Sleeper Cage problems

[Sai_ch92]

My CAG is a plucker, and it doesn't help that he's been very hormonal lately--regurgitated on my sister a couple of times. We're currently working on trying to fix his sleep schedule and diet (he is a VERY picky eater). I recently got a travel carrier to be his sleeper cage, however, he really hated it when we put him in it. The morning after his first night in it, he was very mad at everyone. Even tried to bite my sister, to whom never does. He was barely eating and was growling and hissing at us. Eventually, he got back to normal later in day. The next day, I put the cage near his play area and put some of his favorite fruits and treats in it to get him to associate postive things with the cage, however he bwaked like the exotic dinosaur chicken he is and bolted. How do I get him to not be scared of his sleeper cage?

 

[sunnysmom]

Why do you want to use a sleeper cage?

 

[Yoshi&Raphi]

Bump

 

[Sai_ch92]

Why do you want to use a sleeper cage?

I've read that having a sleeper cage is best for giving your bird 10-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep if their regular cage is in a high activity area. Our home is very open-concept, so you can see all the activity going on from almost any corner. I had got the smaller cage in hopes of it fitting in this mostly vacant large closet that we have so he can have the 10-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep in a dark area. When I first got him, I used a cage cover, but then we discovered he made a bunch of holes by picking at it, which is hazardous to his health (also I've heard that cage covers encourage hormonal behavior). I believe birdtricks recently made a video about sleep cycles and having a seperate cage for their bedtime;

 

[sunnysmom]

If the sleep cage is stressing him out, I would maybe look for another alternative. Can the cage he is in be moved at all? I actually do that with my cockatoo. He's in the living room during the day and I wheel his cage into another room at bedtime. And my cockatoo will also chew holes through his cover. As long as he's not ingesting the fibers, it's not really an issue, except for having to replace covers. Some birds sleep well covered and others don't. I don't think it contributes to hormones, personally. That said I also use a sleep cage for my one cockatiel. He prefers sleeping in the smaller cage as he was unfortunately kept in a small cage before I adopted him.

 

[Sai_ch92]

If the sleep cage is stressing him out, I would maybe look for another alternative. Can the cage he is in be moved at all? I actually do that with my cockatoo. He's in the living room during the day and I wheel his cage into another room at bedtime. And my cockatoo will also chew holes through his cover. As long as he's not ingesting the fibers, it's not really an issue, except for having to replace covers. Some birds sleep well covered and others don't. I don't think it contributes to hormones, personally. That said I also use a sleep cage for my one cockatiel. He prefers sleeping in the smaller cage as he was unfortunately kept in a small cage before I adopted him.

The only space available on the ground floor where he has some form of isolation (basically a wall partially blocking his view) is the area he is in now, but he can see parts of the kitchen, bathroom, living room and hallway from it. We have a room upstairs that currently serves as our "pandemic" office space, but it would be extremely difficult to carry his big ol' cage upstairs everyday and bring it down too. That was the room I wanted to put his travel cage in--there isnt even a window in there so it's complete darkness. The only other room where he can have peace and quite is my room, so I guess that would mean I would have to sleep on the couch (my plan b). His sleeping arrangment wouldn't be so worrisome if the other family members would stop their midnight trips to the kitchen, because when anyone comes down no matter how quite and stealthy they think they are, you hear a loud "ARE YOU COLD?" or "SHOWER".
Btw regarding the cage cover, how can you tell if they are ingesting the fibers?

 

[sunnysmom]

The only space available on the ground floor where he has some form of isolation (basically a wall partially blocking his view) is the area he is in now, but he can see parts of the kitchen, bathroom, living room and hallway from it. We have a room upstairs that currently serves as our "pandemic" office space, but it would be extremely difficult to carry his big ol' cage upstairs everyday and bring it down too. That was the room I wanted to put his travel cage in--there isnt even a window in there so it's complete darkness. The only other room where he can have peace and quite is my room, so I guess that would mean I would have to sleep on the couch (my plan b). His sleeping arrangment wouldn't be so worrisome if the other family members would stop their midnight trips to the kitchen, because when anyone comes down no matter how quite and stealthy they think they are, you hear a loud "ARE YOU COLD?" or "SHOWER".
Btw regarding the cage cover, how can you tell if they are ingesting the fibers?

You could also try a white noise machine. I also do that with my cockatoo. It blocks out some of the noises of people coming downstairs. Typically, birds don't ingest the fibers. They just chew. I guess the only way to tell is to watch them. Could you get a heavier cover that he can't chew through if you think he might be?

 

[Fergus Mom]

I would definitely opt for a heavier cage cover. It doesn't sound like he likes that sleeping cage at all.

 

[sunnysmom]

You could also try a white noise machine. I also do that with my cockatoo. It blocks out some of the noises of people coming downstairs. Typically, birds don't ingest the fibers. They just chew. I guess the only way to tell is to watch them. Could you get a heavier cover that he can't chew through if you think he might be?

It is better to err on the side of caution though if there's a chance he's ingesting them and use a different type of cover.

 

[Sai_ch92]

It is better to err on the side of caution though if there's a chance he's ingesting them and use a different type of cover.

Thank you for all the help! Yeah I think I'll try just that