Cage in human bedroom, yes or no?

[PikaShell]

Hi everyone! I am picking up my new Goffin's TOMORROW. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve!

One question: My cockatiel, Pikachu, sleeps in our bedroom. We don't even have to cover her, she just keeps the same hours we do. If we're spending time downstairs, we take her with us.

My question is: What are the pros/cons to having a cockatoo in the bedroom also? Where does yours sleep? What would you do?

We usually go to bed around 10 but sometimes later; and get out of bed around 8ish (when our mini pig starts yelling for us to come let him outside).

Right now we are staying with a friend while we try to sell our house (yes she is TOTALLY on board with a cockatoo moving in, no worries), and because my wife and I are a bit introverted we mostly watch TV or hang out in our bedroom in the evenings. So that's where we spend the majority of our time at home. We have the space for the cage in here, and he'd be next to Pikachu all the time.

 

[Fuzzy]

Cockatoos and cockatiels are powder down birds, so they are very much more dusty than New World parrots. That would be my only concern - that you are sleeping with two dusty birds in a small room which might not be good for your own respiratory systems. You could certainly get an air purifier for the bedroom.

I sleep with my Pionus, Kobe (we have an air purifier) just because he is used to it. I had him before the Amazons, and he and my budgie used to sleep with me. When I got Ollie (Amazon), he wasn't tame, so no way would he get into a travel cage back then. Then the other two arrived. It seemed easier having them all sleep in the sitting room in their main cages. In this house I am able to vacate the room so they can have peace. Kobe still sleeps with me.

Editing to add - WooooHOOOOOO! How exciting to be picking up your 'Too tomorrow!!!!

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

I believe @cassiesdad 's Milton sleeps his bedroom, so he's a good person to chime in

My own take is it definitely can be done thou its usually its not ideal. But each situation is unique. Like @Fuzzy mention a good air purifier is a great idea if you're going to do it

 

[faislaq]

Our goffin girls both sleep in their night cages by my side of the bed. They go to bed when we do, though if they're tired they'll tuck up for a doze on hubby's knee or in their day cage, but they'll fuss if we try to let them stay there for the night.

But having them in our room does make it easier to let them out first thing in the morning when they want to wake up with us (or before us ). They're usually happy to get scritches while I finish waking up. As an added bonus, they're better than a real alarm because they have no snooze button.

 

[JLcribber]

You'll need a nice big hepa air filter because it's not good for "you" to breathe in all that cockatoo dust.

 

[HolliDaze]

Our goffin girls both sleep in their night cages by my side of the bed. They go to bed when we do, though if they're tired they'll tuck up for a doze on hubby's knee or in their day cage, but they'll fuss if we try to let them stay there for the night.

But having them in our room does make it easier to let them out first thing in the morning when they want to wake up with us (or before us ). They're usually happy to get scritches while I finish waking up. As an added bonus, they're better than a real alarm because they have no snooze button.

How long have I been staying with you? I saw the cages in your room and had no idea why they were in there!

Dexter has slept in my room for most of his life. I need to cover his cage, but mostly because I have insomnia And watch movies while falling asleep (or am trying to). If he can see me or any light, he will scream until it’s perfect. The bugger will climb to the bottom of the cage, walk to the one, tiny corner facing my bed where he can see me, peek out at me, and scream until I cover it.

He’s in smaller cage now that is much easier to completely cover, so it isn’t much of an issue.

However, he wakes me up every morning. In indiana, he would throw wood blocks to the bottom of the cage and the loud noise wakes him up. In Texas, my dad would get mad at me if I ever slept past 9 so it didn’t happen. Here, he talks (I’m a light sleeper) and in today’s case, he flipped his bowl upside down. Yesterday, he shook his outside the cage perch, waving it back and forth at me.

On his own, he wakes me up at 10 am consistently. It used to Be 2 pm, but that’s clearly changed.

 

[melissasparrots]

I don't see a major problem with it short term. My goffin's lived in my bedroom for over a year. The minor downside is that some goffin's can scream at night. Mine just liked to do the random single note scream in the dark for no apparent reason. Long term, I'd recommend against having a cockatoo in the bedroom just for the sake of your lungs.

 

[Shezbug]

How exciting....can’t wait for pics

My macaw lives in my bedroom but it is a big room with two air purifiers and I vac and damp wipe everything daily in there.
Cockatoos are much dustier and I do have asthma so I would be much more concerned for my health if I had a cockatoo in my room instead of my macaw.
People do it and I’m sure if you keep on top of the dust with air purifiers and daily cleaning it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you.

