# Should I let Sunny sleep with me?



## Annie (Nov 20, 2009)

Sunny has developed a strange habit lately: Usually at night Sunny would go back inside her cage by herself to sleep but lately, about once every week or every two weeks, she would want to stay with me throughout the night. She would come stand on my shoulder while I'm reading, then when I turn out the light she would remain standing on my shoulder and refuse to go anywhere. She would get made at me when I turn over  and hiss because she wants me to lie perfectly still and not breathe too loudly so she can sleep on me without being disturbed (whatta bird! :blink, and usually she would know to go climb on my pillow and stand there instead where she can be more stable. At first I thought that certainly she would have enough of me twisting and turning and would go back inside her cage on her own, but then when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the washroom she would still be standing stubbornly on my pillow, and when I wake up in the morning she would still be there. 

Of course, this disrupts sleep for us both as I'm so afraid I would roll on her and crush her that I'm a little uptight, and she must get waken up throughout the night as I twist and turn and get up to go to the washroom and stuff.

From now on if she tries to spend the night on my pillow, should I discourage her by putting her back inside the cage? I don't have the heart to do it because maybe she's feeling insecure for some reasons and wants to stay close to me during the night and I don't want her to think I don't want her with me. I know that in the wild, birds would sleep together so to her, it is natural that we sleep together since we are in the same flock.  Does anyone else have this experience and what did you do?


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

I don't have experience with it but I woulda be afraid she would get hurt and I wouldn't be awake to help her. I would just put the cage right next to the bed so she can be close to you without being in any potential danger.


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

Maybe it's some weird Sunny spring thing because lately my Sunny has not wanted to go back to his cage for bed either. Right before bed, all he wants are snuggles and scritches and wants to stay with me. I'd be too afraid though of him getting hurt if he didn't sleep in his cage. And once he's there, I think he's fine and happy and secure sleeping in his cage. Maybe like meaggie suggested, just put your Sunny's cage close to your bed? It can't be good for you either worrying about her while you're trying to sleep. I know it's hard though because we want to do everything we can to make our spoiled little tiels happy.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

I definitely would not let her sleep with you. It's really not safe. Aside from the risk of her being crushed, what if she had a night fright while sleeping with you? What if your rolling over caused that? She could fly around, crash into walls, and generally do herself a lot more harm than if she was in a cage.


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## FroggySam (Apr 5, 2011)

If I nap in the afternoon, kirby sleeps right next to my head.

I only let her do it when someone else is in my house though.

The only real reason for this is because I only have the one room that I can secure and bird proof (as much as anything is ever bird proof) Im really paranoid that if I slept when it's just us two, she would get out of the room and hurt herself. 

If she gets jittery when I put her to bed, I sit next to her cage for half hour or so and talk on the phone etc. I don't talk to her because then she wants out. But if I'm on the phone she can hear I am still near by and calms down until she falls asleep.


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## Annie (Nov 20, 2009)

Thanks for your replies. You're right *sunnysmom*, those Sunnies sure are a handful aren't they?  The thing is that Sunny's cage IS right beside my "bed" (actually I don't really have a bed, I have a mattress on the floor because I prefer it that way ) so it really can't get any closer. It's not like I'm in a mansion and my bedroom is huge. 

I think the bottom line is that not only is it dangerous for Sunny, but we both end up not getting a good night's sleep because I have to watch out for her in the back of my mind and I'm sure she gets waken every time I turn over. So I think I won't let that happen again. I will just give her lots of kisses on the nose and tell her softly she has to go back inside her cage, then put her back inside. I mean, she can nap whenever she wants, but mommy has to go out and make money so she could continue to pay for Sunny's organic bird food and also put money aside for if Sunny ever needs to go to the vet (God forbid!).


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I'm glad you've decided that. Many people have rolled over and crushed their birds in the middle of the night...it is so sad.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

My hubby did it when he was a kid...he didn't know any better and slept with one of their tiels next to him (I don't know which one it was, his dad has a lot of them) and he rolled over on her in the middle of the night. Its jut not something you want to do. And I'm sure Sunny will understand that you still love her.


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## Sparrow (Feb 25, 2012)

I had a free-roam bird that used to sleep with me, but she would jump onto the head-rest as soon as I went to sleep..... Maybe you could try that??.....


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## Annie (Nov 20, 2009)

Thank you all who responded. 



Sparrow said:


> I had a free-roam bird that used to sleep with me, but she would jump onto the head-rest as soon as I went to sleep..... Maybe you could try that??.....


Actually its seems like Sunny has also learned to go stand on my pillow at some point (I have one of those ergonomic pillows that has a firm "bump" at the top and Sunny would stand there) but still I don't think I should risk it. *Bjknight93 *and *Roxy Clover* have scared me enough.  Actually I have secured a rope perch near the bottom of the cage which is right beside my mattress---I was hoping that Sunny could learn to sleep on that perch instead so she could still be very close to me at night (like only a few inches from me) but be safe on the perch, but she hasn't been doing that, at least not yet. I'm keeping the perch there as she may realize later that she could just make that her sleeping perch and sleep there.

Last night Sunny was on my shoulder when I was reading again, which is usually her way of saying "I have settled in and I am NOT moving from this spot until morning!" So I got her to step up and gave her lots of kisses on the nose (she loves that ) and put her back inside the cage. She was okay with it once she was inside.


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## Debbie05 (Feb 9, 2010)

I just had a friend loose her conure by letting it sleep with her. She felt so bad about it. I would not let it sleep with you.


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## mishkaroni (Jan 6, 2012)

I've had much experience with this debate. First, a parakeet used to nap with me. At nights she would sleep on my head or right next to my nose. She passed of natural causes. My beloved Calypso recently passed for a sickness, but she was very bonded to me and would go ballistic if I did not allow her to sleep with me. She would perch on my head, in front of my nose...even in the crook of my neck. However, I do not move in my sleep and when my fiance would come to bed he would be the baddie and put her away. After her passing, a few birds of mine nap with me...meaning I wake up to them grooming me or walking on me. My almost five month old baby sleeps with me occassionally, but he knows what he,wants,and my TV is bright enough that he tends to fly up to his cage to sleep. It's like hes on my pillow just to put me to sleep...


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