Birdie Nightmares

[Chicken]

My Chicken seems to be waking up at least every 20 minutes and screeching really loudly for a minute, then she stops...This is a fairly new thing (past couple months), she has chirped a little at night before, but not this frequently or this loud! :confused: It almost seems as if she's having nightmares because shushing her doesn't seem to help her snap out of it...I cover her cage up in a thick blanket, and I try to give her a good amount of sleep, but I just don't get it....is she having nightmares?

[graushill]

Hi!

It does seem strange that your Chicken has taken to chirping at night, if she hadn't done it before. I'm not sure if lovies have nightmares, although I personally think they dream (my lovies sleep in my bedroom and I'm a light sleeper so I hear a lot of what they're up to at nights), but I was also wondering if Chicken could be responding to some sound she hears. My lovies will answer bird chirps even late at night if they can hear them, so in summer when the windows are open they will often break out in unexpected songs in the wee hours of the morning because they hear the seagulls calling. It could also be a sound from a computer game or from TV that she thinks sounds bird like. Could this be happening?

Good luck in figuring out what's happening!
Gloria

[Jezz]

Chicken is having night fright. It is fairly common with birds. Covering up the cage can stop this from happening but because it isn't working, i would remove the blanket and put a night light nearby. Or you can dim the lights if you have a dimmer

[Mummieeva]

There could be a sound Chicken is hearing at night. My birds do this in winter when heat cuts on or off. I helped by turning radio on classical station and low at nights.


Steph

[graushill]

Chicken is having night fright. It is fairly common with birds.

I've had lovies fall off their perches on occassion, but not even then do they seem to freak out. I've only had lovies for three years or so though, but since they do sleep in my bedroom I've gotten a good insight into their night habits. I had heard about night fright being an issue for example with cockatiels, but not really with lovies, so good to know.

Gloria

[Janie]

I've read that "night frights" are common in Tiels but have never heard that lovebirds have them. I have three, have never had this happen (one is older, around 10 and the other two are just over 10 months old) and if this happened to them, more than a time or two, I would call my avian vet and she what she had to say about that. I do leave a night light on in the bird room and cover my older birds cage leaving one side open but do not cover the other two. I tried that a couple of times and they (they are caged together) did not seem to like the cover.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Both of my birds will occasionally chirp in the middle of the night, in spite of the fact that they are covered up in a dark, quiet room. My little monsters have VERY good hearing; all it takes is someone driving by with a loud car stereo, or someone walking to the kitchen for a drink, and they're chirping like it's morning.

[Paulette]

It only takes one bird to get freaked out and then they all will no matter what species you have. It's like an alarm system. I agree tiels and budgies are more prone to night frights. I have to leave a night light on and I used to cover the cages, but it caused to many night frights. You get one freaky bird and then the others can't see what's going on to decide for themselves if everything is ok and if it's totally dark they get really scared and start flopping around inside the cages hurting themselves. I have a cat and that will cause them.:omg: :omg: :omg: So I make sure the door to the bird room is shut at bedtime. They really don't like being disturbed while they are sleeping and if mine hear the toilet in the night they will chirp in complaint and then go back to sleep. Now if you go into the bird room and turn the light on....it's all over....they think it's morning.:lol

[Angelwing]

Yep, I'd try keeping a nightlight on for Chicken. None of my lovies or GCC have nightmares, but on occasion, my oldest budgie does.

[shylevon]

I don't think birds are used to sleeping in total darkness, and since their vision is already impaired in a darkened room, your Chicken may be waking up and seeing absolutely nothing. That would scare the crap out of me, especially if I was the only bird in a cage (being the caged bird that I am). Birds are flock animals, that rely on the safety of numbers and a community alarm system. Birds also awaken often in the night for a snack and a drinkie, and if Chicken can't see a darn thing, well, he would scream his little head off, as you might imagine.

Most people suggest a night light for their birds, especially those prone to night frights, which are most common in 'Teils, but not unheard of in lovies. A thinner blankie and a little light might help Chicken make it through the night with more comfort and less terror.

Me thinks a Rooster might make the Chicken even more comfortable, but that is another topic entirely, and would invite sounds in the night of an entirely different nature.

[Chicken]

Hmmm, yes Chicken might indeed need a Rooster to keep her warm at night! However, she seems like a very liberated female and I am not sure how good it would be to introduce a boy into the picture...She's been "single" all her 9 years of life.

Thanks for all your replies, I tried to turn the nightlight on for her, and it didn't seem to do much, she was still screaming her head off...So then I thought it is probably the noise I am making (we have a small place so she doesn't have her own sleeping quarters)...But tonight she is sleeping like a baby - and I think the reason is I gave her a toilet paper roll and she is sleeping inside of it! Maybe she needs to feel like she is being "held"? I have heard that you shouldn't give your lovebirds rolls to play with 'cause they could get stuck inside, but she seems to get in and out of them just fine...and it seems like it's the answer to her nightmares.

I did check on her a few times to make sure she is still breathing in there, and she answers me with one sleepy little chirp to say "Yup, I'm ok"...So I guess all is ok? I'll update you guys in a couple days.

[graushill]

Glad to hear Chicken is sleeping soundly :). I was thinking, since she liked the toilet roll, you could maybe try offering her a cozy hut to sleep in? My Pidget, who is a bachelor, sleeps in one and he's usually the one of my birdies who sleeps the best. Since Chicken is a hen (I just read that :lol ) you could try to avoid nestiness kicking in by only offering the cozy hut at night. :2cents: .

Gloria

[sdgilley]

Sometimes in the wee hours I can hear a hawk calling. I never knew what bird it was until Peter heard it and it frightened him. Since it's a bird of prey, his instinct to be frightened is a good one. Could Chicken be hearing something like that?

Peter sleeps with Luka now, and they have to be wakened with an alarm clock practically to get them out of bed in the morning. :lol

I do have a lovie in a cage by herself. I cover my birds at night in my bedroom. If everything is quiet and she hears me she'll call to me with a kiss or chirp. I call back, and she's happy with that and goes back to sleep.

Good luck with Chicken!

[Janie]

The issue I've read about, concerning the toilet paper rolls, is the glue used to hold them together, that it could be toxic. My two babies did sleep in one the first night I got them (they had used one when the breeder had them) and I walked in to find two little feather butts sticking out of each end! :lol I did give them a happy hut the next night and they love it! I put it in at bed time and take it out the next morning. I know that happy huts can promote nesty behavior in hens but since chicken is 9 years old, is she over the egg laying phase? I am clueless about hens, nesting and eggs. :D

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Another thing you can do is give the hut at night and take it out in the morning. It's a bit of work sometimes, when the hen doesn't want to give up the cozy, but I think it's worth it.

[Cooper]

Cooper had no problem getting in and out of tp rolls (somebody even once said lovebirds can't back up, must have been the same person who said lovebirds don't like to dunk their heads in water when bathing - they should tell Cooper she's not being very lovebirdish)

Cooper has a little tent to sleep in and she loves it. She will make a little peep if she hears us going to bed or a certain commercial on tv that played regularly at 11:30 at night. Before the tent, there were a few times that we heard her fall off the perch, poor birdy.