Should I cover my bird at night?

[melly202769]

Hi Just a question, should I cover my bird at night?
He is an Indian ringneck.

He is in our lounge.

And can anyone tell me when he may start talking?
He is 9 months old.
He barks and howls like our little dog and does the woof whistle but no words yet, he does mumble away to himself alot lately..

Thanks..

[Tobysmom]

it depends on the person i cover toby as he is in my bedroom with me and if im on the comp he would stay up all night with me if i let him
others dont its really a preference thing

[phonelady61]

I cover both my quaker and my finches at night or they would keep me up all night . yes most definately cover him and make sure there are no loose threads on what you use to cover because you dont want them getting theirselves hung in a loose thread over night . good luck and be carefull .

[Ashling]

Yeah depends on your situation. Birds need 12 hours sleep, and while some may fall asleep with as soon as there's a cover on- other don't even go to sleep and just sit there until the lights go off anyway. Some birds like to see what's going on, and rise with the sun. For some birds it is a security issue, they feel more secure with a cover on at night. I don't cover any of my birds, unless they aren't going to sleep and are being noisy. Just see what your bird likes, and what seems to work for him. You don't NEED to do it, but it won't hurt either.

[Mom's Animal Preserve]

All of our birds are in our living room, so we cover them all at night, including our IRN. This is a great way to get them their 12 - 14 hours of privacy at night - even if they don't sleep the entire time. They are all quiet once the covers go on even if we are still in the living room watching TV. We do keep the lights out once they have been covered, and they aren't phased at all if the TV is still on or we are talking. They just take the covering as a cue that it's nite-nite time.

[melly202769]

Thanks, He never makes a noise once the lights are off he is good like that.
Just That I have such a huge cage for him I would just have to find something huge to cover him up with.
I bought my baby a new toy today he loves it..

Thanks everyone...

[shosh]

It should also be mentioned that the cover/towel at night allows them a bit of extra warmth when the temperature goes down either due to lowering the A/C or just the general outside atmosphere.
In the summer,I've got the ceiling fan on full blast in the bedroom and the A/C is at a lower temperature than during the day so it really is necessary to cover the birds so they don't get a cooler draft....and, of course, in the winter, the temperature is also colder so a blanket/towel over their cage makes them cozier and warmer....once again, especially at night, when we lower the temperature to make it easier to sleep comfortably ourselves.
(just an extra thought besides the light/chirping issue.....)

[LoveMyBeak]

We cover all of our fids, it means 'night night' time to them and regardless of what goes on for the rest of the night outside of their cages they will be quiet and go to sleep........LMB

[Aces Wild]

I don't cover Ace and he is fine at night. He goes to bed on his own, even if the TV is on (he is in the living room). He is also asleep in the morning when we get up, so I think he is okay.

If I ever noticed he wasn't getting enough sleep, I would def. cover him, but it doesn't bother him... as of yet atleast.

[loyallyroyal]

My ekkie Dewey wont sleep with a cover on, the cover doesnt hit all the way to the bottom of the cage and their is about 4 inches left at the bottom and he will sleep on the bottom of the cage with the cover on, when I take it off he sleeps on his rope perch