# Night fright



## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Last night the birds had a night fright  First Spike went crazy, then Icarus (budgie) and than Storm (linnie) I ran and flipped up the front of their cage covers and turned on the lights but they kept going for what seemed like forever.
Once they were still enough I got Spike and Storm out and brought them over to Icarus's cage I opened up Icarus's cage and played with his toy to show him it was safe enough to play. 
I then sat down with Spike and Storm until they calmed down enough. When they calmed down I put them back in their cages but kept the light on and the front covers up for a while. 
I went and got them fresh water and Spike started calling to me saying hi babe and Jaime Jaime because he was still abit scared and did not want me to leave. Icarus was playing in his cage and Storm was clinging to the side of her cage. She really did not want to go in her cage and flared her tail when I brought her near her cage but I put her in so she could see that there was nothing scary in her cage.
My Dad went outside to investigate and found that a branch fell from one of the trees out side and must of hit the window, it was a really nasty rainy and windy night last night.
After awhile everyone got covered up and the light was turned out (night light was still on) Spike went to bed and so did Icarus but Storm took quite awhile to perch and when she did it was on the perch that was the farthest from her sleeping perch and she stuck her self right up against the bars. Today I seen her back on her sleeping perch at five for a nap. 

Here are the damage shots

Spike, gave himself a pretty good cliping losing a flight feather, a secondary feather and a back feather.








Iam alright see I did not even lose one tail feather









Storm when I got her out of the cage she looked like she had a bump on her head  I rubbed her head and about 10 feather fell out, she then fluffed up and about 5 more came out. She also clipped herself but only lost one flight feather.
















Don't look at me 








All better after a bath








Storm's head does not look so bad when it is dry.

Icarus was find he just got really scared and was shaking quite bad for a while

Look I still got all my feathers








Iam fine really, can I play now?









Iam glad they are ok  It was scary for all of us and I cringe when I think of how bad it could of been but luckily it was not.


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## Kerry78 (May 25, 2009)

Hey Jaime,

are your birds kept downstairs or they in your room with you?
ive had a few night frights with my lot too, and tbh I don't know what has scared them to death like it maybe a insect or one of the birds has touched on another in the dark.

I too have got up to see how they are and after 20mins or so they're ok,
I don't like the fact that they when scared they go mental and hit the cage floor,
ive got a metal grill there due to a problem with sandy brat eating newspaper he chokes on it so the grill is there to prevent his addiction to eating newspaper.

ive never used a night light for mine as im in the room with them when there asleep!
anyway you did good girl hope nothing else drops of and makes a noise outside your window again


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Kerry78 said:


> Hey Jaime, are your birds kept downstairs or they in your room with you?


They are kept in the dining room, luckily I decided to stay up late. The night light is great for keeping most night frights away but I guess with the loud branch (I did not hear it ) and the wind, they still had one. I recommend every tiel has a night light no matter what room they sleep in


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## Kerry78 (May 25, 2009)

Most? so do Spike have many then?..
ive had my Tiels for Almost a year well the 2 Boys, Missy arrived August last year,
they don't have many frights infact the majority of them was when they were covered up and the light was on with me watching the tv or at the computer like i am currentley!

they did have a horrible fright a few months back which woke me up at 5am,
but as imin the room with them then I can luckily asist them 

they seem to know im in the room too cos there very quiet they let me sleep in late a few times but they make good alarm clocks 

non of my birds have suffered a serious fright as your flock have Jaime nothing that would of made them go frantic loosing feathers on the process though, that was one serious scare for them, have you been outside and cut any branches of the tree that look like they would come of easily in another windy + rainey night?


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

In the three years Spike has had under 7 night frights. Sometimes I will peak at Spike and get hissed at, he does not scare easy when in his cage. Unfortunately I can't get the tree trimmed because it does not belong to us, it is our neighbors tree but it is huge and hangs over our yard.


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## Kerry78 (May 25, 2009)

lol there all so different!
ive never been hissed at if i peek at them they just look at me
as if to say "Yes?" lol

anyway I hope you don't get anymore frights,
shame you can't do anything about the tree you could have a word with 
them though as a thought


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## clawnz (May 28, 2009)

Oh Jaime! There is nether a dull moment if you keep Fids.
I am so glad there does not seem to be any perament damage. It must quite horrible watching them go mental in the cages.
I am so lucky to not of had any night action, except when Tweety used to fall off of a perch now and then.


