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Weird sleep habit?

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1.1K views 18 replies 4 participants last post by  Cody  
#1 ·
Why do my birds sleep hanging from the cage when they each have their own bed? They never use the beds. They sleep on the perches or hanging from the cage like in the picture and Lucky likes to keep his beak wrapped around the cage. I think this is weird. Or is it???



 
#2 ·
Some birds choose to sleep in weird positions and they usually like to roost at the highest point they can get to in the cage. Your cage is much too small for 3 birds and I see a couple of items in it that could end up causing great trouble, one is that hut/tent, you need to remove that, budgies do not need those and it has the potential to do great harm to them if they chew on and ingest the fibers, birds have died from that because the fibers get impacted in the GI tract, it also can stimulate hormonal behavior which can lead to territorial aggression and other problems. The other item is that green item that looks like a bowl, you do not want to have anything in the cage that could be seen as a nesting site, that could also be a stimulus for hormonal issues which can quickly get out of hand.
A cage like this one would be ok for 3 birds Large Flight Bird Cage F050 Prevue Pet Products
You may find that as they mature you will run into some issues with 2 females and one male in a cage together so you may want to plan on what you will do if any aggression should start or the girls begin laying eggs.
 
#3 ·
Repeating what Cody said, a lot of stuff stuck out for me. I immediately saw that the cage is too cramped for the amount of birds you have. Those snuggle huts are also super gross, I had one when I was a new owner and wasn't aware of the dangers. They get riddled in poop and dirt and it's just a chore to clean. They're also very dangerous to your bird's health and can cause them to become hormonal and aggressive (defending their 'nest'). You'll be a lot happier and they'll be a lot safer if you remove it.

There's different schools of thought on this, but I am of the belief that if a budgie is clinging to the side of a cage or hanging upside down from the cage, this is not normal. I feel it is due to discomfort or fear / anxiety. The only time my girls have ever slept like this is when they were scared and trying to move away from a perceived threat.

I'm sure if you get them an adequately sized cage, they'll settle properly for the night. I have a strong suspicion that the reason they're clinging to the sides of the cage is because there's just a lack of space for them to go anywhere. Budgies like their personal space and it's not unusual for them to bicker and argue leading up to bedtime to grab their favoured resting spots. Heck, my two live in mansions and they'll still bicker at night to get the favourite spot.
 
#6 ·
Is there a chance you can get them a bigger cage also? Also do they only eat seeds? I found with my guy when I had a continuous feeder like that and when he was on all seeds, he got fat really quick. :) With you having 3 of them this would be harder, but I had to find a way to regulate the amount of seeds he had each day by watching how much he ate daily and only giving him what he needed.

Sweety did used to also sleep like that, and sometimes he still does. I realized finally that he was mainly doing it because he wanted to be able to see me at night. He is anxious at night and being a lone budgie he only has me so at bedtime he wanted to cling to the front of the cage hoping he could still see me. I finally started just bringing his cage into my bedroom at night where he has full sight of me even though it is darkened (there's always a night light). And now he usually sleeps on a perch instead of clinging to the side. But I hear him at night sometimes moving from the perch to the side and back, but now I think he's just moving around to be more comfy rather than being anxious. Yours all have each other so they probably aren't anxious like Sweety so maybe they just enjoy it OR as you are realizing they don't have enough room.

Welcome, your birdies are super cute!!
 
#13 ·
I have a bird called Chickadoodle. Chickadoodle is the sweetest, most calm and laid back budgie ever when she's in a normal mood. When she becomes hormonal and broody, she changes, a complete Jekyll and Hyde transformation. She will regularly and consistently draw blood, she will bite me so hard and refuse to let go, she becomes entirely fearless and laser focused on one thing and one thing only: defending what she perceives as her territory (my shoulder, inside my shirt, wherever). It is a deeply unpleasant experience.

Once she's in this hormonal state, it strains out bond and makes spending any time with her absolutely dreadful. Instead of letting her perch on her regular spot on my shoulder and peacefully sing, I've got to keep shooing her off because when she's hormonal, she'll attack over and over if I don't shoo her away from me. Then you've got the whole egg laying aspect which just puts them through unnecessary risk of egg binding. It also puts a lot of pressure on her relationship with her female friend, as she'll try and fight her too. It just creates a super uncomfortable environment for everyone except the one being a hormonal jerk.

I've currently got multiple bite marks on my hand, a couple on my ears, one on my neck. They're all deep enough to puncture the skin and draw blood. I've learned my lesson and will do everything in my power to avoid getting her hormonal (this most recent bout of hormones is my fault as I was petting her a week and a half back).
 
#19 ·
You have a lot to learn, babies would not be great as Sweety's mom has indicated, things can very quickly get out of hand. What do you mean you have Xena up for rehoming, are you advertising somewhere? There are other solutions rather than giving up one of the birds, you could house the girls together and the male in a separate cage and give them out of the cage time together.
Please carefully read the info in these links
 
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