Advice for Inconsiderate Spouse?

[Buteo]

Please don't take anything I'm about to say as overly critical of you, your husband or your situation, but I think you & hubby have issues you need to work out.

He needs to be able to be himself -especially in his own home...
but he's gotta compromise on some things too.
Watchin TV is Ok, but at least nix the surround-sound and lower the TV's volume.
He could easily be increasing his own troubles without realizing it. How cool will he think it is when the bird starts screeching while he's trying to watch his show? It won't exactly be the bird's fault either. If it hears loud & violent sounds late at night, it could believe that is "normal" and wanting reassurance & communication with it's flock, it decides to join in with it's own voice. Sure the surround-sound would win for loudest competitor, but once they start, birds can be mind numbingly persistent.

If things are kept at lower volume levels, the bird will most likely adapt to your lifestyle. Sleep is very important, but most birds are much more adaptable than we'd like to think.
Each bird is an individual, with some being heavier sleepers than others.

With our birds, Gracie sleeps through things that would make Petey freak out.


The hours my family keeps are unconventional - Judy works afternoons and my health makes sleeping a catch-as-ya-can thing.
Gracie's cage is in the downstairs rec-room and is covered from 2AM to 11AM. I'm usually in the same room with either my computer or a TV on. After her cage is covered, the room lights are turned off and the volume on all devices are lowered, but they may remain on for several hours afterward.
Gracie usually has nap or two during the day, usually coinciding with when the pains force me to crash.

Originally Posted by Sally

I have not been in the jungle, but I bet the animals sleep and do not stay up all night and make noise. When the sun goes down, birds find a place to sleep.

Yes, all creatures must sleep at some point, but don't kid yourself - the jungle is NEVER quiet.
The only time a jungle is silent is when everything in it has fled or is dead.

When the day shift creatures punch out, the nocturnal team takes over.... and surprising as it might be, they can be louder than the day crew!! Add to that the fact that some of the day crew are more opportunistic feeders and don't follow any rigid schedule. Night is the single most dangerous time to be in the wild as most of the big predators pull double duty.
In Africa, Lion, Leopard, Hyena and Crocodile will hunt & kill both during the day and night.
A pride of Lion or pack of Hyena on a kill will try to keep things low key so either of them won't be interrupted by roving bands of the other. The inevitable squabbles between individuals breaks out over some tidbit and they end up making a huge amount of noise anyway.

The big preds aren't the only ones makin a racket either. While it occurs at a much higher frequency level than the bigger animals, the din from nighttime insects alone can run as high on the decibel scale as a busy roadway.

[belinda1978]

i have two blue and gold macaws they are housed in the livingroom and they sleep great alot of nites fall asleep before we go to bed. I dont cover them or lock them in the cage. They are very loveable and not agressive It may be different for the smaller birds i dont know but mine adapted fine. good luck with your lil guy

[birdymomma]

my birds are in my living room and hubby is up half the night watching shows like cops where there are sirens and everything else and my birds are just fine...i do ask he turn the volume down and he shuts off the light so there is a happy medium to be had

[BigBird]

My husband and I work completely different hours and some days barnaby and hector would be lucky if they get 3 hours of dark time. But they have adjusted and are happy little critters. Barnaby has free range of the house 24hours a day, its turned into a flight path down the hallway and forever ducking! But when she gets tired she puts herself to bed. Her cage is in the back of the room, so its not too bright there, but hubby stays up till about 1.30am watching tv and I wake up at 4.15am to take the dogs for a walk. I used to worry about their sleep deprivation but they seem fine. They take little catnaps during the day when they are dozey. But I wouldnt call them suffering birds by any means.

I know what my guy would say if I told him he had to go to bed early so the birds could sleep!! I wouldnt repeat it here thats for sure!

[lidaweg]

On a related topic, I am buying a green cheek conure-what is the conure board?

[kensbuns]

Hey I say get rid of the husband lolololololo!!! Just kidding, the bird will be fine!!!

[shadowsmom]

Lola, our conure, is in the living room. It's our main room in the house...tv, surround, computers, you get the idea. She usually starts her "I want to go to bed' around eight pm. I cover her, we turn the lights down partially, she beak grinds and goes to sleep. We watch tv for a few hours and then go to bed. She's fine. She's by herself during the day too with the exception of lunch time. She's happy to see us when we get home, but she's adapted quite well to the routine. We have our birdy time :) every night. You have to have a happy medium between you and your hubby or it's just going to create a stressful enviroment for the bird and that might end up being worse.

[Sally]

I hope everyone will be turning the tv way down. The birds cannot tell us when they are disturbed. They try to sleep, but like people, they deserve a good nights quiet sleep.

[Buteo]

Originally Posted by Sally

The birds cannot tell us when they are disturbed.

Sorry, I didn't intend to be mean, but I disagree with that so much I had to laugh.
If there's one thing any bird (even the wild ones) are pretty good at, it's voicing to us humans when something is disturbing them.

[Sally]

I know they can tell us in the daytime, but at night they are tired and try to sleep and they will be quiet. Lack of sleep shows up during the day in many ways.