New senegal owner! And a question.

[ransom]

Hi, everyone. I just brought home my new sennie--Buechner (pronounced "beekner") yesterday. He's 3 mos old and a real sweetie.

My question is whether I should cover his cage at night. The breeder said she never covered his cage, so she didn't think it was necessary. But I always covered my parakeet's cage when I had one. Is it necessary? He sleeps in a quiet, closed bedroom by himself.

[shibatimes3]

You may want to cover three sides of the cage for the first few days for him to feel safer in his new environment... we have done this for all our new additions and it seems to make them feel more comfortable as they are not in the wide open. Otherwise, we have never covered the cages at night. Hope this helps!

[Pepper's Pa]

Congratulations on bringing Buechner into your life. I’ve had my Sennie, Pepper, since he was three-months old and he’s just over three-years old now. Enjoy every day with your new fid (feathered kid) . . . I know I have.
A cover serves three purposes. First, it provides a dark and quiet environment so that your bird has the opportunity to get a solid 9-12 hours of sleep each night. Second, it provides security, as in a hiding place. Third, it helps maintain a constant temperature and stops any drafts that may be in the room.
If your Sennie is located in a dark and quiet room; doesn’t need the extra comfort and security of hiding; and is in a room with a steady temperature and no drafts, you probably don’t need to cover his cage at night.
I cover the top half of Pepper’s cage over four sides and three corners. In this way he has one corner where he can perch and look out if he wants. For his first year and one-half he spent his nights in a dark sheltered corner. Since then he’s almost always in the open corner. There’s also a night-light on near Pepper’s cage every night.
Good luck in making the decision that works best for Buechner.

[donnakris]

I cover my birds cages because they seem to like it better that way. The cover only comes down about 1/2 way but my Senegal will stay up and fuss until I cover his cage.

[ransom]

Thanks everyone! Helpful.