# Laying Down To Sleep ... should I be concerned?



## BabyMoo (Dec 19, 2012)

Hello everyone.

I was talking with another member earlier and a concern developed regarding my :tiel4:, BabyMoo's sleeping habits so it was recommended I post here to get input and hopefully peace of mind. 

Please let me explain: My :tiel4:, BabyMoo, is an older :tiel4: For about 2 years she has been sleeping at night laying down. She was falling and hurting her wing at night so her avian vet recommended letting her sleep in a fish tank (which I call her bed). She also had a broken toe at one point a while back from which she has healed and has not caused any walking problems but her toe is a little bit bent. In the fish tank/bed she lays down and sleeps for 12 hours every night. She loves her bed. She even asks to go in it if it is past her bed time (she'll start walking around it until she is finally placed in it). 

The concern is that she is laying down and has been laying down now for 2 yrs and laying down is usually a sign of illness. Also, she loves perching on a pair of shoes that I bought especially for her 9 months ago after she tried to take possession of my DH's house shoes. She perches from the back edge of the shoe and some times from the top edge of the shoe. When she does this, she does not lift one foot. She looks for the edge to hang on from. She also, at times, likes to perch from her food bowl (rare but happens) ... also from the edge. The concern is that maybe she is trying to lay down and might be doing so from not feeling well. I'm thinking that she might also just like laying down to rest and b/c she is used to sleeping that way and b/c she finds it comfortable. 

She perches on her perches as well during the day. When she perches from her perches she some times does raise one foot.

Does anybody else's :tiel2::tiel3::tiel6::tiel1::tiel4::tiel5: do this? I have seen some pictures here where tiels are perching without lifting up a foot and they appear to be laying down more than anything else.

Should I be concerned though? She saw her avian vet in Nov and all was well. I wasn't really worried about it but I'm a little worried now b/c of the fact that laying down can be a sign of illness. What illness usually causes them to lay down? In the day time my :tiel4: is for the most part very active and happy.

Thank you for your comments and thank you for reading my long post 

Note: Don't ever place a bird of any kind in a fish tank without enough space to get plenty of oxygen. When my tiel is in her fish tank she has food, water, and even though she is covered, she has a big open space on top of it for oxygen. Her water is also positioned in a way that it will not spill and make her wet. She also knows how to use her water bowl efficiently to where she will not drawn. He veterinarian has looked at and approved of my setting.


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## t birdies (Jan 8, 2011)

Hi Caro...glad u made inquiry...

I was the one asking that BabyMoo get a little feedback...as her avian vet has given her a clean bill of health no doubts there...however I was concerned w/ her knowing the difference when she needs to, between BabyMoo's resting b/c she has to vs. her alerting mom to signs of illness b/c often when or if we see our birds going to the bottom of the cage to perch there, it's time to get concerned.

Also, BabyMoo...I know she only sleeps there at night...but they do poo thru out the night...is that not a problem...

I wonder if providing her w/ a smaller cage (just for the night) w/ a grill at the bottom & maybe a rope perch close to the bottom of cage, so she doesn't fall from any amount of height that you've been concerned about or even placing the shoe in there? the tank is what concerns me also...I had recently read a post over at the housing forum recommending someone there to reconsider using a fish tank they had set up for their bird.

...perhaps someone else can address this for us, I don't know...thanks BabyMoo, you're such a good bird mommy!


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## BabyMoo (Dec 19, 2012)

t birdies said:


> BabyMoo, you're such a good bird mommy!


Thank you! This makes me happy 

No, she doesn't use the bathroom in her bed. She is peculiar about this. I also use the fish tank to take her to the vet (and when traveling) and when I do this she does use the bathroom in it. She seems to know the difference b/w going in it on a trip and using it as a bed. It is very funny how she does this. The vet has asked the same thing. She falls at sleep for the 12 hours. As soon as I wake her up and place her in her cage she uses the bathroom. She loves the fish tank and I would hate to take her away from it. I don't think she can sleep comfortably in her cage anymore for that length of time. She has a smaller one but I know she would not be happy in it all night. Being an older :tiel4: it seems that she likes the warmth of her fish tank also. When she slept in her cage she would always have nightmares and fall down. It took a good while for her wing to finally heal. When she sleeps in her cage during the day some times she also doesn't use the bathroom then and she sleeps all the way at the top on her perch. She doesn't sleep for very long but I have noticed that she doesn't use the bathroom until she wakes up (she might sleep an hour or two when I'm not home). I have come home when she still sleeping on her perch and when she wakes up then she uses the bathroom (a larger than usual poop). 

My sweet girl is very peculiar


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## BabyMoo (Dec 19, 2012)

t birdies said:


> the tank is what concerns me also...I had recently read a post over at the housing forum recommending someone there to reconsider using a fish tank they had set up for their bird.


I wonder what was their concern about the tank. Did they say?


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## t birdies (Jan 8, 2011)

Haha! she is a peculiar cookie...that's for sure...but sounds soo sweet.

Take a look over at the housing forum & try to find the post where this person had converted a fish tank into a bird house for their birds...you may find the comments interesting.

