My lorikeet chooses his own bath time - I can put a dish in his cage and he will ignore it and then bathe later - usually in his water dish. While he is bathing he makes such a racket talking and whistling — I think he must really enjoy it. When I cover my bird in the evening he sits in his cage and says “Nite Nite” several times before settling down. If, before I cover him , I turn the telly off he will say “Nite Nite” then as well.

Thank you very much for that information!! I’m knew at bird training my Cockatiel’s and I have a whole lot to learn!! Thanks again Wallace K Kreisle!! Kentucky

I have three wonderful greys one my oldest 7 is quiet but is always the first to greet visitors, my baby who is loud, very active and only has eyes for my even still loves cuddles though she’s nearly 2 and then my big boy who is 4 we are off again to the specialist with him as for another year he’s plucked maybe one day we’ll get an answer to this one as neither of the others do it…we think it may be hormones (only does it 2 times a year near breeding time even though he isn’t old enough he still has the hormones)….but the first specialist told us it was separation anxiety as I’d gone back to work part time…I’m now home fulltime again with them…complex issue feather plucking it is… Showering – well they aren’t too keen and sulk afterward, misting it throws the baby into a blind panic but the other two just sit there looking resigned to it I always feed my birds their fruit and veg first thing, but the always have their tidymix avaiable at all times and in the evening they have a treat like popcorn with palmnut oil, pasta, rice & veg or rare treat is braised chicken wings… We have a parrot room where they all sleep in theit own cages and all are covered…but we are thinking of just getting blackout curtains for the windows as our big boy has started to react badly to covering. They get a minimum of 10 hours and none make sundown calls…if they are tired the just settle on either myself or hubby and snooze where they’s be happy to stay and they hate going to bed…just like a typical child lol

i know when my eclectus female gets tired as she yawns!! yes and lifts one of her feet off the perch. she likes a cuddle before bed and it is usually about 9.30pm. i know that is late but it works for her. she is never cranky. i cover her cage as she is in the main living area and i do hear her talking after she is in bed. she is usually awake about 6am but i dont uncover her until about 7.30am. she likes to get on the bottom of the shower and play with her favourite ball. she runs under the water and spreads her wings. such a perfect bird….

What is the best way to bath your bird. I spray my African Grey with luke warm water out of a spray bottle. Is that sufficient?

YOUR INFORMATION IS ALWAYS SO HELPFUL, I DO HAVE A PROBLEM THOUGH, MY AFRICAN GREY IS ALMOST THREE YEARS OLD AND HE DON’T TALK, LAST YEAR SOMETIME HE WAS SAYING WHAT ARE YOU DOING BUT HE STOPPED I DON’T KNOW WHY NOW NOTHING? cAN YOU HELP?? THANKS DARLENE

Question: Strange as it may be, my Amazon doesn’t like showers. Suggestions? Comments: I like the idea of removing the food dish overnight. My cockatiel would sometimes sleep in his teeny teeny bucket; so, I put his bucket low, perches high (not over bucket) because he’ll sleep at the highest point. Never occurred to me to remove dish at night and feed healthy stuff in the morning. Thanks for that! I cover cages. If I just cover part of my cockatiel’s cage, he’ll sleep under which part is covered. It seems to make him feel safe and secure; so, I cover the cage. My Amazon has something akin to a toddler’s meltdown at the end of the day. He settles down when I cover the cage. Sleeping arrangements. My cockatiel sleeps through anything. With my Amazon, if I’m up, he’s up. That indicates to me two things: (1) he needs separate sleeping quarters, and (2) it wouldn’t hurt me if I got a bit of sleep too!

hi, my parrot is three months and three weeks now, how will i know if my is male or female, is African parrot, with grey and red. pls help. thanks.

My Cockatoo want a little cuddle before she goes to bed and she will come and sit in my neck before bed time for her last cuddle. They are such loving birds, with the best personalities ever.

In order to “bath” my sun conure, I have to use a spray gun, is there a way I can get him used to using the basin of climbing into a small tub? He appears to hate me for using a spray guy, he is only 6 months old, therefore would hate him to hate me for this way of keeping him clean.

