I was not aware that I should not utilize a tent or sleeping area for my conure. She does have a separate sleep cage. This works for my situation. I have found that my conure will go to the tent if nervous. She will automatically go to her tent once I put her in her sleep cage.
How do I transition her from it? Do I buy her a different type of bed?
I’m not sure what to do.
Hi,
Go ahead and discard the tent. You don’t need a transition or any type of bed. They do not sleep in a bed in the wild, and they only use a nest for nesting season. A nest is not something to sleep in. She won’t be excited, but you can’t try to go gradual on something like this. Just take it away. Hopefully she has not ingested any of the fibers from the tent. Unfortunately conures, especially the Green Cheeked, are really bad about ingesting the fibers from these bird tents and huts, and sadly most who do will end up dying. Stay away from any of the products sold online or in pet shops that birds can get inside of. These products should never be sold for parrots. A parrot sees something like this as a nest. Since you have a female, it also puts her at a high risk of becoming a chronic egg layer. A sleep cage can also be a problem. A pet bird doesn’t need a sleep cage except in rare situations. Usually if the main cage is in a family room and people stay up really late, watching TV or making a lot of noise. Although most parrots adjust to this type situation and will sleep through everything. Keep in mind they come from a very noisy environment, which is loud day and night. People start treating their pet birds like children, and with social media, this has popularized many habits that aren’t ideal for pet birds, such as beds or sleep cages. If you do use a sleep cage, it should be up off of the ground and the room should not be warm and cozy. A sleep cage can mimic an ideal nesting cavity if you are keeping it in a small, warm room, on the floor or in a cubby with a dark cover. A light cover is fine, and the cage should have a high perch to encourage the bird to roost naturally. Do not set it up to encourage the bird to sleep on the cage floor. I know it’s tempting to baby and indulge your pet bird, but this leads to problem behaviors down the line and is why many parrots end up in adoption centers.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
