Ask Lafeber

Lovey not sleeping

I live in an apartment where the only room separate from the rest of the space is my bedroom. I keep my lovebird’s cage in the open area. This means that although I cover her cage at night with a blackout cover, she is still in proximity of noise from the kitchen and tv area. I would put her in my bedroom at night, but I keep it quite cold (18 degrees Celsius) so that I myself am able I sleep. Is it better for me to keep her in a warmer but noisier area at night, or in a colder, quiet room? I hear her making noises at night so I know she isn’t sleeping 🙁

Hi,

I wouldn’t worry about her getting enough sleep. As one of our behaviorists recently pointed out, their natural environment is not a quiet place, ever. There are all sorts of noises at night from different nocturnal animals, plus all of the insect sounds. It’s OK to hear her moving around or making sounds at night. She will also nap some during the day. Birds will get the sleep that they need, regardless of what the owner does. A light cage cover is actually better than a blackout cover. They can’t see in complete darkness   so if she gets startled and falls, she may not be able to get back to her perch. Again, in her natural environment, there would be light from stars and the moon.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda