# Cockatiel sleeping in food dish?



## ARrescue

We just got our first cockatiel. I run a small animal rescue that focuses on rodents, but someone contacted me finding her a new home and we've been looking for a small parrot for a long time anyway so it worked out perfectly. She's sweet and very vocal, and learning to trust us a bit more everyday. It's been about a week since we've had her and she allows us to pet her and I don't think it'll be long until she trusts us enough to step up.

We both love her already and have been doting on her, buying her new toys she ignores and perches. The question I have is she likes to sleep on the edge of her food dish and she soils her food over night. I was wondering if there's something that would be more comfortable for her to sleep in. I haven't heard good things about the cuddle huts, but is there something other than a perch that would be more comfortable for her?


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## sunnysmom

I think a lot of tiels, especially if they're young, sleep on their food or water dishes. I bought my tiel a "comfy" perch (it's a type of rope perch) and put it in the top corner of his cage and that became his favorite sleeping spot. (And it's supposed to be good for their feet.) You can maybe try that. Other than that, I'm not sure what else you can try.


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## ARrescue

She's got a couple comfy perches, she loves them. I'm not sure on her age but think she's at least a two years old since she's been in a couple homes before. 

Thanks for the suggestion!


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## DyArianna

Congrats on your new feathered friend!  We look forward to seeing pictures of her. 

Lots of birds to new homes will find their initial comfy sleeping spot to be on or near their food dishes. Myself, I believe it to be more of a security thing. They are still getting used to their surroundings and this way they don't have to go far should they want a bite or a drink in the middle of the night. It is a pain when they soil it.. but it really is a good practice to get used to in washing their bowls/cups out good in the morning anyway. They get dirty really quick. 

They do make covered food and water dishes though that might come in handy for you. Some attach to the side of the cage while others are more heavy duty and sit free standing on the bottom of the cage.


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## MeghanNichol

My Ziggy sleeps on his special fruit/seed bar that attaches to the side of his cage!  I have to pick off the soiled seeds and poo a lot! Be thankful that you can just dump the cup and get new seed! I hope both of our tiels grow out of this!


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## ARrescue

At the very least, I find it stinking adorable, if inconvenient. Luckily we'll be getting her a large flight cage soon (I've had my eye on the Prevue flight cage: http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Produc...TF8&coliid=I1TAGIVWUI63FL&colid=2CIDAG3EJM8B5 since before she even came home) so she'll have a few food bowls to choose from and may grow out of it. 

Would she appreciate a nesting box or would that not be good for a lone 'tiel?


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## bjknight93

That may stimulate her to lay eggs...which can have conplications so I would stay away from the nest box or anything nesty for that matter.


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## ARrescue

Will do, I figured that may be the case.


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## bjknight93

My 13 year old tiel recently began sleeping in her food bowl for some reason...i don't know what's triggering it...i just wait for the poop to dry and then I remove it though; it's not too big of a deal.


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## alexis1011

I have the same cage and ordered it from the same place. I love it! It's very roomy and my breeding pair seems to love it also!


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## bjknight93

This is an older picture of that cage (i have it too):








It's an awesome cage; it is easy to clean and is very well put together.


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## DesertDweller

When Misty was little and did this, I simply got another food dish to put next to the one he slept in, but I filled it with torn paper towels. He swapped over and slept in that one. 

The food dish might feel more secure because it more resembles a nest than does a perch.


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## resalat_hasan

My Precious does it all the time.....after finishing his last meal at afternoon, he steps onto his seed bowl (attached to his perch) and begins his rest, he gets off the bowl sometimes when he needs to drink some gulp of water.....he stays there until next dawn & he's been doing it for the last 5 months......earlier, I had to dump the spoiled seeds (with his poops)....but I'm just amazed to see....since last month, he never poops on his food bowl, he gets down to his perch and then poo and again gets back onto the bowl.


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## resalat_hasan

....& I think it's not a matter of worries


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## ARrescue

They do look like very nice cages. I've had the feisty ferret by Prevue before and it was a solid cage, and their flight cage has the exact dimensions and the same hammertone type finish, so I know what I'm in for. She's used to a play top and being out all day but I think she'll get used to climbing out from the doors and up to to top if she wants, and I'll have perches on the outside and I've been looking at play gyms to attach to the top also, plus all the extra room inside doesn't hurt and we were thinking about getting her a friend in the future, and we'll have plenty of room to do so with the cage.

I'll try the paper towel idea once we get her new cage, that'll probably do the trick. Thanks!


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## sunnysmom

bjknight93 said:


> My 13 year old tiel recently began sleeping in her food bowl for some reason...i don't know what's triggering it...i just wait for the poop to dry and then I remove it though; it's not too big of a deal.


Not to hijack the thread, but bjknight, my tiel who is 15 just started sleeping on his water dish completely out of the blue. I wonder why? It's interesting that your tiel did too.


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## bjknight93

sunnysmom said:


> Not to hijack the thread, but bjknight, my tiel who is 15 just started sleeping on his water dish completely out of the blue. I wonder why? It's interesting that your tiel did too.


I'm not sure why...but I moved her into a new cage yesterday and I haven't seen her do it yet. So maybe rearranging the cage will throw Sunny off? You could try that. Krissi has been very hormonal here but she has been hormonal the whole time and only began sleeping on/in her dish this past week. I didn't think it was nestiness because of that but I'm thinking the change in cage/arrangement might've done something to help...which kind of points to hormones.


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## JaimeS

For anyone interested in the cage being discussed, I have three of them (soon to be four) and I get them here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Prevue-Hend...107?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23174368f3 It is the cheapest place I have found them and the service is great!


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## Mommajo

My tiels like to sleep on a couple of toys I bought them. One is a round tube that has fibers wrapped around it. I hang it sideways on the side of the cage. The other toy is a bunch of ropes with beads on the ends. They love to sleep on that too.


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