Afraid of the dark or just being a brat?

Hi all,

I've had my new baby, who I've named Bubbles! since Saturday. What I've been noticing ... and I'm wondering if any of you have had similar experiences ... when I go to put her to bed at night she makes a fuss! Is she afraid of her cage/the dark or just being a brat?

When I go to take her to her cage for bedtime, she will make her displeased noise and bend her head down for skritches only. She wont step up initially. When I finally get her up she doesn't want to go inside her cage and will use her beak to try to grab the sides. When I finally get her in the cage, she will climb over the bars and makes a few noises to get my attention.

So anywho, after all this rigamarole I will go back to check on her a few minutes later. I notice she still clings to the side of the cage so I put her on her perch and then turn off the light and that she where she stays for the night!

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Lol!

I think she's just being a diva ..... :09:

It could be just diva behaviour or...

Maybe her sleeping perch is not to her liking? Or perhaps she IS afraid of the dark, I've read that some birds are afraid and providing a nightlight helps.

What helped my zon a bit was to create a strict routine of feeding him a few bites of warm food on his playgym and then placing the bowl in his cage. Usually, he makes his own way to the cage quite quickly thereafter. Once he's eaten his food, I pull the curtain by his wondow half closed and half close his cage. I then let him do his own thing for a bit and within half an hour he moves to his sleeping perch and when I go then to close his cage completely, he doesn't fuss at all. He used to hang on the cage bars at bed time and try to bite me/the cage cover. Now, because I do it slowly, he's much calmer and more willing to go to bed.

Sounds like Diva behaviour.

We created a nigh time ritual with our birds.

My amazon wants a nut when being placed in his cage for the night LOL and then sit beside him for a while as he eats his treat, drinks some water and settles in on his favorite perch. We then have some soft talk time , then a few minutes of beak grinding until he start squaking a little for his blankie. At this point I cover him, he preens and beak grinds till he turns around to sleep for the night.

My galah can be a bit of a madam at bedtimes - even when she's literally falling asleep where she stands we often get a bit of a tantrum when it's time for bed, but it lasts a couple of minutes max then she dozes off. She reminds me exactly of a toddler who can barely keep her eyes open but still wails "Not tired! Just another ten minutes!" when being escorted to the bedroom... Setting a routine definitely helps a lot, and after I close the cage I always get her to settle on a perch to get a treat before I turn the light out.

MomtoPercy said:

It could be just diva behaviour or...

Maybe her sleeping perch is not to her liking? Or perhaps she IS afraid of the dark, I've read that some birds are afraid and providing a nightlight helps.

What helped my zon a bit was to create a strict routine of feeding him a few bites of warm food on his playgym and then placing the bowl in his cage. Usually, he makes his own way to the cage quite quickly thereafter. Once he's eaten his food, I pull the curtain by his wondow half closed and half close his cage. I then let him do his own thing for a bit and within half an hour he moves to his sleeping perch and when I go then to close his cage completely, he doesn't fuss at all. He used to hang on the cage bars at bed time and try to bite me/the cage cover. Now, because I do it slowly, he's much calmer and more willing to go to bed.

Click to expand...

How do you know if a perch is not to the bird's liking? I mean generally when I put her on the perch the second time I go to check on her that is where she will stay for the remainder of the night because she is there when I go to see her in the morning before work. I know with my other red belly, she was doing the same when I changed cages, but it was because she wanted a perch up higher than where I had put it so I tested the theory and it works. For Bubbles, the perches are up at a fairly good height so I'm just not sure how to tell.

I do leave the blinds open slightly so the streetlight can come in. I can definitely try a nightlight and see what happens.

Sounds like a good routine ... it is nice that he isn't a little diva himself and just goes to bed! Hahaha. Could be because she is brand new to the house and doesn't have a routine just yet?

SandyBee said:

Sounds like Diva behaviour.

We created a nigh time ritual with our birds.

My amazon wants a nut when being placed in his cage for the night LOL and then sit beside him for a while as he eats his treat, drinks some water and settles in on his favorite perch. We then have some soft talk time , then a few minutes of beak grinding until he start squaking a little for his blankie. At this point I cover him, he preens and beak grinds till he turns around to sleep for the night.

Click to expand...

LOL! I try that with her. I give her a walnut before and she will sit on her perch but as soon as she is done which is quick. Or when she decides to drop it to climb on the cage bars for my attention ... the nut fails!

Maybe I baby my pets too much because I'm pretty sure Bubbles would sleep in the same bed watching over me if she could hahahaha.

Jayyj said:

My galah can be a bit of a madam at bedtimes - even when she's literally falling asleep where she stands we often get a bit of a tantrum when it's time for bed, but it lasts a couple of minutes max then she dozes off. She reminds me exactly of a toddler who can barely keep her eyes open but still wails "Not tired! Just another ten minutes!" when being escorted to the bedroom... Setting a routine definitely helps a lot, and after I close the cage I always get her to settle on a perch to get a treat before I turn the light out.

Click to expand...

I'm going to try to do the same thing every night for a little while and see if that stops her from being such a diva!

That is exactly what is reminds me of, too. A kid not wanting to go to bed. It's like, as soon as she knows I'm taking her to her cage ... she is automatically looking around for a way out to not have to go in there for the night. Darn birds!

Typical. Same behavior here

lotosha said:

Typical. Same behavior here

Click to expand...

Lol! ... crazy feathered things! :09:

Actually, last night wasn't so much of a struggle. Perhaps she is getting more used to the routine and the fact that no matter what, she has to go to bed.

I put her in her cage, gave her a walnut and she was calmly eating it on the perch and then I turned out the light. I listened outside the door for a few minutes and didn't hear any climbing on the cage. Success!! Well ... one night success hahaha. We will see what tonight brings.

CassMarie said:

I put her in her cage, gave her a walnut and she was calmly eating it on the perch and then I turned out the light

Click to expand...

Nice! Nuts are powerful behavior moderators. LOL

Our routine is like that:
1. My female Grey Tosia has to have her head scratches while sitting on my right shoulder.
2. She then goes for my left shoulder so that I won't miss a spot on her neck.
3. After she has had enough she opens my earring back and throws it as far as possible so I won't be able to find it. And if possible bites me slightly on the ear.
4. I get angry and try to get her out of my shoulder.
5. While I try to reach her with my right arm over my left shoulder she runs to my right shoulder, so I try to reach her with my left arm on my right shoulder.
6. She then runs back to my left shoulder. Slowly I become quite wormed up and with better range of motion in my shoulders and I almost manage to reach her. She then chooses another tactics and starts running along my spine upward and downward.
7. In regard I ether bend down and try to catch her on my pelvis or straight up and reach to her between my scapulas.
8. Finally she decides that she had enough of that funny activity and she step ups on my hand and lets me put her into the cage.
9. I then pick up my male Grey, who is a no-trouble and put him inside the cage too.
10. BUT!!! As I put him into the cage my female CAG jumps on my arm and sneaks out of the cage.
11. I get upright and find out that we've returned to stage 1.....She is sitting on my shoulder all ready to start another "get me if you can" routine.
After another 20 minutes of running all over my body I manage to get her inside the cage.
As you understand after such fitness program each evening I have no problem to fall asleep.