surely had to feel wonderful when you saw him raise his little blue head. Such emotions these little creatures put us through, but boy oh boy having a snuggle with a hy, or any bird is priceless! I too, am so very glad all is well!

I often thought about our birds being on their feet for their entire life span an have always wanted a solid platform perch or shelf for Lady. I know how much my feet ache after 8 hours, I can't imagine not being able to get off my feet.

When I finally get a bigger cage for her she will have a platform perch!Snuggling with these feathered guys is the best! As far as being on their feet continually, that's probably why some of them enjoy rolling over onto their backs so much :D