 

[cassiesdad]

Milton the U2...and Cassie, the LSC, both had and have their sleep cage in our bedroom.

You'll need a nice big hepa air filter because it's not good for "you" to breathe in all that cockatoo dust.

We've got two hepas going in Milton's room at all times...and when we do give the machines "time off" we have the windows open with window fans going to provide good circulation. That doesn't mean it's perfect in Milton's room...the cover which hangs on the light from the ceiling always is a dust gatherer...so we have to get on the ladder to clean it out every month or so.

Milton's sleep schedule is 12 hours up/12 hours covered. And yes, we don't bother coming in the room after he's covered up. Sometimes Milty doesn't want covered up...he pulls the cover off and fusses. We then put it on one more time. If he pulls it off a second time, it stays off for the rest of the night.

Milt doesn't fuss much at night. Once in a great while, you can hear him stretch, poop, and eat pellets....less often, if he hears us, he'll start saying "hello, hello...or hi, hi"...we tell him everything is OK and he settles right down....

 

[Snowghost]

I have Paco in my room and he is dusty. I can't afford a Hepa filter. I did get a rain maker that the salesman says it filters the air with water and it is great. He did put 2 drops of essential oils in it. He assured me it was 100% natural. I have it out in the kitchen 2 rooms away from the bird. I have read that these oils are dangerous to parrots. I have since washed it with soap and water, ran plain water in it for weeks and then water with vinegar. I contacted the company and they told me to wash it with alcohol. Will it be safe to use? I don't want to take that risk.

 

[PikaShell]

All of this is super helpful; thanks so much, everyone! I’m so glad I found this community.

 

[jh81]

I dont let my birds sleep in the bedroom, the bedroom is my private domain
That said... i am now sharing the domain with my Beagle who somehow managed to even sleep on my bed!

The birds sleep in their cage, when i want them to go to sleep i tell them to “get in the cage” to sleep.
The little ones (senegals) i have to cover up with a blanket or they will keep awake, the larger ones are in the kitchen so they will do their thing, then get kn their perch and go to sleep

 

[tka]

I don't think anyone's mentioned this, so I suppose I'll make everything awkward! My advice would be to have a plan for when you want to be, let's put it this way, intimate with your wife. Between the inquisitive, extremely focused staring and the "YAY my flock is making noise, I must also make noise!" noise party, there's no way that I'd want Leia to sleep in our bedroom permanently.

 

[PikaShell]

I don't think anyone's mentioned this, so I suppose I'll make everything awkward! My advice would be to have a plan for when you want to be, let's put it this way, intimate with your wife. Between the inquisitive, extremely focused staring and the "YAY my flock is making noise, I must also make noise!" noise party, there's no way that I'd want Leia to sleep in our bedroom permanently.

You know, I hadn’t even thought of that..... hmmm ok excellent point.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

My birds sleep in a bedroom closet with the door almost all the way closed. They get their quiet darkness, and we still get a mostly private bedroom.

 

[Snowghost]

LOL too funny, I'm single, so I don't have the flock problem.

 

[sunnysmom]

My goffin is a very restless sleeper. It might just be him. He wakes up and screams frequently at night. And if he's not completely covered he wont' sleep. We even got him a white noise machine which seems to help a lot. I don't think there's anyway he would actually "sleep" if he was in the bedroom with us. And I discussed with the people from the rescue having him sleep in the same room as my foster tiel and we actually decided against it because of tiels' tendencies to have night frights. So, I think it probably depends on your goffin. It wouldn't work with mine. Also, you definitely should have an air filter if they're both going to be in the bedroom.

 

[faislaq]

My birds sleep in a bedroom closet with the door almost all the way closed. They get their quiet darkness, and we still get a mostly private bedroom.

I like this idea a lot! I wish we could do this with one of our closets, but the girls' night cages are too big and wec already have a pallet of blankets with a pillow on my closet floor for our dane mix. She hides in there when the birds get loud and she gets scared.

 

[Leih]

My conure sleeps in my bedroom. He has a later bedtime than my other birds, for now plus I've just gotten used to his sleep mumbling!

 

[JLcribber]

I don't think anyone's mentioned this, so I suppose I'll make everything awkward! My advice would be to have a plan for when you want to be, let's put it this way, intimate with your wife. Between the inquisitive, extremely focused staring and the "YAY my flock is making noise, I must also make noise!" noise party, there's no way that I'd want Leia to sleep in our bedroom permanently.

That's when it's time to turn up the Barry White music. For...................... camouflage.