The funniest story—our breeder told us (newlyweds) that she sold a parrot to a newly married couple who lived in an appt. They kept him in the bedroom. They had to move to a new appt that didn’t allow birds. They gave him to the groom’s parents. Daddy called the breeder up and said “Listen to this” and the parrot gave a rendition of the newlyweds in the throws of passion. Apparently the bride was very vocal!

My eclectus wakes up everyday at around 8:30, and if I don’t feed her by 9:00, she screams!

What are “sundown calls”?

Donna, you must get rid of the mice. They won’t just stay at the bottom, they will climb all over the cage and get into the food. They carry disease and they are incontinent, which means they wee constantly and will affect your birds health.

My cockatiel announces"ready to go to sleep" as soon as daylight begins to fade, so I cover him immediately and he sleeps (is quiet, anyway) till after 7 AM, so I presume he is getting enough sleep. Also, to alleviate night frights, I have an automatic switch near his area, so the light goes on (dimly) at the sound of his thrashing. I never hear him during the night, so the only way I know something has gone on is maybe feathers in the bottom of the cage.

I’m working on making a new cover for my cockatoo’s cage. We have a really small house and have decided that is the best way to put her to sleep. I have her in our bedroom, which is probably the quietest place while the rest of us are up. They need dark and quiet but I’m afraid the noise will keep her up. Will she get the needed sleep to help with the Breeding thing? There just isn’t a place or room in our house that is both quiet and dark. Any more suggestions? thanks

@Ish The problem might be that your cage cover is not giving your bird a complete darkness (not a single light quantum!) My Cockie was getting distressed too until we’ve found out the reason for that – the light (due to the fabric structure or gaps in the cover) – try to block it and you’ll see results.

I bathe my Blue & Gold in the afternoon, allowing plenty of time for him to sit on top of his cage and dry/preen. Once he’s dry, he either stays out and plays in his rubbermaid tub (his favorite hiding place) or he gets put back in his cage. As for night time, he is in a room by himself, and once the lights in the house are turned off, he says “good night” and quickly settles down and tucks his beak under a wing and falls asleep. No “sundown calls” from my bird. If I was to cover the cage, he’d just pull the cover inside with him and shred it! He’s very quiet in the morning too, until he sees us walk past the doorway to his room, when I might get a “hi” or a “good morning!” from him. Generally, the first thing I hear from him is a “good-bye” a few times as he hears us putting on our shoes to leave for the day, and a “you be good” as we close the door.

my Too sleeps with me in bed, (i know there are a lot of disadvantages to that) i put her in her tree but she flies to me when she sees me going to bed. do i have to get a separate cage for her in my room so i can cover her there? she gets kinda stressed out when her cage is covered

i have a african grey parrott that loves attention and eats mainly fatty food ie crips cheese bread (only with butter) when first got him (3years ago) we had his winge cliped even thought his feathers have grown back he rarely flys and mainly walks is normal ? the other problem is he throws his food away and eats his food between 2-4 times a day is this alright ? finaly we cant train him to only poo on his cage how would we go about training him?

Hi Guys, I have a real problem that needs addressing before my wife and the neighbours kill me or my birds. I have a breeding pair of Sun Conures that live in an aviary with Budgies and a pair of Cockatiels. The Conures never shut up. They screach from 6 am to Dusk. I cover the aviary in the afternoon to minimise the disturbance on the neighbours and that seems to help a little, but no such luck in the morning. We have a lot of native Australian parrots in our neighbourhood that are active in the morning (Lorikeets, Cockatoos, Rozellas etc) all of which come and go with minimal disturbace as they dont hang around for long. But the Conures will screacth non stop. If I can get this resolved I will be forced to sell the Conures. I have tried to give them treats/ fruit throughout the day to in small doses just to get them to eat and give us all a break if for only a few minutes. I also give them small branches and bath bowl and sometimes the hose , again just to get their mind off screaching. PLEASE give me the answer, or these birds will have to go. Thanks Glen NSW Australia

Hi Ish, If your bird gets stressed out, don’t cover her. A nice dark room will work just as well. It’s really best that your bird not sleep with you. Aside from the possibility of you rolling over and injuring or killing your bird, we shouldn’t let our birds sleep with us for the same reason our children should have their owns beds. It poses a potential attachment issue that can become a problem when you are in a situation where you cannot share your bed with your parrot. I would try to get her to go into a sleeper cage in another room. Patty