Who covers there Eclectus at night? Is this something everyone does, a few people or something that is recommended in books but no one actually does? I don't cover my ringnecks at night because they spend more time shouting at me to take the cover off then actually sleeping. Also on the subject of sleeping, what time do you put your babes to bed? Sundown, 6:30 pm etc? How many hours sleep do they get before they are up again?

Also while I remember, is harness training very hard to do? Can someone reccomend a particualr brand. I have heard feather teather is crapy, so......

My birds choose to go to bed in boxes at sunset. I have feather tether type harness and all I can say is very difficult to put on and loss of fingers can result.
I also have another harness a bit different to feather tether which has quick release plastic clips, this harness is easier to put on put the quick release clips are in no ways bird proof.

I recommend the Aviator Harness. You get a video with it that shows you how to put it on and how to train the bird for easier acceptance of the harness.

The Parrot University

I cover Sophie at night. I cover all of them actually. As it is something I do regularly they even seem to look forward to it. Zoey likes to climb the side of the cage and dig her claws in the fabric to sleep. In her own little way Sophie even tries to help me put the cover on.

I just wanted to jump in and say that I also highly recommend the Aviator Harness.

I cover my 3 every night. Although Bailey puts himself to bed at 7 or 8pm, he goes into his little tee-pee and tucks his head in - he's done. Olivia needs to be covered cause if we pass her cage she thinks we're coming to take her out every time and gets all excited. Merlin will fall asleep if we're watching TV quietly but I still like him to be covered too.
They're all in the living room.

I follow a strict natural daylight schedule including dusk and dawn. That part is very important. They need the slowness of the dawn and dusk. Light regulates a sensor in the brain telling them everything. When to sleep, wake up , eat, time of year, molting etc. So in the dead of winter they are getting 10 hour days and middle of summer getting about 14 hour days.

If people follow a strict natural daylight schedule ( and feed correctly, lowering the protein , variety, and vitamin e over the winter) you wont have egg laying, wierd molting and hormonal behaviors during the "wrong season".

It's a problem for alot of working people and they would need to fake it with dimmers in a small lamp on the floor - to replicate the angle of the sun - over about 15-30 minutes or so and use black out drapes.

During daylight savings last fall I got lazy and dimmed my tall floor lamp and they were all flying UP to the curtain rod to roost. LOL. I realized it and went back to my lamp on the floor deal and they went back to normal....flying in the cage to sleep.

Exception to this rule is my Parrotlets who require 12 hours sleep. I have to use black out drapes all summer. I tried extending it this month to follow natural daylight and they were nuts. So back to the 12 hours. But Parrotlets are the only exception that I know of. I think its their extremely high metabolism. In fact if I'm running late or let them go on their own, they roost all by themselves early. By 6:15 without fail.

I wish everyone would realize how REALLY important a good dark nights sleep is without tv, talking, music, human noise and LIGHTS FLASHING especially. IMO and IME. I dont cover cages but IF I HAD TO, I'd use the coozy cage deal with the flap and face the cage to the window so they'd sleep and wake up to natural light.

When I first got my Parrotlet hen I had a happy hut which she loved and before I realized how much sleep she needed she'd go in there and stick her head straight up in the "roof part" so her eyes weren't visable and try and sleep really early like about 5:45 - 6 pm in April. She was a baby then. Eventually I removed it when she got a mate.

Hi, KateyKat,

We have 1 SIE, Poco, 2 'tiels, Twinkle and JimJim, and a Ring Neck Love Dove, Mack. Poco is the only FID that gets covered. She sleeps in her carrier, which works great for her. She gets about 10 to 12 hours of shut-eye, from 9 P.M. to 8 or 9 A.M.

Ralph
Supplies For Feathers

I don't cover any of my birds. I also highly recommend the Aviator Harness. The Feather Tether is difficut to put on.