Conure won’t sleep

[reeferguy3303]

Hello, so I’m a bit stuck on what to do. I’ve had my conure for over a month now and when I first got him I put him on a 9am/9pm schedule . For the first week and a half it was a mess but he always woke around 4/5 am and started screaming (always ignored him until 9am). After 2 weeks I then started putting him to bed at 11pm to see if he would wake up at 9am. It’s been 2 weeks of that schedule and hes still up at 4/5 am playing with toys and sometimes screaming. Always ignored till 9am
There’s no loud noises, no lights, nothing really to startle him at this time. Never really see him take naps during the day unless he wants to be scratched. Just stuck on what to do

 

[Skarila]

Here's few questions for you before I go on:
-Do you cover the cage when putting to bed? Even a dim light can bother them. Mine will complain and crawl around the cage unless I cover him, despite there are the dimmest corner light in the huge room.
-does he have a sleeping spot? Conures in the wild usually sleep snuggled and huddled up against each other. To mimic this, a tube/see through seagrass tent can give them this feeling, and most will sleep there. Or huddled against a toy while perched.
-Any noise could keep your bird awake, especially things like watching movies or listening to music. Especially if it's not pitch dark for them.
-How old is the bird?

Mine also never naps during day, rarely rests. Mine has a bed time straight from 10pm till 9am (I work from home). Before his actual bedtime we have more or less dim lights in the room starting from the evening, so the birds has lots of time to adjust for the sleep time. The lights go off automatically at 10pm, so birds tuck them selves away immediately when only light is on is the corner light just so I can navigate around the room. We almost never use ceiling strong lights in the late evening. Neither should a human go suddenly from bright light to a pitch dark - it's really hard to go to sleep like that!

When I got mine, he would get up with the sun and go to sleep with the sun, it was spring so he'd already be sleeping at 6-7pm and be awake at 5am, but not shouting.

Also it is possible the bird simply wants to be with you. Try using words like "night night" or "sleeping we go, see you in the morning" or anything you choose. Bird should by time learn the meaning behind it. 2--3 weeks seems like a good period for a bird to adjust to a sleeping regime, I know mine did. Because at home we have such a strict regime when it's bed time for the birds, he will start complaining and shouting like 10 minutes before the lights go off, if I am not in the room. He knows I should cover him, and he reminds me to stick around just to cover him once the lights go off.

 

[Emeral]

Hello and warm welcome to you and your bird...

Normally, Birds who have plenty of excercise will sleep soundly without dream, I think. This sounds like his biological clock may need resetting? Sooo many variables to consider......

Is he hand tamed? Or is he stressed around you?
Where is his cage?
What time of day did he get the sunlight?
The cage size and his toys?
when and how long is his daily out of cage time?
Do you cover his cage?
Before being with you, how was his cage positioned?

 

[T00tsyd]

Syd goes to bed in the spare room covered with a black sheet and at this time of year a blanket as it gets colder. Bedtime is 7.30pm til 7.30am and he still naps in the day. I m retired so he has out and in cage time throughout the day. He has a bedtime routine which involves being out until about 6.30pm then cage time to stoke up on food and poop etc. By 7.10 he is asking to go to bed. He goes on my shoulder as soon as I say bedtime and directs me to his sleep cage which is quite sweet. Once there I check for food/clean water and believe it or not give him a treat and sing a nursery rhyme. Any change in any part of the routine throws him. When he was little he would not sleep - a bit like a toddlers who kept getting out of bed for as many reasons that they can think of. Water, hungry, the loo or even peekaboo. That prompted me to get a sleep cage. It is much smaller fits in the corner of the spare room on a small table and he loves it. He has a couple of hanging toys that are soft and I think he plonks himself there for the night. I rarely hear much of him until about 7am.

I think it's the routine that makes it work. When I first had him I was much more relaxed but he is happiest when he knows and understands what is going to happen.

 

[reeferguy3303]

To answer some general questions
He is hand tamed and loves to constantly be with me
Cage is covered with black out cage cover so absolutely no light gets in
As I mention it’s a pretty quiet house no noise to wake him or keep him from sleeping. Likes to sleep on a natural perch next to one of his foraging toys
He’s around the 1 year mark
Spend about 90% of the day out of the cage and free flying around the house with supervision
I’ve also been trying to use key words it’s helped for when I leave the house

 

[T00tsyd]

To answer some general questions
He is hand tamed and loves to constantly be with me
Cage is covered with black out cage cover so absolutely no light gets in
As I mention it’s a pretty quiet house no noise to wake him or keep him from sleeping. Likes to sleep on a natural perch next to one of his foraging toys
He’s around the 1 year mark
Spend about 90% of the day out of the cage and free flying around the house with supervision
I’ve also been trying to use key words it’s helped for when I leave the house

Then you are well on the way to getting there. He is 1yr old so if my memory serves me right it is a time of change and time to set your boundaries and a few rules. It's a time when he is realising his autonomy and rather like my little 2yr old grandson feels ready to lay down his own rules. I guess this is where the parront role really takes over. Be patient and give it time, set boundaries with confidence. Syd used to be pretty free during the day when little but I always used to cage him for 'rest time' a bit like putting a baby down for naps during the day. He regularly has 40 winks when I am not looking either on my shoulder or more often than not at the back of my neck. Yesterday he was very still for ages on top of my head and I suspect he napped then. Stick at the routines and he will get the hang of it. You're doing well.

 

[reeferguy3303]

Then you are well on the way to getting there. He is 1yr old so if my memory serves me right it is a time of change and time to set your boundaries and a few rules. It's a time when he is realising his autonomy and rather like my little 2yr old grandson feels ready to lay down his own rules. I guess this is where the parront role really takes over. Be patient and give it time, set boundaries with confidence. Syd used to be pretty free during the day when little but I always used to cage him for 'rest time' a bit like putting a baby down for naps during the day. He regularly has 40 winks when I am not looking either on my shoulder or more often than not at the back of my neck. Yesterday he was very still for ages on top of my head and I suspect he napped then. Stick at the routines and he will get the hang of it. You're doing well.

Thanks for the help !! I really do appreciate it