When to cover

[Wolverine]

So I am reading conflicting things on when to cover my budgie and how much sleep he needs. Some sources in the internet say 12 hours of sleep while others say 8-10, another says to cover when it gets dark and uncover when it’s light. Is it best to keep it to the same time every day or do I follow daylight savings time? I covered him up at 8pm this evening as he was falling asleep and will most likely be up around 6.30/7 am in the morning. I have only had him 3 days so I know he probably won’t be sleeping much anyways with it being a new environment, he had a little afternoon nap next to me this afternoon though so i know he is getting a little bit of rest. Pic of my sleepy Wolfy on his food pot

 

[zERo]

Most people, and myself included seem to do 12 hours of sleep, regardless of daylight savings time.

I cover my flocks cages at 8 pm and uncover at 8 am.

 

[onamom]

Congrats on your new baby!

12 hours is generally the recommended amount of sleep needed per night. The cover is used to provide darkness even if it isn't totally dark outside so you shouldn't have to worry about covering or uncovering only when it's dark/light. If you have a window in the room it's probably a good idea to have some blinds or curtains up to help block light as well.

Sometimes when they are first settling in it can take them a bit to get into the new routine but if you keep a consistent schedule he should catch on.

 

[LoveOfallAnimals]

So I am reading conflicting things on when to cover my budgie and how much sleep he needs. Some sources in the internet say 12 hours of sleep while others say 8-10, another says to cover when it gets dark and uncover when it’s light. Is it best to keep it to the same time every day or do I follow daylight savings time? I covered him up at 8pm this evening as he was falling asleep and will most likely be up around 6.30/7 am in the morning. I have only had him 3 days so I know he probably won’t be sleeping much anyways with it being a new environment, he had a little afternoon nap next to me this afternoon though so i know he is getting a little bit of rest. Pic of my sleepy Wolfy on his food pot

I have my birds in a dedicated room for them. I don't cover, but I do use black out curtains to make the room dark. My birds get 12 hours of sleep. It isn't just about darkness either, the bird will need quiet too.

 

[Keet_Krazy]

I'm someone whose birds don't have a bedtime.
My bigger birds are outdoor birds so there's not actually any physical way for me to set a bed time
My budgies are able to nap throughout the day so I never feel like they're not getting enough sleep. I personally don't wake them up early either (there's always household noises from about 7 everyday though). I only really see strict bedtimes helpful for hormones but even then...
I have one very hormonal budgie right now and even though its Winter and the day are naturally short it's been making no difference.

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

With the exception of my very hormonal conure that nothing seems to work on, my birds really don't act any different regardless of what sleep schedule they're on. I've had them on 12 hours and covered up as well as just following the sunrise/ sunset and not covering them and they've all acted the same way. At the moment they're on a kind of modified schedule where they go to sleep at sunset and then I cover the conures so I can sleep beyond sunrise in the morning. They're awake from the sunrise because I can hear them but they won't scream until I take the cover off. If they're tired they just sleep in the day a bit more. With my work schedule I can't consistently be home to cover and uncover them at the same time each day so they've had to adapt and they seem to have done this well.

The 12 hour sleep is mainly recommended for controlling their hormones and preventing them from becoming too hormonal as that can cause issues. With my flock I'm finding that diet is affecting their hormones more than the amount of sleep they're getting. If it works for you to cover for 12 hours then go for it! I liked when I could do that with mine as it meant they were quiet in the evenings, but don't feel like you have to if it doesn't work for you.

 

[Wolverine]

Thank you for all the replies, he is in my daytime room so he can hear the children as they are close in the next room but can’t be spooked by them. It does have quite a bit of natural light so I am going to invest in a black out curtain for him. I think I will try 8 till 8 and see how he gets on thanks so much.

 

[wrench13]

Different schools of thought, a hard 12 hrs or going with the natural day/night cycle. And neither is good or bad. Just be consistent. As far as quiet, thats a relative thing. Some sound during the night is unavoidable. As long as its not things like dropping silverware or loud TV or cars, that sort of thing, normal household sounds should not keep your parrots awake. It certainly is not dead quiet in the jungle at night! Might even be noisier than daytime!