# Bedtime Protests!



## Lu*lu (Jul 4, 2013)

Who else gets bedtime protests when it is time to turn out the lights?? Every night when I throw the blanket over the budgie cage I get "chattered" at -- then I go to the cockatiel cage, where Togie tries to run away, and once I get her in and the blanket goes over, I get the annoyed "eeeehhh!" cockatiel noise. Of course after a minute the room fills with beak grinding, but who else gets this kind of birdie abuse at bedtime?


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## Charlotte (Jun 4, 2014)

Murray hates bedtime! She is usually out of the cage when it comes around. I shut the curtains and change the papers in her cage, at which point she plants herself on the cage top and thrashes her beak at me when I come near. Most nights I have to step her up (ignoring the fake bites) and quickly put my other hand over her wings to bundle her into the cage without her flying away. Even if she's a grump, I ignore it and tell her she's a good girl for going in the cage. I tried treating her with millet, but at bedtime she wants none of it. She squeaks and climbs the bars, enraged, until I cover her up and she gets on her sleep perch. Sometimes she will hiss at me if I adjust the cover after that.

Then three minutes later, I hear beak grinding. Then silence. And she's back to her usual happy friendly self in the morning!

I think most birds get cranky at bedtime. Like kids, they're tired and grumpy but they don't want to go to bed. I've heard occasionally of people with tiels who "put themselves to bed" by voluntarily going back in the cage, but from the moment I met Murray I knew she wasn't going to be one of those!


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2014)

Lil' Rascal HATES bedtime. The second I say "sleepy time" he gets VERY violent! He gets so unbelievably p**** off he turns on me attacking, hissing and growling really loud (abnormally loooooong growls) turning around in circles biting the heck out of me (really hard!) and everything in sight! He sounds like a ferocious DOG 

He turns into a completely different bird and will draw blood!! If I put him in front of my face at bedtime he would blind me, no doubt about it.

Angel during the day, demon of the night LOL


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## Formlesslight (Dec 16, 2013)

I only had my birds fight bedtime a few times and that was when their cage was in a spot they didn't like. I do "lights out" an hour before bed where I turn the lights out and close the blinds and Claire goes right to cage without hesitation. Jasper would stay out all night if he wanted to, but he'll step up and allow me to put him to cage.


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2014)

Formlesslight,

You are lucky LOL. My tiel does NOT allow me to place him in the cage at bedtime. I have to make a fist to protect my fingers and then get him on the perch somehow... he always runs up my arm biting the **** out of it growling.

If I say "sleepy time" during the day when it's not bedtime... the hairs on this head stand up and he gets nervous! I have 2 nightlights and only cover half the cage, so don't know what his problem is. Don't blame him though, I hate the dark also... freaks me out!


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I have an unusual system that is working well for me.

I feel my birds in a large dish on the bottom of the cage, twice a day.

By about 7:00 in the evening, the morning food is gone, and they start chirping for dinner. I go out to the kitchen and fill the plate. They chirp loudly as they hear the container opened. When I get to the cage and put the food in, they all go into the cage and crowd around the plate eating. It's cute! It's like: party time!

After about forty five minutes they finish eating and quiet down. I sing to them as I get their cage cover, and they go to their sleeping perches.


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## RexiesMuM (Sep 7, 2011)

Page sings himself to sleep every single night without fail ! It is kinda cute to listen to him tho


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## estypest (Jul 31, 2014)

My birdy is really good at bedtime, maybe it comes with age aha. Maxi has playtime at least an hour before bed, then soon as it gets dark shes chirping away, nicely goes back into her cage and settles down.


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## rpo (Mar 8, 2011)

Corona puts herself to bed at about 10 PM or so as long as the lights are on so she can fly there safely. Easy!


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## thewandererw (Aug 22, 2011)

My two boys put themselves to bed they climb back in the cage at 6:00-6:30 but have been out of the cage since 8:30 am so they are tired by then.


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Mine don't fight bedtime too badly. Just when I cover them I get an angry noise or a hiss. But where they really fight back is when they've been covered for a few minutes, Jaid will start laughing, then fall asleep


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## elmoandgonzo (Jul 31, 2014)

Elmo is reasonably good with bedtime. When the towel goes over his cage he will play for about 20 minutes and will then go to his perch and stay there. He's much better behaved now he's on his own.


