Sleeping during the day.

[JayLo]

Hi All,
I would like to ask like minded conure owners their opinion on this subject. I have a female green cheek that is 11 years old. She recently within the last week starting taking more naps in the daytime. This has got my attention as I have read it could be a sign of illness. All other symptoms appear to be normal. Her stools look normal as well as her nostrils and eyes and vent. She has been on a Pellet diet(Zupreem fruit blend) with an enrichment supplement. She also has apples and carrots mixed into the overall diet. I just weighed her today and she is 70 grams. I haven't been keeping track of her weight prior to today.

Her sleeping situation is in front of some large windows in the back of the house and she sleeps uncovered. My wife wakes up early in the AM around 4:30-5:00 for her work. I do know the bird is up briefly when my wife awakes and may be up for 30 minutes or so before going back into the hut. Sunrise here is approximately 6:15AM. I know my conure doesn't get the full 10-12hrs of rest as she is interrupted by the early morning hours. We put her to bed at 8-9:00PM. This situation I will change immediately as I will now place her in the basement which is dark and I can control the early morning light with shades drawn and it's also quite. Is the day napping normal given my situation? I haven't noticed this behavior before prior to this week.

I have tried desperately to get an appointment with an avian doc, but all are booked for the week. Should I be concerned given all her other symptoms appear to be normal? Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated. Is there something else I should be checking? Thank you all in advance.

 

[Ria.345]

It really depends.
Some naps throughout the day is normal for any bird. My birds do it too.
But if its not a usual thing for your bird then I would check with an Avian vet when you are able to just to be safe because parrots tend to hide their illnesses very well.
Other than that, the sleep schedule you have could also be a factor since your bird could be tired due to the lack of full uninterrupted rest. It's really important for them. You can also work on that however you wish in your home. Whether it be moving the sleeping cage somewhere else or anything else you have in mind.
And good idea. Check the weight daily from now on and if you see drastic changes in weight in the next couple of days ahead, that's just another sign of possible illness just creeping up.
About the diet. Usually Zupreme fruit blend is looked down upon but I used to feed my conure this too.
I recommend something along the lines of Harrison's, Roudybush, or even Zupreme natural to start.
The current blend you're feeding has dyes and colors that are just not good for your bird so try slowly changing the pellets u use when your conure starts to feel a little better.
I hope your conure will be okay though!