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## Ezzie (Jan 19, 2010)

Poor Birdies, at last there all okay now.
I have had one serious night fright, where i just let them perch on my shoulders with the lights on for an hour before putting them back to bed. They were both all ruffled and hissing like crazy at whatever scared them. They recovered pretty well.
Lucky you were there to get them under control


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## cheekyboy (Jul 14, 2009)

Thank goodness they are all ok  It's so scary when it happens.

Storm looks like she had a rough time of it with those missing feathers! Poor lil girl!


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## elaichri (Mar 9, 2010)

*hiya*

Hi spike i dont know much about night frights
i cover my budgies up at night they flap a bit but nothing major
your birds are all lovely especially storm what a lovely colour he is 
have you looked at my post about the cage i may buy for my cockatiel ?
wondered what you thought


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## Jenny10 (Feb 27, 2010)

Hi 

My Tira can be very nervy, she can start shaking if I stare at her for to long and to intensely while sitting in her cage, I might be looking at new tail feathers coming through or something like that, lol or if I suddenly move to fast she will hiss at me if I startle her.

Tira didn’t have night frights but one night in a big storm with thunder and lighting the next day she was very jumpy and was tired too, she slept a lot, I always leave a landing light on anyway of a night which filters down to where she is, but I didn’t really think of the flashing of the lighting upsetting her, but after that day of her being jumpy and tired if there is any signs of lighting now I always leave one of the kitchen lights on so the flashing doesn’t bother her, seems to have solved the problem for Tira when there is a big storm.

Jenny


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## elaichri (Mar 9, 2010)

i will have to remember this when i get my cockatiel mind you i have a air purifier and that gives of a dim light


Jenny10 said:


> Hi
> 
> My Tira can be very nervy, she can start shaking if I stare at her for to long and to intensely while sitting in her cage, I might be looking at new tail feathers coming through or something like that, lol or if I suddenly move to fast she will hiss at me if I startle her.
> 
> ...


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## seaofdreams (Dec 29, 2009)

My cage is outside in a spot where a street lamp glows over our fence and into our backyard which is like having a night light. They have a light cover of them but the light still gets through dimmly. I have found that this really lessens the severity of night frights as are able to right themselves faster and with more ease. They still have regular frights but I think they're unavoidable for the most part. None of my guys have ever caused themselves any injuries from a night fright.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

elaichri said:


> i will have to remember this when i get my cockatiel mind you i have a air purifier and that gives of a dim light


I would get a brighter night light if you can  Spike's night light helps keep the night frights away but I guess the wind and the branch hitting the window was too scary for him.


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## LuvMyTiels (Dec 31, 2009)

Night frights can be so scary. Spot can be a bit flighty but I don't think that anything bothers Holly. I'm glad that all of your birds were ok.


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## spraymillet (Mar 2, 2010)

Sometimes I leave my house at 10 to hang out with my boy, and come home in the middle of the night around 3 or 4AM, and I don't want my birds to have a night fright so I turn the light on in the hall so they can see me when I open the door... luckily my tiel Billie only had one night fright so far and that was while she was staying with me at my boyfriend's house... I still haven't gotten my birds a nightlight though, for now I just leave their cage uncovered and they seem okay. I saw SUCH cute battery operated night lights at this store though, I want to get them so bad! They're in the shapes of turtles and kitties and such.


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## Melissa (Mar 22, 2010)

Aww, poor little guys...! Glad they're okay though.

I totally know how night frights are; mine seem to go through them way too often. I wish my parakeet was less flighty considering he usually freaks out and this in turn causes the 'tiel to freak out next. What's interesting is that nine times out of ten I'm half awake right before they freak out; which leads me to believe that whatever spooks them wakes me up as well. What's funny is that thunder and lightning has _never_ made them bat around the cage, but a car door slamming across the street? Yeah....

But night lights totally help! Mine used to freak out a lot more before I got the light.


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