Well, I certainly know what it means to not want to deprive your bird of their favorites...in my old apt. yrs ago when I 1st got Bobby he'd perch on the ceiling fan & of course I would never ever think of turning it on...in fact I never liked fans blowing on me anyway...so I sat his little dishes up there ...one blade had fresh food, one blade held the water, another millet...& he slept up there, preened, sang...it was his favorite spot & kept it clean for him...it was in the kitchen dining area but I didn't have a table there so of course I laid newspapers on the floor for poos...now that was a very strange arrangement to every one else...but for yrs it worked...he was a bit depressed I suppose when we had to move on to another place. 

So I understand...if it ain't broke why fix it.


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## t birdies (Jan 8, 2011)

BabyMoo said:


> I wonder what was their concern about the tank. Did they say?


I recall only something about breathing in dander? & the circulation of air expelled from his bird & what he/she would breathe in? Something like that & also something about concern about this bird's missing a sense of boundaries & needing to perch & climb, etc.

I'll try to look for it tomorrow if need be...all I remember is that the person was disappointed & decided to go to plan B


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

When she lays down, does her head rest on the floor of the tank or is her body on the floor with her head upright? 

If it's the first one, I don't know what to make of it. If it's the second one, she's in a nesting position. Not pooping in her bed would be consistent with that, since adult birds don't poop in the nest.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

It could be normal for her if she's older and becoming mobility-impaired. I have a rescue 'tiel with impaired balance who sleeps lying down (but with her head tucked back) on a platform. It's just what's comfortable for her. But, if this is a change for BabyMoo, then I'd watch her carefully for any other changes that might be suggestive of a problem.


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## BabyMoo (Dec 19, 2012)

t birdies said:


> Haha! she is a peculiar cookie...that's for sure...but sounds soo sweet.


hahahahaha .... she is very sweet though. 



t birdies said:


> Take a look over at the housing forum & try to find the post where this person had converted a fish tank into a bird house for their birds...you may find the comments interesting.


Thank you. I will.



t birdies said:


> Well, I certainly know what it means to not want to deprive your bird of their favorites...in my old apt. yrs ago when I 1st got Bobby he'd perch on the ceiling fan & of course I would never ever think of turning it on...in fact I never liked fans blowing on me anyway...so I sat his little dishes up there ...one blade had fresh food, one blade held the water, another millet...& he slept up there, preened, sang...it was his favorite spot & kept it clean for him...it was in the kitchen dining area but I didn't have a table there so of course I laid newspapers on the floor for poos...now that was a very strange arrangement to every one else...but for yrs it worked


That sure was a strange arrangement. We do what we can to keep them happy, don't we? They are like true children some times.  I guess that is why we  them so much.


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## BabyMoo (Dec 19, 2012)

tielfan said:


> When she lays down, does her head rest on the floor of the tank or is her body on the floor with her head upright?


 Hello *DarkRed*. The second one. The nesting position. She looks down though. She looks very cute doing it. I can tell she is sound at sleep when she is like that b/c it takes her a while to realize I have turned on the light. In the morning after her 12 hr sleep she is very aware and ready to get out of bed  Looking back at the calendar, I think its been more like 4 years doing this than 2. 

I have never been around nesting tiels so maybe you can help me with a question. You mentioned that when they nest that they don't poop in the nest. Do they wait a long time before going? I some times worry about how long she can wait. She is sleeping though when she waits b/c I have noticed that she is always sleeping at night when I go check on her. When we use the tank for transportation and she is awake, she doesn't wait and she does go as needed. I have also noticed, as I mentioned above, that she takes long naps in her cage (1-2hrs) when I'm not home. She wakes up as soon as I get home and then she goes poop but the amount is a lot larger than when she hasn't been sleeping, which is the same as when she goes as soon as she gets up in the morning. 

Thank you for your help. It makes me feel better to know that she is laying in a nesting position.


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## BabyMoo (Dec 19, 2012)

enigma731 said:


> It could be normal for her if she's older and becoming mobility-impaired. I have a rescue 'tiel with impaired balance who sleeps lying down (but with her head tucked back) on a platform. It's just what's comfortable for her. But, if this is a change for BabyMoo, then I'd watch her carefully for any other changes that might be suggestive of a problem.


Hello enigma731, Thank you for the insight. I think you are right. It is probably just comfortable for her and probably very used to it by now. She is not mobility-impaired but she has has the problem with her toe. It is not really a change for BabyMoo but like I mentioned above, 9 months ago she became very interested in my DH's house shoes, which she started using as a perch. I bought her a pair just for her and now she perches on them. I was worried that maybe the wanting to perch on them was a sign of wanting to lay down but watching her closer, she perches on them in the same way that she does her perches in her cages.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If she poops in the tank when she's awake then she isn't holding it in to avoid pooping in her nest. This is a good thing; you really don't want a single hen thinking that she has a nest because she might decide to start laying eggs.

There are some birds who don't poop while they're sleeping and maybe she is one of them. The poops will naturally be bigger when they've been holding it in for a while because it's basically several poops combined into one.


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## BabyMoo (Dec 19, 2012)

tielfan said:


> There are some birds who don't poop while they're sleeping and maybe she is one of them.


I think that this is true in her case. Thank you for your responses. I feel much better knowing that she is not that odd after all


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