I'm baffled

[tweetiepiesmom]

I have started moving Tweetie Pie's cage next to my easy chair in the evening, against an interior wall. During the day he sits in front of a big window. At night he had been bothered by wild animals (and cats) outside that window even with the shutters closed. Since moving him, he'll make a few soft tweets later in the night (about 8pm) before jumping to his highest perch for the night. I have been covering his cage, leaving the front open until I leave the living room for the night. I leave one corner open and a night light on for him. Two nights ago when I covered him, he softly tweeted, jumped to one top corner of his cage, looked up at the cover then jumped to the other top corner and looked at the cover and then jumped down to his top perch and tweeted softly. I thought maybe he didn't want to be covered because he can't see the TV. He can see me sitting in my chair beside him. Last night I didn't cover him when I normally do. About half an hour before I was going to leave the living room, I covered him and left the front open as usual until I was going to turn the lights out. He tweeted softly while jumping from the top perch near the back of his cage to the second perch near the front and the he jumped to the back top corner of his cage hanging on the bars all night. I left the front corner of his cage uncovered as usual and the night light on. This morning he was still hanging on the bars of his cage and jumped down after I had been sitting in my chair about 30 minutes. During all of this I talk softly to him. What does all of this mean? He has a swing in the top middle of his cage but only recently has he been playing with it and sitting on it for not very long. Any ideas or should I just ignore it? The soft tweets when he does this is leading me to think he wants something - what?

[tweetiepiesmom]

Last night I left his cage in front of the big window. I closed the shutters at sundown. About an hour later he gave me a few soft tweets and I covered his cage leaving the front open. HE jumped down to the second perch which is at the front of his cage. He fluffed up and sat there all evening. I pulled the cover down the front of his cage as I was going to my bedroom. This morning he was still sitting on the same perch and all was quiet during the night. I'm guessing the spot beside my chair has "too much activity/light" for him in the evening. His spot in front of the window is much darker and calmer. He can see me and the TV but it is away from everything. So, I'll leave him at the window during the night. With the shutters closed, he can't see out and critters can't see in. We'll just deal with the occasional cat howling. Sigh, so hard to guess what he needs and wants!

[Shirls]

I don't think any of us can 'second guess' a budgie. We also tend to put human emotions on them, but I know they do try to tell us things at times. Mine can''t see the T.V. although I have it on during the evening. In soft light the screen does flicker quite a lot with both light and dark, perhaps this is a contributory factor with Tweetiepies restlessness.

[tweetiepiesmom]

Thank you @shirls. Last night I put his cage back in the spot in front of the window and I was watching TV. He jumped to the top of his cage hanging onto the bars. I covered him and I didn't peek at him before I went to bed but this morning he was on his perch as normal. I had come to the conclusion that it was the TV shows - particularly the crime dramas with the loud bangs, etc - that were upsetting him. I can do one of two things, 1) record the crime shows and watch them during the day or 2) put him in the guest room at night. The last time I tried putting him in the guest room he flapped around and squawked until I came to get him. I think tonight I'll only watch calm shows and see how he does. Thanks!

[Deleted]

If you get him used to the guest room during the day, the way he got used to the living room, he'll probably become perfectly happy with moving between the rooms. In our old home, Munchy used to sleep and play in different rooms with no trouble.

[tweetiepiesmom]

Will try - I think that may be better for him.

[Hezz]

I would definitely try getting him used to sleeping in the other room. A quiet and darker room away from evening activities will definitely give him a more restful sleep. My birds don't care which room they are in at any particular time of the day, but they are very happy to go back into their cage in the evening and then be put to bed in a spare room.

[tweetiepiesmom]

I think you are right Hezz Ira @shirls This evening behavior is different from what he had exhibited in the past couple of months (I brought him home on Sept 29). At night he used to come down to the second perch and hunker down between the treat clip and the small food cup with his oyster shells. About a month ago I removed that perch (Dowel rod type) and replaced it with two natural tree branch perches. I also remove the treat clip at night and I've moved the small food cup. We've also had the time change so my routine has changed. He has been jumping up to the top corner of his cage at night which is just under the cage cover - open in the front. The past couple of days I've covered the front but when I peek he is still clinging to the cage bars. When I come to the living room in the morning he has moved to his top perch. Sometime during the night he must move from the cage bars - I'm guessing after I turn off the TV and lights for the night. What I thought was him being scared I now think is him just trying to find a dark quiet spot. Tonight I'll move his cage into the guest bedroom and see if that's better for him.I can keep that room dark and its away from noise from the TV. When the sun goes down he does give me a few soft tweets - is that his way of saying "Bedtime"? I usually cover him when he does that.

[Hezz]

Probably; that's what is natural for them. My boys want to go back to their own home once it is getting dark. I let them in, they have their evening feed, and then I put them to sleep in another room, all tucked up in bed by 7pm.

[tweetiepiesmom]

I put Tweetie Pie in the guest bedroom tonight. He didn't fly around screaming but I'm not sure how relaxed he got. When I checked on him a couple of times, he was sitting on the second perch looking "normal", not fluffed up like he does when he's going to sleep. Personally, I miss not having him in the same room with me. I'll see how he looks in the morning.

[tweetiepiesmom]

This morning he was in the same spot as last night but he was fluffed up like he does when sleeping. As I rolled his cage out to his place in the living room, he did his birdie yoga and then ate as soon as I got him in his usual place. He's been very talkative, grooming, sqwaking, chirping so I guess he got a good night's sleep.

[tweetiepiesmom]

Putting him in the guest room at night didn't work after the first time. He started jumping up to a front corner of his cage clinging onto the bars and was still there when I got him in the morning. I've tried different things, leaving the front uncovered, leaving a slit open in the front, leaving a night light on, etc. I've put him back in the living room but there is a corner that is dark and much quieter and he can't see the TV from there. I've put a small perch at the top and in the front corner where he clings to the cage bars. At sunset he starts chirping softly and I'll cover him leaving the front open but covering the front top corner where his perch is. The past two days he's been sitting calmly on that perch. When I uncover him in the morning he's sitting on the back top perch. Not sure when he moves but hopefully he's comfortable now. He usually eats around 8am and then starts chirping shortly after that. His "night time" is long now but it is winter here...

[tweetiepiesmom]

I think I finally have a bedtime routine figured out. He really wants to sleep in the top corner of his cage. I put a small perch up there and had to adjust it a couple of times to get it in the right spot (The Princess and the Pea!). At dusk he lets me know its bedtime by softly chiping a few times until I put his cage in the night time spot which is a dark corner of the living room. He can see me but not the TV. I cover his cage leaving an opening in the front but his corner is covered. He'll climb to his spot and settle in. When I go to bed I cover him completely. Right now he demands to go to bed at around 5pm and he wakes up (jumps down and goes to eat) around 7:30am.

This is his sleep perch.

oops - wouldn't let me post a picture. Will try later.

[tweetiepiesmom]

Here he is looking at the rainy weather. He's getting more used to it.