Birdie Bedtime

Ralph gets out-of-cage playtime after dinner almost every night. He usually tells me when it's time to head back to his cage and settle in for the night. When he's ready to go, he climbs onto my shoulder and looks in the direction of his cage. His travel cage sits on a small stool in front of his big cage, acting as a sort of front porch. I'll set him down on that, and he'll usually climb down to the perch on the outside of the travel cage and eat a little parrot food from the dish next to the perch, then will climb inside his big cage and up to the top perch. I say good night to him then shut off the light and leave Ralph to go to sleep. Once in a great while, he'll decide he doesn't want to go to  bed yet, and will climb back onto my shoulder instead of going into his cage, but that doesn't happen often.

Haha... Ralph has a pretty cute ritual there, cnyguy. I wish Cupcake was that agreeable at bedtime. She does tell us when she is feeling tired and finds the lights disagreeable... But her being vocally grumpy doesn't mean she actually wants to get in the cage for bed. I always feel like I am forcing her in there, although these days I think she understands the futility of protest and has chosen to stop trying to stay up when it is bedtime.

Sounds like Bonnie's routine is similar to Cupcake's. She gets an hour of time out of the cage in the morning around 7:30-8am, and then is generally in the cage until around 4pm... She then goes to bed between 8 and 9pm generally. We do have some days where one of us works from home and she gets to stay out all day, but that is usually only one or two days a week. She gets increasingly wonky as it gets closer to bedtime, for sure.

In general I think she needs more sleep, however. Every once in a while she gets more than 12 hours and the difference in her demeanor is dramatic. It is just hard to put her to bed when she really doesn't want to go and we want to spend time with her!!

Shah gets peas and corn for supper when I get home. I have my dinner and do the chores and then get him out of his cage. He hangs out until he is ready to go back into the cage. He has a special squawk that lets me know when he wants to go to bed. I don't have any trouble with him at bedtime but I do need to watch if he is overtired as he is really hard to settle - screaming to come out of the cage and then sits with me for about 5 minutes and then squawks to go back into the cage - repeated non stop until he finally settles and I am dizzy from jumping up and down getting him in and out of the cage.

Cupcake has had a couple good bedtimes this week. I think we are making some progress Figures she starts behaving at bedtime right after I post a thread about it. Always keeping me on my toes, that bird.

My birds have their own room, and they're out of their cages all day. I spend time with them in the evening after work (whenever that is) and I swear, they can tell time. Around 8:45, one and all they start having a snack and stretching and yawning and Jade will even go get in her happy hut and grumble from inside it if it takes too long for me to get the hint. If I've been really late getting home (not unusual) they will exert themselves to stay up a little later to play with me, but they get grouchy if it's much past their usual bedtime. I try to tuck them in by 9 or 9:15 every night and the only one who gripes about that is Benjy. I cover his cage first and he starts singing and talking and whistling and continues to do so for a good half hour after bedtime. Every. Night. LOL Sometimes one of the others will squawk at him, and I assume they're saying, "Shut up and go to sleep!"

Then there's the softbills (Maggie is an honorary hookbill in spite of being a pigeon). Ringo would stay up all night and has to be coaxed and coaxed and sometimes tricked into going to bed, while Trixie gets on her sleepy perch, fluffs up and tries to doze starting around 8:30 p.m. and gives both Ringo and me exasperated looks for keeping her awake. If I cover Trixie, she just peeks under it at us and gets annoyed by the noise just the same (Ringo never shuts up; I swear she and Benjy are in some kind of conspiracy together). I usually can't get Ringo to bed before 9:30 and often it's after 10. Both bird rooms have nightlights because the tiels have night frights and occasionally so does Ringo. I usually leave both Ringo and Trixie uncovered. Ringo won't allow a cover and Trixie doesn't like it, though she's too well mannered to say so.

That must be it.  That name is familiar for sure.  Thanks!

Siobhan, that is one elaborate bedtime... so many birds with so many different routines!  Cute but sounds exhausting.  Haha.