Do you recommend a separate sleeping cage?

[Shutterbugmom]

I don't have my gcc yet, but I've been reading, and I think there might be something to the idea of having a separate sleeping cage and a third play area.

Do any of you recommend a sleeping cage? Has it helped with territorial issues?

Thanks. (I've never had a gcc, but I've had other birds and furbabies, so I know how some animals can get very territorial. I'd like to avoid too much of that, if possible.)

[Alan]

I don't use sleeping cages myself. I have a few friends that do and it works for them. I can see where it might cut down on the being territorial since they have more than one place to go.

[Alyx]

Hi Shutterbugmom! I can only hope that your name implies LOTS of pictures!!! I also have a GCC and yes I do recommend a sleeping cage although i'm not sure how it would affect territorial issues. Fortunatley that has not been a problem for us. What I do know is that by providing her a seperate cage for sleeping, she knows it's bedtime when I put her in it. The sleeping cage also doubles as a travel cage for trips to the vet and other places although I prefer to take her out on a harness in the summer.
How long till you new fid arrives? I know how excited I was in the days leading up to my GCC's arrival :D

[Sorechia]

I had a separate sleeping cage for my GCC but am not doing it for my sun. As far as the territorial thing...the GCC was still protective of her cage. =)

[Shutterbugmom]

How big are your sleeping cages and what do you put in them? I think I like this idea, anyway, because my gcc's regular cage is going to be in a part of the house that gets a lot of traffic and activity until very late, sometimes. However, I could put a sleeping cage in a corner of my dining room where it will be quieter.

Thanks!

[Alyx]

I know I'll probably catch flack for this but my GCC's sleeping cage is 12" deep 24" high and 18" across. But the way I see it, the only thing she does in there is sleep. In the cage there is a fleece tent I made hanging from the top, a toy that gets rotated monthly and food and water. We also put a cover over her cage to block out noise and light.

[Sorechia]

Originally Posted by Alyx

I know I'll probably catch flack for this but my GCC's sleeping cage is 12" deep 24" high and 18" across. But the way I see it, the only thing she does in there is sleep. In the cage there is a fleece tent I made hanging from the top, a toy that gets rotated monthly and food and water. We also put a cover over her cage to block out noise and light.

WOW that is a huge cage for sleeping!! Mine was WAY smaller than that.... I don't think you need a big cage for sleeping. I had a small budgie cage for my gcc to sleep in....I had a toy in the cage that she would put her feet on (she slept on her back) and no food and water...I also covered her at night...Was that way for the 7 years she was alive.

[Razzle]

I don't use a separate sleeping cage myself. It seems to be about the same, in my opinion, as the question of whether to give your child a playroom in addition to a bedroom. I've grown up with both situations myself and honestly it didn't make a difference to me. The key thing is lots of out of the cage time. We just cover our conure's cage at night and he goes to sleep eventually. (He's really cute when he sleeps -- he just sort of topples over forward and lays on his beak.)

[Newticus]

The use of a separate sleeping cage is supposed to cut back on negative breeding behaviour. Because parrots only stay in one place all day and all night when they are breeding it can help if you are having problems with raging hormones. When parrots are not breeding they move from their roosting sites in the morning to their various feeding grounds during the day then back to their roost at night. I don't provide a separate sleeping cage for any of my birds, but I would if I ever start having a problem with their breeding times, and prolonged breeding condition. There are lots of other methods to help with problem breeding conditions, such as what you are feeding them and the hours they get to sleep .

Melanie

[Sally]

Chipper has a sleeping cage. It is in a quiet room. !2 hours of quiet sleep. No TV or any sounds to bother her.

I sing and read to her before bed and I play her music box and cover her after that.