# Night fright gone wrong!!!



## Luti-Kriss (Dec 23, 2009)

OMG Rico & Marcello just had a really bad night fright. I feel really bad too cuz it was my fault >_<

I was getting up to go to the bathroom, and my foot slammed right into the table that their cage sits on. Next thing I know they're flapping around quite violently and I can hear their wings smashing into their perches. So I did what I usually do. Turn on another light, (I always have a dim light on because I stay up through the night), SLOWLY uncover their cage, and let them calm down. They'll sit there for like 2 minutes after the flapping stops. During that time I will talk to them softly outside their cage, and then they come to the front of the cage and eye the door until I open it for them. Then they come out and hop onto me and cuddle with me. This time however...

I saw Marcello had a bleeding wing because he's got a bunch of new feathers growing in. And being the smart one that I am, (sarcasm), I reached for his wing to look at it, completely forgetting that he absolutely freaks out when I try to pull at his wing. And since he was already freaked out, his fear doubled, and he went tumbling to the floor.

I tried to go after him, but he kept running away from me and screamed at me if I tried to put my hands near him. Then he got his foot caught in the carpet. I was trying to let him just get himself out but he was so freaked out he wasn't doing a good job at it. And being smart again, I forgot he was afraid of me at the time, and when I put my hands on him, he grabbed my finger and wouldn't let go. He split the skin and 2 seconds later there was blood dripping down my hand -_-

Then I got freaked out because the little guy looked like he was having a heart attack. His wings were spasming out and he managed to get himself free, but he was so scared that when he continued to run away from me he couldn't even walk strait, he was pretty much just tumbling. I thought he was going to have a heart attack it was really scary 

So he bolts under the bed and won't come out. So I go back over to Rico who's in the cage and has no idea what's going on, get him to jump onto my hand and set him on the floor to go get Marcello for me. I knew he would get him for me because Marcello is a suck up and follows Rico everywhere. So he went under the bed for me and 10 seconds later they both come out. Marcello was calmed down. I got Rico to jump onto my hand to show Marcello that's what I wanted him to do. And sure enough he walked right over to me and jumped on. And I was able to put them back into their cage.

What am I supposed to do if one of my birds is injured during a night fright? Am I supposed to let them calm down for a while or should I take immediate action? I thought it would be best just to take a quick look at Marcello's wing because the blood was literally dripping off the wing. Then I end up bleeding 10 seconds later. 

I'm kinda dumbfounded with night frights. These are the first birds I've had who have night frights. Help?! I don't want this to happen again


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## Siobhan (Mar 21, 2010)

My budgies used to get night frights and Freddie's done it once, and since they have such little hearts and even a little bleeding can be very bad, you should probably let the bird get calm before you deal with any injury, unless the bird is in immediate danger of further injury. Keep a hand towel next to the cage because usually toweling a bird will calm it down almost immediately, and then you can check the injury without the bird flapping around and keeping his heart rate up too high.


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## Cheryl (Dec 27, 2008)

Try to avoid fully covering the cage a night. Keep a night light next to the cage so they can at least see a little. This should make the amount of night frights decrease.
If one is bleeding you can apply flour to the wound to help stop the bleeding.


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## Luti-Kriss (Dec 23, 2009)

Cheryl said:


> Try to avoid fully covering the cage a night. Keep a night light next to the cage so they can at least see a little. This should make the amount of night frights decrease.
> If one is bleeding you can apply flour to the wound to help stop the bleeding.


They are never in the full dark and I never cover up the cage completely. I stay up most the night as I said earlier, so there's always a dim light on in the room. And when I cover their cage, I only put a towel half way over the front, so they can still get dim light coming in from the bottom. And I'm usually on the computer typing so there is background noise for them. Yet even though it's not all dark and scary they get night frights. Even when I can't find a reason for them. I think they might just scare each other sometimes.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Have you noticed a commonality when they have these night frights? It seems the only time mine have them is when there is an earth quake, even a tiny one that we cant feel they seem to. Maybe if you can figure out what it is that frightens them you can minimize that and it may help...


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## Luti-Kriss (Dec 23, 2009)

Well all that I can think of is it's either me that scares them or I think they scare each other. I've scared them on accident a few times by walking around when I gotta go somewhere in the house, so I try to talk to them as I'm passing by so they know it's me. Then the other times they'll do it for no apparent reason which is why I say they might scare each other. They do it during the day too when one isn't looking then the other comes over and hisses and pecks at them really quick and then the other goes flying off the perch because he had no idea he was right there. They fight over spots on the perch all the time. Hmmm


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

poor baby, Iam glad that he ended up being ok. I find they seem half asleep still when they have a night fright and you have to wait a good while sometimes to get them out of the cage. I usually wait until they respond to me in a calmer way before letting them out to comfort them.



roxy culver said:


> Have you noticed a commonality when they have these night frights? It seems the only time mine have them is when there is an earth quake, even a tiny one that we cant feel they seem to. Maybe if you can figure out what it is that frightens them you can minimize that and it may help...


A lady on the linnie form noticed that when a small earthquake happend her birds that were on rugs, did not seem to be bothered as much as her birds that were on her hard wood floor. Mabey a throw rug under the cages might help


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## Mollypop (Apr 26, 2010)

I mostly cover up my birds cage at night, leaving half of the front side uncovered, but I turn off the lights and have no night light on for my tiel at all. I noticed that shadows would frighten her and now that she is in complete darkness, she has not had any frights since. I am not sure if now I am doing the right thing by letting her sleep in complete darkness or if she should have a night light on. I would hate for her to injure herself during the night if she should get a fright from something other than shadows. It was a very harrowing story you told of your little guys night fright, I hope they are ok now and you are ok also, these things are very upsetting as we love our birds so much. Hope all is well. Take care.


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## spraymillet (Mar 2, 2010)

That is very scary! The only time my 'tiel has ever had a night fright, she was staying with me at my bf's house, and I'm guessing some weird noise or shadow scared her and she was flapping around and it frightened me! I don't bring her over there with me any more, and she's never had a night fright at my house. I don't know why she's been completely fine here in my room, never getting scared at all yet (knock on wood) but I'm glad because that one time she had the fright she broke a feather too and was bleeding! 

I don't cover her cage at night, but we live in a very quiet place where no cars or street lights can be seen at all.

Does cornstarch help stop up the blood too?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yes cornstarch or flour or that stuff called quik stop. I used flour and quik stop on Mudflap. As for the night frights the only time mine have ever had any are with the earth quakes out here. But I do have a night light up for them so they can see a little bit at night just in case a noise instead of a shadow does scare them.


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