Bedtime screaming?

[Mizzely]

It could be the opposite too... Jingo squawks if he doesn't have black darkness to sleep in. A sliver of light and he's unable to sleep apparently!

 

[JLcribber]

Both my cockatoos put up fuss at bedtime just like kids. Even if they're drop dead tired they don't want to go to bed and will scream for 10 - 15 minutes. Been like that since the beginning.

IMO to start you are keeping him up too late and he's not getting enough sleep. They need 12 hours of dark restful sleep. Once you put him to bed DO NOT go back in there or call out to him. You're just making it worse. Yes they will scream for a bit. Another important thing IMO is you need to desensitize the auditory system with white noise very close to the cage.

 

[JLcribber]

20 minutes before bedtime we all have a nice big loud scream fest and let them get it out. You should encourage the same thing.

 

[melissasparrots]

My goffin's is sometimes a bedtime screamer. She still can be if I'm up and active and she's supposed to be asleep. I think the very persistent screaming you are experiencing now is just a product him being in a new home and trying out new behaviors to see what it gets him. Personally, I'd ignore him once the lights are out and hopefully in a few weeks he will settle down. I will say, mine generally is not a problem if I just leave the lights on until I'm ready to go to bed. She doesn't seem to have any problems with being awake past a normal bedtime. She started screaming when I turned the lights out on her right from the first day I got her. She would settle down if I covered her, but I don't like covering birds. I just left the lights on until I was ready to go to bed as well and that solved the problems.

 

[rocky'smom]

It sounds like cockatoos and human babies are the same. with human babies you have to let them self sooth themselves. I know that "G" 's toos are all a bunch of fussers @ bedtime. she found a light that is used for people with depression/ with insomnia that slowly reduce the light from bright sunlight down to night light level, in about 45 minutes to 1 hour. it is set up in their bird room. she says it makes a difference.

 

[sunnysmom]

@JLcribber, I'm definitely going to look into your white noise suggestion. I think that will help. Last night, a loud car went by our house, woke Elvis up and he started screaming again (at 3:00 a.m. ). And I do think he needs to go to bed earlier. Convincing him of that is another thing.

Around 8:00 p.m. he gets this burst of energy and runs around like a crazy bird, flapping and yelling. Which is good, right? Or does that mean he's getting tired and should be going to bed before that? The thing with that is, by the time he settles down, it's after 9:00. And then by the time I actually get him into his cage, etc. we're back to having him not going to sleep until 9:30-10:00.

I'm also thinking about maybe putting a sleep cage upstairs for him. It would be quieter and darker. Of course, that would mean him getting used to sleeping in a different cage which may be too much change too soon?

I really appreciate everyone's comments and help!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I think the white noise will be very helpful. Silly Elvis, he sounds just like a little kid! Once they get crazy and overstimulated it takes forever to calm them down. I would try putting him to bed before the crazies start.

You could try taking him to his new upstairs cage several times a day and letting him explore it and giving him treats. After a week or so you could see if he would be comfortable sleeping in it.

 

[JLcribber]

Around 8:00 p.m. he gets this burst of energy and runs around like a crazy bird, flapping and yelling. Which is good, right?

Yup. We do it every night.

I'm also thinking about maybe putting a sleep cage upstairs for him. It would be quieter and darker. Of course, that would mean him getting used to sleeping in a different cage which may be too much change too soon?

Change is change. If it's going to happen get it done. The sooner you do, the sooner or becomes normal.

