Could use some suggestions please

[MissingMango]

So long story short, my new Bourke pair is VERY skittish. They are not hand tame, and even after having them a few weeks still get scared very easily, especially at night. I have their cage in my bedroom since it is the easiest to keep the cats out of. The dogs come up only at bedtime, and sleep in their beds all night. They never get up, make noise, or move around. The Bourkes have CRAZY night frights to the point that they are injuring themselves. I am a VERY light sleeper and wake up with any noise, and nothing happens before they go nuts. Meanwhile, if something happens that you would THINK would scare them (like my son waking up screaming or the cat knocking something over downstairs) never bothers them.

At first I covered them, but they had 4 night frights the second night here....so I talked to the breeder and she said to NOT cover them, and give them a nightlight. Since then they still have night frights about every other night. I am really scared they will seriously injure themselves. One has a scab between her nostrils from banging her face already. My husband is also getting VERY frustrated with the sleep disturbance, and I am loosing sleep worrying.

The only other place I can put their cage that I can keep the dogs and cats out of would be the finished basement. I am worried though because we have our oil heater in the room next to them and IF we were ever to have an issue with it I am scared of fumes. Do you think they would be ok down there? I could leave a brighter night light on them and have an air filter I could place next to their cage just to be extra safe?

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated. I know it takes time for birds to adjust, but when getting them I was not notified of HOW wild and skittish they were...I hate to say it but if I knew I probably would have passed on them. I am ok with possibly never really being able to handle them, but the poor things seem miserable.

 

[sunnysmom]

I didn't realize Bourkes had night frights too. It's very common for tiels to have them. I cover my tiel's cage but leave one side partially open and I always leave a night light on. Are your birds near a window? Could car lights or anything like that be startling them?

 

[MissingMango]

We live in the woods so no lights at all....we have a pretty long dirt drive to get to out house. We do have two windows and a sliding door along the one wall of our room (leads to a little deck), but I always close the shades at dusk.

 

[MissingMango]

I should also add, during the day they are happy....they are singing like crazy right now. They don't seem too scared other than if you are doing anything with their cage. I can sit in the chair right next to their cage though and read or watch Netflix on my laptop and the male will sing with me right there.

 

[MissingMango]

Well I added a second nightlight and no frights last night. Hoping they continue to sleep ok.

 

[Monica]

You might try playing some background noises so it's not completely quiet.... i.e. the sound of rain, a river, the ocean, a jungle, etc at night so it's not completely silent. It doesn't need to be loud, just loud enough to be heard.

 

[MissingMango]

Thanks!! So far since adding a second nightlight there haven't been any more night frights. Hoping it continues!! If not I have an extra sound machine I can hook up!

 

[Steve Weir]

Hi MissingMango

Maybe you didn't know but Bourkes are a semi nocturnal bird. I bred them for many years and my birds would fly around the aviary on dusk and for about 1/2 an hour after dusk. I had to take them out of my mixed aviary because they we causing the other birds night fright. Late in the day and dusk and as I said a bit after dusk they were most active. It is a natural instinct for them to do this. Maybe get them a bigger cage or even an aviary so they can fly