Why is my cockatiel not sleeping at night despite a cage cover?

Hi there and thanks for your post! Parakeets are creatures of habit and when you switch out their environment, it can be a bit of a mid life crisis for them! If you have mirrors in the cage right now, that actually encourage reproduction / courtship towards his reflection which can keep him up at night. I would remove any and all mirrors from the cage for now until he is used to the new cage. I would also get a new toy that is unique to this new cage you got. It will take some time but I think this will help. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions / concerns you may have.

Try to make sure Peet's cage is ina quiet draft free area. If you don't already I recommend covering his cage at night. Make sure no other animals such as dogs or cats have access to the cage or around it as they could easily cause him to startle. Most birds will sleep soundly if the cage is covered and in a dark room. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

As long as your bird gets between 8 and 12 hours of sleep, he should do fine. That sleep doesn't have to be in one stretch, but when you wake him up to play or handle him, don't just stick your hand in the cage, like people, they need time to wake up and become alert, so give him about 30 minutes before handling him. Letting him sleep someplace that is absolutely dark and quiet is ideal, and cover his cage too, even if his sleeping area is dark to minimize distractions and disturbance. Once you're done playing and interacting, he should have no trouble going back to sleep.

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sepeda is beautiful! A cockatiel sleeping with feathers fluffed can either be normal behavior or sign of illness. Nighttime is when a cockatiel gets the majority of their sleep. At night, a cockatiel’s body temperature is lower, so they may do several things to conserve body heat. * stand on one leg, tucking the other up under the abdomen * tuck the head under her wing * fluff up the feathers to trap warm air next to the body It is recommended that you keep at least three sides of the cage covered at all times to help keep temperatures constant in the cage. If she seems unusually sleepy during the day then she may be getting sick. She should be active in daylight doing all of her normal activities (feeding, preening, exploring, exercising, singing, etc). If she is sleeping more than the occasional nap, especially if she is fluffed up, she might not be feeling well. Sick birds often huddle at the bottom of the cage, fluffed up and looking sleepy. They can quickly become too weak to stand on a perch or eat. A cockatiel behaving this way needs evaluation as quickly as possible by an avian veterinarian. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for reaching out about Keke. He might have become frightened when you reacted to his biting your ear. It might take some time for him to returned to a stress-reduced state and for you to win his trust again. If the behavior continues, a veterinary visit is recommended to assess health. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Pablo. Sleeping on the bottom of the cage is a general sign of weakness or illness. Remove perches and provide a soft towel on which to lie. Provide heat support in the 80-85 F range for aid. A veterinary visit to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan is recommended. Offer food and water via a syringe for some nutrition and fluid. Good luck.

Baby birds can sleep a lot, however if you are concerned, you're not sure about her eating and drinking habits, or she is showing other signs of illness such as not being interested in activity, not gaining weight/growing at a normal pace, etc, then scheduling a vet visit would be best to rule out any health issues. It would be hard to say if anything is wrong without an examination in person.