anyone use a separate roost cage?

i was reading in one book that there are benefits to having a separate roost cage...a small cage to put your gray in a night...on car rides...trips to the vet..the book says the grays should get 10 to 12 hours sleep a night...seems like it could be easier for sleep in a small cage because you could bring the cage in your bed room ...a place where guests wouldn't interfere...anyone using these cages? thanks....billy

Wife uses a smaller cage for Bongo to sleep in, works very well! We each have a cage for going outside.

Nope. Kiwi gets covered at 9 p.m. in his regular cage in it's regular spot in the living room. We do typically try not to be excessively loud, but we still go about our normal evening. It took him a few weeks after we first got him to get used to actually going to sleep when he was covered, but now he could sleep through a hurricane and not be disturbed. Remember- the jungle isn't quiet at night, it's also not perfectly dark all the time either (the moon, and increasingly, lights from human civilization). He's also typically pretty cranky when I wake him in the morning, so transferring a half groggy, cranky parrot to his big cage? No thanks He does have a emergency/travel cage though.

rope said:

i was reading in one book that there are benefits to having a separate roost cage...a small cage to put your gray in a night...on car rides...trips to the vet..the book says the grays should get 10 to 12 hours sleep a night...seems like it could be easier for sleep in a small cage because you could bring the cage in your bed room ...a place where guests wouldn't interfere...anyone using these cages? thanks....billy

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Hi.....My birds have 3 cages apiece.....I have, I think, at least 15 cages.

Each has their primary cage in their own bedroom where they all are at nite...bedroom is 13 x 13....Then I have an all season porch 3/4 of it glass with screens, 12 x 9 , which has 3 cages and 4 rope perches hanging from ceiling so they can sit on porch in morning. Then we have a Gazebo, 12x12....that is screened with painted rubber floor concrete...they have a cage in each corner with a rope ring above their cages....and we have a table and chairs in the Gazebo where my wife and I have our morning coffee with the birds....

My birds ride freely in my truck on the head rest....one at a time of course, and go into stores with me, hardware stores, library, each gets their turn...never had to have a cage. They are popular with the locals at the stores.....

They are free at night to sleep on top of their cages on the rope ring, or they will go in cage, never had to shut the cage doors in many months.
if I do, they know they did something bad....as they don't like being locked in cages. They are happy, I'm happy....and it's a good set up....they couldn't ask for a better life style.

They get a variety so they can spend time outside

Kiwibird said:

?......He's also typically pretty cranky when I wake him in the morning, so transferring a half groggy, cranky parrot to his big cage? No thanks

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Cranky? I wasn't aware of just how cranky Bongo is in the morning, and when waking him, I used his step up stick. Well, he knows I am too fast for him to run to either end- so- he flew directly to my nose and grabbed it by the bridge. And refused to let go!! Found out later, not even SWMBO would try to move Bongo at first wake up call, she gives him space for a few!

Flboy said:

Kiwibird said:

?......He's also typically pretty cranky when I wake him in the morning, so transferring a half groggy, cranky parrot to his big cage? No thanks

Click to expand...

Cranky? I wasn't aware of just how cranky Bongo is in the morning, and when waking him, I used his step up stick. Well, he knows I am too fast for him to run to either end- so- he flew directly to my nose and grabbed it by the bridge. And refused to let go!! Found out later, not even SWMBO would try to move Bongo at first wake up call, she gives him space for a few!

Click to expand...

Bongo and Kiwi must've been conspiring. A few years ago, I gave Kiwi a good morning kiss, and he grabbed hold of my nose and took a good chunk out He gets his space now to fully wake up too lol!

My grey has a traveling/sleep cage. And a larger day cage. Works well for us. Also means he gets his rest since his day cage is in a busy part of the house.
We have ordered one of those packobird cages for him to travel. Today's travel experience wasn't so good.

thanks all for the help! now i'm wondering if i build a large out side area what type of wall covering to use.....i read somewhere that galvanized hardware cloth isn't good for parrots .or is that just in the smaller inside cages? we have a nice porch that looks out over our farm animals..so maybe i could build something that rolls on the porch that is a walk in type cage for our gray....our conures love going out on the porch in the summer...

Kiwibird said:

Flboy said:

Kiwibird said:

?......He's also typically pretty cranky when I wake him in the morning, so transferring a half groggy, cranky parrot to his big cage? No thanks

Click to expand...

Cranky? I wasn't aware of just how cranky Bongo is in the morning, and when waking him, I used his step up stick. Well, he knows I am too fast for him to run to either end- so- he flew directly to my nose and grabbed it by the bridge. And refused to let go!! Found out later, not even SWMBO would try to move Bongo at first wake up call, she gives him space for a few!

Click to expand...

Bongo and Kiwi must've been conspiring. A few years ago, I gave Kiwi a good morning kiss, and he grabbed hold of my nose and took a good chunk out He gets his space now to fully wake up too lol!

Click to expand...

Leo is particularly cuddly in the morning. He wakes up at 5 am with the rest of the family and if I'm not rushed one day I want to see how long he'll let me scratch him.