Sleep cage

[Lwalker]

I have been putting Miss Cocoa to bed at 8:30 pm using my medium-sized Kings travel cage as a sleep cage. She goes in easy enough. I have the cage covered with a light sheet on three sides. When I get her at 6 AM in the morning she steps right up to come out.

My questions are...
1. Is that big enough for a sleep cage (she can turn around but can't spread her wings) or should I just leave her to sleep in her cage like I do with the GCCs? They go to bed later and are in the living room and never covered.

To tell the truth...they get less than 10-12 hours sleep. More like 8 bit seem fine and nap in the day too.

2. I have read that the 10-12 hours is essential and should be completely dark but I have also read (on this forum in an old thread)that if you are not breeding, it is not as important and birds will sleep when tired. Should I leave Cocoa in her big cage and just dim the lights after a certain time (and turn down the tv)?

 

[Familyof12]

My birds aren't very large but I would like my birds to have at least two wings length for the cage (I'm not as worried as height as I am about width) so they can stretch their wings and legs comfortably inside their cage. I'm curious as to what others say. Mine don't spend a lot of time in their cages, in fact hardly at all, except to go to bed, so we haven't spent too much expense on flight cages. I have been saving for them (we wanted two of them) and we're finally getting them this Sunday although most likely we will only use it for sleep.

I do cover them and they are getting a little more than 12 hours right now to alleviate some hormonal issues happening and to try avoid them from happening at all. Only at sunset, do we put them in their cages and they hop into their little huts or perch and promptly begin their night time ritual. We close the door and there is a background noise of the humidifier going on in the room. By 7:30, they are out. They don't come back out until 8:30 the next morning when we uncover them. They stay quiet until we uncover them but usually they're already awake and happy to greet us good morning and begin fighting over breakfast.

 

[Hankmacaw]

I'm a convicted believer in sleep crates. Jasper has been sleeping in one for at least two years and it has helped her arthritis immensely.

 

[JLcribber]

When a bird sleeps its pretty well motionless. It adjusts its stance every so often but it doesn't go anywhere. No different than sleeping in a bed.

Cockatoos definitely benefit from the 12 hour consistent, dark sleep time. My rule is 10" on each side of the bird and the cage is big enough.

What is vitally important and often overlooked is to choose that sleep "perch" very carefully because they spend a lot of time on it.

 

[Lwalker]

When a bird sleeps its pretty well motionless. It adjusts its stance every so often but it doesn't go anywhere. No different than sleeping in a bed.

Cockatoos definitely benefit from the 12 hour consistent, dark sleep time. My rule is 10" on each side of the bird and the cage is big enough.

What is vitally important and often overlooked is to choose that sleep "perch" very carefully because they spend a lot of time on it.

The dimensions of the sleep cage are

Height: 18 1/8 "
Width: 16 3/8 "
Depth: 18 3/8 "
Inside Height: 15 1/2"
5 mm thick bars
5/8 " bar spacing

The sleep perch is the thick dowel that came with the cage. If I switch that out, what should I look for?

 

[iamwhoiam]

Why are you using a sleep cage for Cocoa? If it were me I would just leave her in her regular cage.

 

[Lwalker]

Why are you using a sleep cage for Cocoa? If it were me I would just leave her in her regular cage.

My house is not very big so in the day the birds are in their big cages in the living room while I am at work. When I get home, I have had to make a new schedule to accommodate everyone. Cocoa gets out from 6 to 7:30 when I go to work. Cricket and Watson never got out in the morming on workdays as they will not go back in when they first get up - they are too full of beans.
When I get home Cocoa gets three more hours out and then goes to bed in the sleep cage in the back room. The boys then get two or three hours out. Cricket is the only flighted one. Watson has wings but for some reason doesn't fly. Cocoa is clipped ( came that way). As long as Cricket can fly they can't be out together and if he is out and Cocoa is still in her big cage, he flies over and lands on her cage, climbs around etc. I am worried he may get hurt because he has more ego than sense.

Cocoa actually doesn't seem to bother and she is not exactly fast...she sort of lumbers. So I don't think she could actually bite Cricket but I am afraid to find out.

BTW, so far she has beem the most mellow arm potato of a bird I have ever seen and has not even attempted a bite of anyone.

If I clipped Cricket all would be fine but I do not want to do that. Once Cocoa gets her flight feathers, I dont know how she will be but certainly they can't interact then.

Sorry for the long story. If I left her in the living room maybe Cricket would get bored and stop climbing all over it (?) I am supervising at all times but Cricket is such a little rocket - he is fast!

 

[JLcribber]

The dimensions of the sleep cage are

Height: 18 1/8 "
Width: 16 3/8 "
Depth: 18 3/8 "
Inside Height: 15 1/2"
5 mm thick bars
5/8 " bar spacing

The sleep perch is the thick dowel that came with the cage. If I switch that out, what should I look for?

"Dowels" should never be used for perches. Especially in the place they sleep. They are symmetrically round which is bad for birds feet. It causes bumblefoot because the bird is always standing on the same pressure points.

Perches need to be natural branch shaped that varies in thickness and shape so the bird has the choice as to what is comfortable. Slight adjustments allow for different footing.

Get rid of all the Dowels.

 

[Lwalker]

"Dowels" should never be used for perches. Especially in the place they sleep. They are symmetrically round which is bad for birds feet. It causes bumblefoot because the bird is always standing on the same pressure points.

Perches need to be natural branch shaped that varies in thickness and shape so the bird has the choice as to what is comfortable. Slight adjustments allow for different footing.

Get rid of all the Dowels.

You know...I know that for big cages...I have even told other people that...why the heck did it not register for me for sleep cages??!
Duh. Too many thoughts can block proper thinking.

Thanks John!