 

[faislaq]

Thank goodness for this thread! It is exactly what I'm looking for, and for a goffins, no less!
Almost every night for the past 2 weeks, Luv Bug has started screaming in the middle of the night anywhere from 1:30 to 4:30ish. I checked on her the first time and her tail was fully spread and her crest was up. I took her out and held her until she relaxed and she went right back to sleep when I put her back.
She's always fussed around bedtime, and thanks to this thread it sounds normal, though I will be trying the self-dimming lamp we have with white noise. (If anyone has a suggestion for the white noise I'd appreciate it.) But the screaming in the night is new and she's clearly upset by something and since I'm asleep when she starts I have no idea what's setting her off. All I know is my husband and I and our two dogs aren't disturbed by whatever it is. Tonight she stiffened up and spread her feathers againg when I tried to put her back so I'm holding her a bit longer. I'm hoping that in time she will learn that she is safe & hopefully the night light and white noise will help.
Like you @sunnysmom, we're following her schedule as it was told to us by her previous owners. The only difference is her night cage was in an alcove upstairs at their house & it's in our bedroom here. We dont have too many options in our apartment, but we've talked about rearranging our walk-in closet and moving a storage shelf into the bedroom so we can put her night cage in the closet as "her room", or moving her cage next to my side of the bed so she can see us if she wakes up startled and it's less of an event if she needs to be pet and talked to through the bars until whatever this is passes.

 

[sunnysmom]

Thank goodness for this thread! It is exactly what I'm looking for, and for a goffins, no less!
Almost every night for the past 2 weeks, Luv Bug has started screaming in the middle of the night anywhere from 1:30 to 4:30ish. I checked on her the first time and her tail was fully spread and her crest was up. I took her out and held her until she relaxed and she went right back to sleep when I put her back.
She's always fussed around bedtime, and thanks to this thread it sounds normal, though I will be trying the self-dimming lamp we have with white noise. (If anyone has a suggestion for the white noise I'd appreciate it.) But the screaming in the night is new and she's clearly upset by something and since I'm asleep when she starts I have no idea what's setting her off. All I know is my husband and I and our two dogs aren't disturbed by whatever it is. Tonight she stiffened up and spread her feathers againg when I tried to put her back so I'm holding her a bit longer. I'm hoping that in time she will learn that she is safe & hopefully the night light and white noise will help.
Like you @sunnysmom, we're following her schedule as it was told to us by her previous owners. The only difference is her night cage was in an alcove upstairs at their house & it's in our bedroom here. We dont have too many options in our apartment, but we've talked about rearranging our walk-in closet and moving a storage shelf into the bedroom so we can put her night cage in the closet as "her room", or moving her cage next to my side of the bed so she can see us if she wakes up startled and it's less of an event if she needs to be pet and talked to through the bars until whatever this is passes.

The bedtime screaming has gotten better with Elvis . Right before bed, he still gets this burst of energy where he screams and flaps- which I encourage so he wears himself out a little. LOL. He has settled into the bedtime routine now and goes to bed without a fuss. But he is a very light sleeper. It doesn't take much to wake him up in the middle of the night and he'll squawk a bit or a lot depending. I am still thinking about getting him a sleep cage and putting it upstairs. I think it will be quieter for him.

 

[cassiesdad]

Milton has always been a light sleeper. If he wakes up during the night, he'll usually start saying "HELLO" over and over. I tell him everything is OK and then he settles...

 

[faislaq]

Last night (this morning), Luv Bug woke me up at 3:30. I took her out, talked to her and held her for a minute or two instead of staying up with her like I have been. She didn't want to go in the first time I tried to put her back, so I held her another few minutes and she went back in. She squawked once, so I checked my email on my phone and she went back to sleep. (My husband plays games or watches videos on his phone before he goes to sleep, so I think that might be helping her. Kind of a familiar light & noise? I'm still hoping she will start sleeping through the night, but I was pleased that she settled down so easily last night.

 

[JLcribber]

The bedtime screaming has gotten better with Elvis . Right before bed, he still gets this burst of energy where he screams and flaps- which I encourage so he wears himself out a little. LOL. He has settled into the bedtime routine now and goes to bed without a fuss. But he is a very light sleeper. It doesn't take much to wake him up in the middle of the night and he'll squawk a bit or a lot depending. I am still thinking about getting him a sleep cage and putting it upstairs. I think it will be quieter for him.

