Kelly&Larkin
Checking out the neighborhood
- Joined
- 7/23/17
- Messages
- 1
- Real Name
- Kelly Fletcher
Hi all, I'm a fairly new member. I mostly lurk, but actually could use some input at this time. 
My Timneh African Grey is named Larkin. She's been with me since she was several months old, and she just turned 16 last month. For most of this time, she's slept in a covered cage at night. First covered in a separate, small sleep-cage in a quiet room, and then, starting about four years ago, covered in her large day-cage in our kitchen, where there's usually some quiet traffic during the night. She seemed fine with that arrangement; she hated being tucked so far away from everyone else, and she has plenty of time for napping during the day.
Then, a few months ago, she started absolutely REFUSING to go into her cage at night; she's been sleeping outside the cage. She was pretty serious, and I didn't force the issue. When someone goes into the kitchen at night, sometimes she looks up and peeps, maybe has a snack before going back to sleep--and other times, she either doesn't wake up or just doesn't bother taking her head out from under her wing!
Basically, she seems to be doing fine. She pretty much doesn't want to be messed with at night--because she thinks I'll try to put her in the cage and cover up her the night! I don't think she's afraid of being inside the cage, because she hangs out in there a lot during the day while I'm working (and she doesn't have to--she always has free range of her cage/play gym, her own span of kitchen counter, and a bird ladder between the two).
So, how important is it that she sleeps in a covered cage? Intellectually, I think that this must be a real problem...but in practice, it really doesn't seem to be. Any thoughts on this? And if she really does need to be caged/covered at night, any suggestions on how to make it less onerous to her?
Thanks in advance!
My Timneh African Grey is named Larkin. She's been with me since she was several months old, and she just turned 16 last month. For most of this time, she's slept in a covered cage at night. First covered in a separate, small sleep-cage in a quiet room, and then, starting about four years ago, covered in her large day-cage in our kitchen, where there's usually some quiet traffic during the night. She seemed fine with that arrangement; she hated being tucked so far away from everyone else, and she has plenty of time for napping during the day.
Then, a few months ago, she started absolutely REFUSING to go into her cage at night; she's been sleeping outside the cage. She was pretty serious, and I didn't force the issue. When someone goes into the kitchen at night, sometimes she looks up and peeps, maybe has a snack before going back to sleep--and other times, she either doesn't wake up or just doesn't bother taking her head out from under her wing!
Basically, she seems to be doing fine. She pretty much doesn't want to be messed with at night--because she thinks I'll try to put her in the cage and cover up her the night! I don't think she's afraid of being inside the cage, because she hangs out in there a lot during the day while I'm working (and she doesn't have to--she always has free range of her cage/play gym, her own span of kitchen counter, and a bird ladder between the two).
So, how important is it that she sleeps in a covered cage? Intellectually, I think that this must be a real problem...but in practice, it really doesn't seem to be. Any thoughts on this? And if she really does need to be caged/covered at night, any suggestions on how to make it less onerous to her?
Thanks in advance!
