I’m new and I need help..

Hi. I have two wonderful birds who are my whole world. Papyrus who’s a Green Cheek Conure and Sans who is a Pied Peal Cinnamon Cockatiel. Last night my fiancé had a stupid mistake and made the fire alarms go off when the birds and I were asleep. It scared us all... he turned it off, and Sans was fine, but the Conure Papyrus.. he was acting weird. He went to hide behind my pillow, and he didn’t want us touching him. I did the best I could to calm him with treats and loving words, then I put him back to bed. This morning, Sans the Cockatiel had a NightFright and woke me up early. He’s fine now. Probably a bad dream about the loud noise maker. But again... Papyrus? He won’t let me touch him... he was such a love bug. He always wanted to be held and cuddled. But he’s just flying away from me. Like the fire alarm was my fault or something. I’m in tears. Please. Someone help me. Will this wear off? Will he go back to being himself after a period of quiet? Any input would help me so much... thank you.

take a deep breath and calm down

he's still on edge from the alarm going off with his fight or flight instinct being on high alert. Just let him have some space for now and let him do his thing until he realizes the alarm wasn't you and he comes back for a good cuddle

What Triggs said. Give him some time and space, and be gentle and understanding. He will come back around. Realize he thinks he almost died.


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Thank you both so much. You gave me the reassuring breath that I needed. Just an update. It was 9:15 when Sans had his nightfright. On our sleeping schedual that’s kind of early for us to wake up.. so what I did was I turned off the lights, and Sans flew onto my shoulder as usual. See, Papyrus loves sleeping and playing under blankets. He loves to hide, and it’s nice and warm I’m sure. So... with the light off I picked him up which he allowed, clicking in an approving way like he was saying: “Yes. This is what I want. I’m still tired and stressed, mom!” I placed him under the covers with me, and he let me pet him. He was happier. We all slept together until just now. A good 3 hours. He’s doing much better now. He let me pick him up, he’s speaking again, and he’s playing his silly little games that he usually plays. I’m so relieved. Hah.. I was so worried about my babies that I didn’t even care about my own ears. I have O.I, which makes my bones fragile, and loud noises can deafen me if I’m not careful. Thankfully I’m okay too. Phew. Crisis adverted. Thank you all so much.

Glad things are doing better! Time is the key. Just out of curiosity, how did he make the alarm go off?
Also, as sweet as it is, I wouldn't sleep with your bird. Sadly, many birds have been crushed this was (if you roll over and don't realize it, or if they suffocate somehow). Finally, I know this was a special circumstance, but letting birds snuggle under covers can lead to hormonal behavior and health/behavioral issues. I know you didn't ask about any of that, but I just thought I'd put it out there. Time heals all wounds.

good to hear things are doing better, one thing I forgot to say is birds can read us better than we can a lot of the time so any tension from us which of course having been startled by a fire alarm and being worried about your upset fids will make you tense, which in turn makes them tense.

Hopefully in a couple hours that alarm will be a distant memory!

Hi and welcome! I am glad things are turning around!
Please reconsider ever letting your babies sleep with you! There are way to many horror stories here on what may happen!

Please, please don't sleep with your birds in your bed! Especially such small birds!!! Even if everything has been alright so far with sleeping with them, we have seen literally dozens and dozens of people who refused to stop sleeping with their birds and then they have tragically ended-up killing them...It happens every day. Usually the birds get trapped underneath you and then you end-up suffocating/crushing them against the mattress, or they get stuck under a pillow or even the blankets and the same thing happens. They are so small and weigh so little that it doesn't take much at all to suffocate or crush them...And i can honestly say that every single person I've ever warned about this that has continued to sleep with them, usually saying "I've been doing it forever and they're fine!", has ended-up having their bird die, and they can't take the guilt either. They wake up to find their beloved little bird dead under their leg or their arm, or their pillow or just under the blanket...So please, put your birds in their cages at bedtime. You can put their cages next to your bed if that helps, but please don't ever sleep with them in or on your bed again...I wouldn't want that horrible tragedy to happen to you...

A warm welcome to you, Papyrus and Sans. Nightfrights can be terrifying for both birds and humans. My cockatiel and african grey are more prone to nightfrights than the other members of their flock, I've found leaving a night light on in each of their rooms makes a big difference for them. I agree with Lord Triggs, after the fact, check to make sure your bird isn't physically hurt with as little drama as possible then give them some space to recover, they definitely pick up on our stress levels.

Why are you sleeping with your birds????

They should be put to bed in cages for their own safety. I don't know how many times I've read horror stories of people sleeping with their birds and waking up to them dead next to them, suffocated from their owners. Fire alarms just go off sometimes... birds have instincts to fly away from danger when this happens so it's better they be caged so they don't injure themselves.

While I'm sure your intentions are good, it's best that each bid get its own cage to sleep in during the night. You can cover the cages with a blanket to make it safer for them to sleep, too.

Welcome to you, Sans, and Papyrus! I can only echo what others have posted regarding the startle factor and sleeping with your birds.

Doubtful, but if you find Papyrus persists with withdrawal for more than a few days, might try some of these techniques: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Please let us know how things progress!