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Question:

June 2, 2020

Sleeping conure


My crimson bellied sleeps on the floor of the cage under newspaper, a way he has slept since a baby. The problem is that he doesn’t know how to tuck. Is there any way I can teach him?


Answer:

Hi Eileen,

I have seen this sleeping behavior in other related conures, lovebirds and occasionally other species. With the conures, it is possibly related to their natural habitat and where they sleep at night in the wild. Most parrots sleep in trees, but there is so much we do not know about wild parrots. The only issue I see with this is potential hormonal problems as he gets older. If he is in fact a male, the concern is not as much as if you had a female who might start laying eggs. With a male, he might get aggressive or territorial if he gets hormonal. If he starts this, then you might need to get a grate for the cage so he can’t access the papers. By tucking, do you mean when they tuck their head into their back? This is a personal preference, so not all birds sleep that way. I don’t know how old he is but he may outgrow his current sleeping style and move to a perch, but this just may be what works best for him.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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