How much sleep should my macaw get?

Valyndris

New member
Apr 24, 2019
248
7
Canada
Parrots
Jacob the blue and gold macaw
Just wondering as it is getting to be winter and the days are getting shorter. I always wake up Jacob in the morning at 8am and usually but him to bed at 7pm. He already gets 13 hours of sleep a day. Lately he's been asking to go to sleep early, like 5-6pm. I try not to put him to bed any earlier than 6:30pm. Some days he'll just constantly ask till I put him to bed, He'll say "it's time for dodos" and "I'm tired" when he wants to go to bed. What are the normal amount of hours of sleep a macaw should get in a Canadian winter where it gets dark very early and stays dark late? :blue1:
 

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
It is probably due to changes in lighting etc. I have read that equatorial species tend to need more sleep than others (with cockatoos needing up to 14 according to some sources).
If you are concerned, you could try to wake him up earlier (while it is still dark out) to combat the early darkness in the evening (13 hours of sleep is probably fine---especially if he isn't actually falling asleep right away).
Does he have his own room for sleeping etc? Sometimes birds will get covered and go to "sleep" but stay away listening to things quietly. That may account of the longer "sleep" time. 12 hours is what most parrot owners should aim for, so 13 is not bad in my book (it is going to vary by species).
If the light has just started to change, it will likely take a bit of time for him to adjust. Mine always wants to go to bed early in the winter--- sometimes 4:30 (eek!). You could try using bright lights and closing the blinds in the evening so that he cannot tell that it is getting dark outside....In the summer, I close the blinds early to make it look darker than it is, but with the proper lighting, the same could be done in reverse.
 
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Valyndris

Valyndris

New member
Apr 24, 2019
248
7
Canada
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Jacob the blue and gold macaw
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It is probably due to changes in lighting etc. I have read that equatorial species tend to need more sleep than others (with cockatoos needing up to 14 according to some sources).
If you are concerned, you could try to wake him up earlier (while it is still dark out) to combat the early darkness in the evening (13 hours of sleep is probably fine---especially if he isn't actually falling asleep right away).
Does he have his own room for sleeping etc? Sometimes birds will get covered and go to "sleep" but stay away listening to things quietly. That may account of the longer "sleep" time. 12 hours is what most parrot owners should aim for, so 13 is not bad in my book (it is going to vary by species).
If the light has just started to change, it will likely take a bit of time for him to adjust. Mine always wants to go to bed early in the winter--- sometimes 4:30 (eek!). You could try using bright lights and closing the blinds in the evening so that he cannot tell that it is getting dark outside....In the summer, I close the blinds early to make it look darker than it is, but with the proper lighting, the same could be done in reverse.

He has a separate room to sleep in so we don't disturb him. I will definitely get him a brighter light for his area and see how that goes. He used to sleep 12 hours when my mom had him for 15 years so I think 13 hours is fine here. I can try shutting the blinds early too and see if that helps too. Thanks. :)
 

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
It is probably due to changes in lighting etc. I have read that equatorial species tend to need more sleep than others (with cockatoos needing up to 14 according to some sources).
If you are concerned, you could try to wake him up earlier (while it is still dark out) to combat the early darkness in the evening (13 hours of sleep is probably fine---especially if he isn't actually falling asleep right away).
Does he have his own room for sleeping etc? Sometimes birds will get covered and go to "sleep" but stay away listening to things quietly. That may account of the longer "sleep" time. 12 hours is what most parrot owners should aim for, so 13 is not bad in my book (it is going to vary by species).
If the light has just started to change, it will likely take a bit of time for him to adjust. Mine always wants to go to bed early in the winter--- sometimes 4:30 (eek!). You could try using bright lights and closing the blinds in the evening so that he cannot tell that it is getting dark outside....In the summer, I close the blinds early to make it look darker than it is, but with the proper lighting, the same could be done in reverse.

He has a separate room to sleep in so we don't disturb him. I will definitely get him a brighter light for his area and see how that goes. He used to sleep 12 hours when my mom had him for 15 years so I think 13 hours is fine here. I can try shutting the blinds early too and see if that helps too. Thanks. :)

I think shutting the blinds early will put him into sleep mode earlier unless the room is very bright. My thought is to keep it brighter longer----but yes, with blinds shut (so he can't see the light outside). Has he had his yearly checkup/bloodwork etc (just in case)?
Also, sometimes when my cockatoo is hormonal, she will try to get me to put her to bed early so she can nest around in the dark...
 
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Valyndris

Valyndris

New member
Apr 24, 2019
248
7
Canada
Parrots
Jacob the blue and gold macaw
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Sorry for the really delayed reply, I've had a lot going on lately. Tonight Jacob only asked for dodos at around 6pm. I got him a brighter light for his area and have been closing his blind before it gets dark. He associates the blind being closed for dodo time though as when he lived with my mom for 15 years the blinds would get shut then he'd go to bed. I haven't done any blood work. He's had so many bad experiences with the vet and it's over a 3 hour drive away (he has bird asthma due to being in a room with many cockatiels in the past).
 

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