Instead of trying to be whisper quiet which is impossible, you should have a source of white noise in that sleep environment to desensitize your bird to noises in the night. The opposite of what your doing.

Last night (this morning), Luv Bug woke me up at 3:30. I took her out, talked to her and held her for a minute or two instead of staying up with her like I have sreSD been. She didn't want to go in the first time I tried to put her back, so I held her another few minutes and she went back in. She squawked once, so I checked my email on my phone and she went back to sleep. (My husband plays games or watches videos on his phone before he goes to sleep, so I think that might be helping her. Kind of a familiar light & noise? I'm still hoping she will start sleeping through the night, but I was pleased that she settled down so easily last night.

You're teaching him a very bad habit by doing that. It will come back to haunt you.

Don't go in there until it's time to get up. He's just fine and doesn't need your worries.

You could also benefit from white noise in the sleep environment.

White noise is as easy as a big noisy fan/air filter

 

[sunnysmom]

[

Instead of trying to be whisper quiet which is impossible, you should have a source of white noise in that sleep environment to desensitize your bird to noises in the night. The opposite of what your doing.


You're teaching him a very bad habit by doing that. It will come back to haunt you.

Don't go in there until it's time to get up. He's just fine and doesn't need your worries.

You could also benefit from white noise in the sleep environment.

White noise is as easy as a big noisy fan/air filter

I did get him a white noise machine and never used it. I actually forgot about it until now. I try it out with him. Thank you.

 

[faislaq]

You're teaching him a very bad habit by doing that. It will come back to haunt you. Don't go in there until it's time to get up. He's just fine and doesn't need your worries. You could also benefit from white noise in the sleep environment. White noise is as easy as a big noisy fan/air filter

I know it is already haunting me. I'm pretty sure something may have woken her the first night or two, but since then I think it may be becoming part of her routine? That's why I only held her for a few minutes last night instead of sitting up with her because I'm trying to minimize the reward. I didn't want her to be alone though if something had frightened her; I want her to know we are there and it will be okay.

Her cage is in our bedroom near the foot of the bed. I know reacting when she screams encourages the behavior, but I'm trying to keep her from waking up my husband since he works very early. So it sounds like you do think it would be better if we made room for her sleep cage in our walk-in closet? I like that we can just put one of the air filters in there with her for white noise; I thought we were going to have to buy a fancy machine.


I appreciate all of the advice from the 'too people that have already gone through this. It is stressful when you don't know what to do. It would be awesome to go back to quiet nights again!

 

[JLcribber]

That's why I only held her for a few minutes last night instead of sitting up with her because I'm trying to minimize the reward.

There is no "minimum" reward. A reward is a reward. Even negativity is a reward. (So stop rewarding)

I didn't want her to be alone though if something had frightened her; I want her to know we are there and it will be okay.

She's not alone and she's not frightened. You are the one that is upset. So what if she squawks for a few minutes. She's playing you. If you don't quit going to her you will make the problem worse and worse.

So it sounds like you do think it would be better if we made room for her sleep cage in our walk-in closet? I like that we can just put one of the air filters in there with her for white noise; I thought we were going to have to buy a fancy machine.

There is your answer. Put her to bed and don't go in there until "sunrise".

 

[JLcribber]

This is already somewhat learned so she's already going to get worse before she gets better. It might take a week because when you don't go in there she's going to take it to another level. Stay strong.

 

[faislaq]

Aaack! I'm weak! I know I'm an enabler, but I will do my best. Thank you for the warning and encouragement. It will help to keep that in mind tonight. I'll do my best (and then some) to stay strong.

I will definitely make room in the closet for her highness' chambers tomorrow while I'm off.

 

[faislaq]

She's not alone and she's not frightened. You are the one that is upset. So what if she squawks for a few minutes. She's playing you. Put her to bed and don't go in there until "sunrise".

This is the part I needed to know (and keep telling myself) the most from a 'too owner. It really helps.

Stay strong.

And this will be my mantra!