Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 7/23/2008

Question
I have got two budgies just very recently. Their health are acceptable. When it was night time or bed time I cover the cage with a soft cloth ( tired fully cover and half covered), sometimes one of them or both would climb up to the top of the cage inside and stopped. I do have to check them very often to avoid this batman thing, so that they are not sleepless. They seems to be afriad of something when it was dark. Are there a suggestion to this, thanks very much for the help.

Answer
Hi, Jacob,

I picked up your question from the question pool this morning.

It is normal for parrots (your keets are parrots) to behave like yours are behaving.  At nighttime/bedtime, most parrots like to find what they consider a cozy, secure, location in their cage to sleep.  Some keets feel secure enough sleeping on their perches, some like Cozy Huts, a group/couple may gather together and hang from the cage wire on the side of their cage, etc.  When you place a cover over their cage, the most secure location in their minds is under this cover.  In addition, most parrots like to roost/perch at the highest location in an area, in this case their cage, and the highest point in their cage would be the top of the cage.  

Your birds are most likely sleeping/resting very soundly in this location.  Otherwise, they wouldn't!  They'd find a different location.  You may actually be disturbing them by checking on them.  

Be sure there isn't the possibility of rodents or something else getting into their cage at night and sifting through the seed/food on the cage bottom.  Please don't be insulted/offended by me saying this.  I've known of many instances where people didn't know they had problems with mice (or something else) until they found mice droppings in the bottom of their bird's cage.

It can also help to keep a night light on in the same room your bird's are in so in case they get disturbed at night, they can keep their wits about them and don't flap uncontrollably inside their cage if/when they do become disturbed.  Something as simple as head lights from a car driving down the road can be disturbing to parrots who are housed near a window at night.  

Chrys