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## TamaMoo (Jan 12, 2014)

Joey used to not mind bedtime at all. In the last couple months, though, he is fine until I start the 'goodnight, love you, see you in the morning' speech. Then he will quietly hiss with a raised crest. If I start making kissy noises to him, he relaxes his crest and stops hissing. When the cover goes on, I continue talking to him, but his inner baby Velociraptor comes out in full force, hissing and lunging toward me. But again, kissy noises seem to calm the savage beast and he is okay again.

He's already in the cage for quiet, calm time before bed and is usually grinding his beak and content until he finds out he has to go to bed.


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## Charlotte (Jun 4, 2014)

Glad to hear Elmo is doing great on his own  Obviously the best decision!


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## Lady Light (Aug 30, 2014)

when i cover the cage i let a bit of open space for light to come in and spiky goes down and sits thereswaying but of course the darkness makes him sleepy and goes up in his cozy spot after a few mins


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## Eyezik (Aug 12, 2014)

I usually turn off the lights around 9pm with his nightlight on and cage uncovered until I see he has perched for the night, but usually every other night when I go to cover him he hisses at...well I don't think he's hissing at me but at the blanket... so it doesn't really bother me, but you're right I believe most all birds are cranky at night.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

I get hissed at (mainly by Honey, lol), but apart from that everyone is okay with bedtime.


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## TamaMoo (Jan 12, 2014)

Joey is so sweet and loving all the rest of the time, so I figure he is only protesting the fact he has to go to bed. It is when I am covering him that he goes into raptor mode. I never take it personally, and try my best to keep from laughing at him. I'd hate to hurt his feelings when he is trying to be fierce.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Oh boy do I feel you here. My life would be easier if I left Rocko in his normal cage to sleep, but I don't. I put him in a small travel cage for bedtime. And so whenever I get him out and start to walk over towards the little cage with him, he flies away and will act like a madman for half an hour until I can eventually get him in there. I think my method changes every night.


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## Eyezik (Aug 12, 2014)

CharVicki said:


> I get hissed at (mainly by Honey, lol), but apart from that everyone is okay with bedtime.


Out of your 4, I think Honey looks the most innocent too! 
:lol:


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## Mayra (Aug 4, 2014)

My baby doesn't like bed time. She'll continue to climb up my arm and refuses to get on a perch. She doesn't usually like to stay on my shoulder (she's obsessed with perching on my head and feet...) but she does to avoid her cage and due to sleepiness she'll stay on my shoulder and start beak grinding. One minute with the lights off and the protesting ends though. I think it's cute that she'd rather sleep on me, but yeah that's okay for a nap but not at night.


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

Tequila pretty much asks me to put him in his cage when he wants to go to sleep, he climbs up my leg and starts beak grinding when he's done playing and I take him to his cage. Otherwise he lets me know when we're playing together and he starts lunging, I know it's bed time lol.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Eyezik said:


> Out of your 4, I think Honey looks the most innocent too!
> :lol:


She's been called a demon by a guest once whom she hissed and lunged at. She doesn't take kindly to strangers (or to blankets going over the cage), but she _can_ be the sweetest thing.  (Only on her terms though lol)


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## H3lix86 (Oct 6, 2013)

Both coco, and nimbus love bedtime. As soon as the sun starts going down they climb into their sleeping spots on their heated perches. As soon as I start covering the cage they both start whistling and giving bat bird wings. It usually take 5 or so minutes for the whistling to stop, but after that its just beak grinding and soft chirps and coos.


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## Lu*lu (Jul 4, 2013)

Well seems all our birds have very varying personalities lol.


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## eduardo (Jan 27, 2012)

My two go to bed on their own. When we dim the lights in the living room, they usually climb on their favorite spots - two coconut huts - and wait there until I cover them for the night. The only time they hiss and protest is if I uncover them before it's morning, lol.
Sometimes, if there is too much noise and light, Tony will stay on top of the cage and actually watch TV.I don't like keeping them up too late though because, just like kids, they get grumpy, lol.


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## Peetenomax (Nov 23, 2013)

Dexter would stay up all night if i let him. Up till recently he'd just squawk at me & pull the little chain on his bell near his bedtime perch as I covered his cage. (he never plays with the bell)
Things are changing & I'm to blame. Dex never had any confidence with flying & wouldn't even jump from the coffee table to the floor. (He has an old wing injury) I've been working with him & now he makes short flights on his own. So at bedtime he's flying off my finger to avoid being brought to his cage.

