Moon's Graden

For years now, we've been (strictly out of habit) covering our U2's cage at
night.    Is there really a need for this other than to afford the bird
seclusion and privacy so that she might easily fall asleep?   We wheel the
cage into a guestroom where she gets peace and quiet (and so do we!!) but
out of habit we cover the cage as well.  I'm truly of the opinion that
birds, are alert and curious and become frustrated being unable to
constantly check out their surroundings.  Someone told me that years ago,
before the advent of thermal pane windows and good central heating, it
became cold and drafty at night...so the cages had to be covered to protect
the birds from this.

I'm contemplating leaving her uncovered from now on and would appreciate
knowledgeable advice re this.  Thanx

Dom

We do whatever suits the bird best. But we don't totally cover the cage
as sometimes the bird will get startled for some reason and will thrash
about and can really hurt himself in thr total darkness.

good luck.

I have a 4 year old male Umbrella 'too.  I started turning on a night light
and  covering his cage with a black sheet as a baby.  Just something to help
him feel secure at night.  Now if I don't cover his cage, he will not go to
sleep.  He screams if you turn the light out without covering him.  But it
is important for him to see what is happening around him.  He has a few well
placed (he chewed thru the cotton sheet) holes in his sheet so he can peek
out.

You can certainly give it a shot and see if it matters to him......

We don't cover our feathered  buddies at nite.
They do need a certain amount of sleep, and if theres alot of activity in the
room, they're not gonna get they're rest.
We leave a nite light on in the room for them, so they don't get startled by
sudden movements.

 Dawn,  Baby,  Izzy  &  Pierre
Human- MSC - CAG  -   MOL

Kristin

We have generally not covered the cages of our birds, but there are exceptions.
We adopted one amazon  that had been accustomed to having his cage covered & we
chose to continue the practice. The cover went about 2/3rds down the sides of
the cage & he seemed quite content with the arrangement. We have a friend with
a bird that will literally holler "Hey, Hey" if his cover slips off at night.  

If your U2 seems happy/content with the cover at night and there don't seem to
be any risks (loose threads from chewing, etc.), I guess I'd lean towards
continuing to use it, though if you could give "no covering" a test run; he/she
may adapt quickly.

As an aside, we do try to ensure that a bird cage is in a corner, or at least
against a wall, at night so that all sides are not entirely wide open. Not sure
if it makes a real difference, but we thought this might give a parrot an added
sense of security at night.

Good luck!
Jackie, in Vermont

As far as cage covering goes in my house, I generally do it to give
the birds a break from my well-lighted apartment complex.  If I
didn't give them a bedtime, they'd be up all night.

I also cover because if I don't, the birds get up at the crack of
dawn, the same time I do, and as much as I love my babies, it is
nice to hear a robin's song at dawn not in competition four
squawking parakeets.

My starling on the other hand does not sleep in her cage at night
but is adament that "her" hall light is off.

Kristan

I cover my birds, they chew holes in the sheets though!!!!!!!!!Becky

My parrots let me know whether they want to be covered or not.  I got my
first one, a U2, from a breeder who insisted that they did not need to
be covered.  So, I don't cover her, everything is good, and my theory
was that parrots don't need to be covered.

My next one, an M2 who I didn't plan on covering, convinced me by being
quite noisy and cranky at exactly 8:00 every night that she wanted to be
covered to sleep.  As soon as I cover her, she goes to the exact same
spot in her cage and goes right to sleep.

Next came the caique.  Needs no cover, sleeps fine.  Lastly (so far), my
yellow collar macaw, let me know by similar behavior to the M2, that he
needed to be covered, although when I cover him he whispers quietly to
himself for a short while before going nite nite.

My conclusion is that the need to be covered at night varies from parrot
to parrot.  I don't know if it is because of what they are used to, or
just individual preference.  I think that the  difference between my M2
and U2 possibly indicates that it is not species-specific and the
difference between the U2 and caique vs. the M2 and the YCM indicates
that it is probably not driven by conditions in the place of national
origin.   But if you pay attention, they will let you know which they
prefer.

/zz

When my 'tiel came home, I bought a cage cover and tried to cover it.
She screamed and screamed. So I don't cover the cage at all.

As a matter of fact, I leave her cage uncovered and make a point out
of leaving the windowshade up on one of the windows - the street
lighting gently lights the room. I think she's most comfortable that
way, as she had been in a shopkeepers cage since birth, in a store
where the window was on the city street....

Adam

Adam E Saltman, MD, PhD             Phone:617-632-7389
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery  Fax:617-632-7562

110 Francis Street Suite 2C
Boston, MA 02215

My indoor birds' cage is always covered up... with R-11 in the walls,
R-30 in the ceiling and vertical blinds over the windows. ;)

The outdoor aviary does get covered up at night with tarps. It makes a
huge difference when the wind is blowing. The temperature never drops
below freezing here, but the windchill can be dangerous.

If I've got a sick bird, I'll bring it inside and put it in the "hospital
cage", along with a small 4 watt night light. That cage is always
covered, except for a few hours during the afternoon.

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I cover my 'tiels because if I don't they will stay up all night.  They want to
sleep in the bed with me, but I don't let them, so they will be up if I don't
"force" them to sleep.  Also, my boyfriend practically lives in the living room
and has the TV running 24 hours a day.  

                              Sue

From reading all of the above posts it seems it is the bird's preference
whether to cover or not.  My baby sun's cage is in the family room and since
there are usually T.V. watchers in there at night I cover her cage so she
can have some peace (and quiet?)  She has been going to the same spot in her
cage when she is ready to sleep--on the wing of her stuffed Paulie parrot.
It's a pretty funny site, but it seems to be my cue to cover the cage.  And
speaking of sleeping birds, are there any birds out there that sleep in a
happy hut?  I'm thinking of getting one, but would like some opinions.
Maybe you could reply on a separate thread.  Thanks.
Dara

As for the Happy Hut be careful Dara.
A while back people were posting some storys about birds geting caught
up in the trreads from these bird toy house deals. I am not sure if the
one you are talking about is like this but if it has a way for the bird
to start working at the line that holds it together it can be a problem.
Also a while back our Love bird started acting like she wanted a nest so
I made a small cardboard box with a little hole in it and put it on top
of the cage. She loved it and took right to it. The problem was she
turned into a little green monster. She became very aggressive and would
bite hard enough to draw *** if you tried to pick her up. I finaly
gave up and threw out the box and almost instantly she became her old
lovable self again. this does not mean this would happen with your birds
but watch for a change in behavior if its a female and you give it
something to nest in.

"A commitee is a life form with six or more legs and no brain"

HI,
     I have always covered my birds at night.  They seem to be happier covered
and as we have air conditioning , I think it is better for the birds not be in
a draft at night. Especially when they have babies.  LL