How many of you move your fids to a separate cage for sleeping? What is your reasoning behind using one, or not using one?

I don't use one for Ollie, mainly because I had never even heard of such a thing when I first got her. She is used to being covered (in her regular cage), which works just like a sleep cage. Once the cover goes on she immediately settles onto her perch and begins grinding her beak. She doesn't move until I uncover her (at least not that I hear). She apparently gets plenty of quality sleep because she never naps during the day.

Pita has a sleep cage upstairs in my bedroom. His big cage is downstairs in the living room, and I decided to get a sleep cage, because I wasn't comfortable having him that far away from me...lol Also his cage is in front of a window, and there is a heat register right underneath. So I put him to bed between 9 & 10, and he knows when I put him in it it's bedtime. He crawls right up to his corner between the Happy Hut & cage, and doesn't make a sound till morning. That way I can do other things downstairs, watch TV, clean up...or come up here to the office and play on the PC without disturbing him. I could tell a difference from the first week he had it. I just think he's getting a longer deeper sleep.


here he is doing his morning lounge...lol

I buy into the theory of birds leaving the roost (sleep cage) for the day.

Back when I first got Kady, I ordered one of Wayne's Bottlebrush gyms for him. Anyone that's ever dealt with Wayne knows that any purchase comes with a phone consultation. Well when one talker meets another talker over the phone, you get a VERY long conversation. We were on the phone for hours! I was taking notes and loving every minute of the conversation.

So to basically sum up his advice which I adopted is; It is unnatural for a bird to spend the day where they roost. In the wild the only time they would do this, is when they're nesting. A bird will defend their nest and it's stressful to do this day in and day out. So whether it be a play gym, aviary or play cage they should be somewhere other than where they roost for the day.

So mine leave the roost in the morning and don't go back until it's bedtime.

Oh goodness - with all my fids, I'd have to move out onto the roof! LOL

My fids are all out on their stands at night. They stay out all night and go in their cages when I go to work.

Mine seem to do fine with their regular cages, and I'd never have room for separate sleep cages. I do cover them at night though.

We choose to use any space we have for rings and play gyms rather than an extra sleeping cages. My goal in life is to get a huge house and have all of that!

I use a sleeper cage for Winkie because he's out in our kitchen/dining room/computer area all day & the rest of the family uses that area long after dark. Plus, his original cage was much too small for him to be in all day, now, he sleeps in it.

So glad you posted this question because I was just considering getting a sleep cage for Tuki! I fear my schedule is hard on him and I would like him to get better uninterrupted sleep.

I am the same way. It would take up way too much room and they seem to be fine in the regular cages at night, I don't ever hear a peep from them (though I do hear the occasional crunching, lol).

Harley has a sleeper cage. It has really worked wonders with her personality when she's gotten a good night's rest. Echo is fine with a cover over his normal cage, but I think a sleep cage is a must for Harley.