Peete my Parrotlet will often put himself to bed, usually around the same time.
However if he's up & I need to put him to bed he objects. He's got full flight & a sharp beak. I spend several minutes hunting him down.

With Benny my new 6 month old Cockatiel we're working out bedtime routines. He gets scared & I often have to take him out & comfort him before he'll settle down. That's going to have to change before becoming a nightly habit.


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## Janalee (Jul 25, 2012)

*bedtime protest*

Bennie goes to bed sweetly. I tell him "It's time for birdies to say good night, Bennie." And he'll sometimes go in himself, or will let me pick him up and put him in. First I have to take any toys off the top of his cage if he has been playing, but he never protests. Sometimes as I cover the cage, he does the "bat thing" , hanging upside down on the cage bars with wings spread, but toher than that goes peacefully. Once his cage is covered, he might talk a little softly, but that soon stops.


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## Guest (Sep 4, 2014)

Eduardo,

Cool, do they actually sleep inside the coconut huts or sleep on top of it? I'd love to see a pic! 

Greeen cheek conures always seems to have a more cozy place to sleep in their huts... I'm trying to figure out how to make sleepy time more cozy for my tiel. Here's a pic of where my tiel sleeps. He sleeps in this travel cage. I think I need a thicker flatter perch?? I'm not sure what tiels find more comfortable... whether they like to grip or relax their feet more while they sleep? You can tell by the p***ed off look on his face he doesn't like bedtime and didn't appreciate me sticking him in his bed for this photo! LOL


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## eduardo (Jan 27, 2012)

Juliet said:


> Eduardo,
> 
> Cool, do they actually sleep inside the coconut huts or sleep on top of it? I'd love to see a pic!
> 
> Greeen cheek conures always seems to have a more cozy place to sleep in their huts... I'm trying to figure out how to make sleepy time more cozy for my tiel. Here's a pic of where my tiel sleeps. He sleeps in this travel cage. I think I need a thicker flatter perch?? I'm not sure what tiels find more comfortable... whether they like to grip or relax their feet more while they sleep? You can tell by the p***ed off look on his face he doesn't like bedtime and didn't appreciate me sticking him in his bed for this photo! LOL


Haha, that is a look that kills! He does seem annoyed.
I will try to get some photos of my two little rotters when they go to bed tonight.


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## eduardo (Jan 27, 2012)

Juliet said:


> Eduardo,
> 
> Cool, do they actually sleep inside the coconut huts or sleep on top of it? I'd love to see a pic!
> 
> Greeen cheek conures always seems to have a more cozy place to sleep in their huts... I'm trying to figure out how to make sleepy time more cozy for my tiel. Here's a pic of where my tiel sleeps. He sleeps in this travel cage. I think I need a thicker flatter perch?? I'm not sure what tiels find more comfortable... whether they like to grip or relax their feet more while they sleep? You can tell by the p***ed off look on his face he doesn't like bedtime and didn't appreciate me sticking him in his bed for this photo! LOL


Ok, here is Tony on his little coconut bed.  And Candy has one too, only in this picture she is not sitting in it. She usually does at bedtime.
They love those coconuts but only at nighttime.


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## Lu*lu (Jul 4, 2013)

aww that is so cute how they sleep in their coconuts! yeah like some of you, I have a routine, "time to say goodnight!" before I attempt to put them to bed, so they know what is coming. Togie shakes her head a bunch as if she's trying to block my words from her ears.


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## SoCalTiels (Oct 8, 2013)

I have strings of tea lights up in my room, so it's usually a pretty good signal when the lamp goes off and it's just the glow of the string lights at night. With the addition of the aviary, most of the birds just settle in out there when the sun goes down. Bird usually makes his way inside around mid afternoon and doesn't venture outside again, he much prefers sleeping inside the cage than in the aviary. Reptar though, I have to retrieve from whenever he ends up and put in his sleeping cage, either he'd find a way to cuddle up with me in the middle of the night and be squished or hed start a feather brawl with one of the tiels when the sun comes up tomorrow, simply because he feels like it. Dork. I don't cover the cages, which means they all wake up pretty early but I prefer them over an alarm clock anyways. Otherwise, sleep time is a pretty well adjusted routine with the flock.

It's honestly great to read through your night time routines, it's a different view point that is interesting to hear. I guess we all find what works best for us in the long run.


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