Cockatiel flapping his wings very hard against cage bars. what to do?

[PopsDops]

hello Avian Avenue, missed ya'll.

my cockatiel Winky has developed this habit recently (i mean not recently, he did it before but now its way more frequent) where he would flap his wings like crazy to the point he falls to the bottom of the cage. my 2 other budgies also do that, and i get that its to work their wings a bit, but my cockatiel does it so hard i sometimes worry he'll end up breaking his wings.

usually does it in the middle of the night if that helps.

would love any advice and thank in advance

 

[saroj12]

a night fright. Needs a night light and cage not fully covered. Bug flying, mouse, roach, passing car lights can cause this.

 

[Feather]

Aww, poor thing. Sounds like he's having night frights. Cockatiels are especially susceptible to them. Where is his cage located?

You can try a night light. One that glows blue has always worked best for me, but I've heard others swear by red light.

 

[saroj12]

Mine is an emergency flashlight that’s on 24/7

 

[AmberC]

poor thing must be having a night freight! it is especially common in cockatiels... Try a blue night light and don’t fully cover his cage when he sleeps...

 

[Zara]

While you are figuring out what works to prevent your birds night frights, try padding the cage floor with something a little padded to soften any falls. Packing paper, or a non pilling fleece or bedsheets folded.

 

[sunnysmom]

As said, cockatiels are very prone to night frights. I always have a night light on for mine and depending on the bird, always leave a gap in the cover or only partially cover the cage. Also check to make sure that there aren't any shadows, car lights through windows, etc. that might startle him at night.

 

[elitys]

Baby had night frights a couple of times when he was younger. He broke a blood feather one time and it was pretty scary. We only cover the top half of the tiel's cages at night to prevent night frights. They don't have a light, but there is enough from other sources in the room that the half cover works.

 

[BirdWorld]

Yeah, night frights are horrible. It’s only happened to my budgies twice before and one of the times spring broke a blood feather (secondary feather) and had to go to the emergency vet. I notice with mine it usually happens because of sudden noises that wake them up. Does he seem freaked out or scream?

 

[PopsDops]

thank you all for the answers. i believe they are night frights too as it mainly happens during the night. their cage is in the middle of the house and gets no light except from the streets light. i dont cover all of the cage tho, only the top and a little bit of the front cuz they tend to be talkative during the night which can be problematic at times lol

anyway, i'll be looking into lamps to keep a lil bit of light their way. Thank you all for the great advice

 

[Lady Jane]

When my budgie began to have night frights I used this lamp. It gets hooked to the cage and the bulb was a pretty blue that did not disturb the sleep cycle. It worked like a charm.

https://www.windycityparrot.com/lighting-c-356_346/bird-night-fright-night-light-clamp-light-with-bulb-p-5980.html?zenid=qvhmdso8dvp6jjevp07q8f27o0