Covering a Budgie Cage at Bedtime - Mystery Solved!

[Danger]

When I bought that useless budgie for W's birthday (she really wanted one), I just automatically started putting a towel over her cage at bed-time (the bird, not W). That's because everyone that I've ever known who had a bird did that.
Why do we do that? I know that the thing has a brain the size of a gerbil's testicle, but can't it tell when it's night?

 

[binzing]

I think its for warmth. And to keep the bird from freakin out if like say a cat walks by.

 

[hypatia]

I think it sends a message to the bird, that its safe. I had love birds for a very long time, they did need a blanket.

 

[Danger]

Okay, those both make sense. Thanks.

 

[Moonbear]

Birds are sensitive to room lighting enough to confuse them if you keep the lights on a lot or on and off (they'll keep thinking it's sunrise every time you turn on a light again), so a blanket helps with that, and it also keeps away drafts when they're sleeping.

 

[Nexus555]

I have a pet cockatiel (which I love to death!) When I first got the bird, I wondered why as well. But as the others have said, it helps with a few things. It provides them with a warm, safe, and dark sleeping environment.

Most birds need at least 12 hours of sleep, and humans only sleep for 6-8. So with a sheet over the cage, it provides more comfort and darkness for their remaining hours of sleep. Also, birds love routines, and get stuck by them. This helps build a good solid routine for them, and they will go to sleep faster with a blanket/sheet. (If you throw the sheet over the cage, after a while the bird will get on his/her favorite perch and begin sleeping quickly.)

Also for younger birds, drafts such as fans or air vents are dangerous to their health. If your bird is in your bedroom (like mine is,) and you like to keep the fan blowing on full blast (like I do,) then a sheet will help keep the bird warm and away from a constant draft.

 

[Danger]

Well, this thing was kind of psycho when we bought her. (Of course, W had to choose the only female in the flock .) Now, though, I suppose that her habitat isn't helping. We don't keep particularly stable hours, and I frequently have to turn the lights on and off. Also, the computer monitor (which never goes to sleep) is just beside and beneath the cage. The cage is itself is hung from the ceiling in a corner of the kitchen, so the blanket covers only the front and one side. (And yes, I know that you're not supposed to put birds in the kitchen, but we really don't have a choice. It's the only place in the apartment where the cat can't get to her. And believe me, Lucy can open human doors, so the cage wouldn't present a problem to her.)

 

[Far Star]

We don't keep particularly stable hours, and I frequently have to turn the lights on and off. Also, the computer monitor (which never goes to sleep) is just beside and beneath the cage. >>

If you don't need a lot of light when you're going in and out you could try a night light or two.

If you have a noisy light switch the sound of the click can be almost as annoying as the light. They usually get used to normal sounds during the night but some noises can be more jarring than others.