Ok so I keep reading that it is important for your bird to get 10-12 hours of sleep per night. I started thinking and ava never sleeps, well she does but not 10-12 hours. If I cover her earlier at night she just screams and askes to come out. She finally settles in shortly after we go to bed. When we make up in the morning she is already awake and making noise. She dose get to sleep during the day while I am at school. I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions. She seems happy and healthy but I want to keep it that way. Thanks for all your suggestions.

Well the 10 to 12 hours of sleep at night is a general rule. You have to figure out what is best for your bird. Some birds do best on the 10 to 12 hours, others can get less sleep and will nap during the day. My critters get about 10 hours and more on the weekends.

*** I said, you have to figure out what is best for your bird. If she seems happy now, then you could just leave the schedule the way it is. But if she starts to develope behavioral issues then the amount of sleep she gets would be the first thing I would look at adjusting.

They don't necessarily SLEEP all 12 hours. The idea is to keep light from reaching them, so they think its night. That keeps them from thinking, "Hey-- its light outside EARLIER today than it was last week. Time to MATE! I will bite my human companion if she sticks her hand in my cage because she won't let me get happy with her. After all, this is my LOVE SHACK, baby!"

Birds are photosensitive. That is, their bodies are rigged to react hormonally to the amount and strength of light they receive. That's why parents who let their birds sit in a window for part of the day, or use full spectrum lighting, will notice their birds feathers get more colorful and their birds moods improve. But birds who get light for longer in the day ( >12 hours) go into mating mode.

I love the description of the parrot's PoV Victoria...

I don't cover, and usually am up 'til 10 and wake up pretty much with the sun (when I'm working) and she naps during the day. I haven't noticed any behavior problems. If it works, don't change it, I say. Birds, I imagine, are like people. I know a guy that can live happily on 3 hours of sleep a night So- if it works for you guys, great- just keep it in mind if the 'love shack' mentality kicks in

I remember when I first got Kiwi and I did not cover him because he usually went in his sleepy hut by himself and I would just latch his door. He knew he wanted to go to bed, always the same time every night. In the morning it was the same thing. When he was ready to get up, he would crawl out of his sleepy hut and by that time I was usually up and trying to be real quiet.

As stated the 10-12 hours isn't a hard and fast rule. But it is a healthy, recomended sleep period.

You say Ava screams to stay awake. I find that unusual...unless she has her cage in a high traffic, high noise area. If she sleeps in the living or family room and you stay up watching TV, then that would explain whay she is reluctant to go to sleep. She hears things going on and wants to be a part of the action.

If that is the case, then I would, if at all possible, find her a better place to sleep. Either move her cage to a room that is more quiet after dark, or get a smaller sleep only cage that you can place somewhere quieter for the night.

Normally a bird in the wild will want to sleep when it starts to get dark out. We should do our best to accomodate their regular sleeping patters to avoid behavior problems.

I worry about Cricket not getting enough sleep or out of cage time due to my job but so far our schedule seems to be working.

i get home from work around 6pm and he cuddles on my shoulder under my hair for about an hour and then i lay down with him on my stomach and talk to him. that usually makes him sleepy...or bored because he tries to fly back to his cage.

it's always around 7:30pm. he doesn't like to be covered right away so i let him see me until around 8:30pm then i cover him. around 9:00pm i turn the light out. i go to bed at 10:00pm. i wake up at 6:30am and wake him up at 7:00am. now depending when he really falls asleep (probably when i do) and when he wakes up (i'm sure he hears me getting ready for work). that leaves him with a solid 8.5 hours of sleep a night.

so far it's worked! except on the weekends when he wants up at 8:30am and i want to sleep until noon!! lol

Her cage is in a high traffic area, ie the living room. We are in an apartment now and her cage is giant so this is the only room it fits in. We just bought a house and go to settlement May 17! So it is deff something to think about when I decide where to put them when we movve in. I like the idea of a sleep cage because she likes to be in the action during the day and its also near a window. I might have to try it. Thanks for the in put!