Night Frights & Do Birds Dream?
By: Petey, Petunia & Tweet Tweet
Night Frights In Pet Birds
Avian Night Fright happens to some Pet Birds when they fear
being unable to see at night. This is especially true of
Cockatiels.
The birds will become scared and thrash around their cages,
which often leads to injury.
Some theories have been put forth as to why birds suffer
from night fright, including nightmares.
Do Birds Dream?
Well, according to a few scientific studies, birds do have
dreams, but the findings suggest they dream about their songs,
there is no evidence to date that birds have nightmares such
as humans do.
Many birds have poor vision at night. It seems to make more
sense that something scares the bird during the night, and
then being unable to see clearly, the bird panics.
Being in a limited space, and coupled with the bird”s
natural resonse to fly away from danger, the bird then flies
into the cage or toys which only tends to increase the
anxiety of the bird.
How To Prevent Night Frights
If your bird does suffer from night fright, then you will
want to make some changes in it”s environment. Here”s
some suggestions to help prevent night fright.
* Leave a dim light on in the room at night
* Don”t cover the bird”s cage, or cover it only partially
* Don”t put the cage in a new environment at night
* If you get a new cage or toy, allow the bird to become
accustomed to it during the day first
* Lightning or lights from passing cars coming in thru the
windows can set a bird off. Use a clothespin to keep the
curtains in the room shut
* Make sure the bird is getting enough sleep during the night
* Make sure pets are not allowed in the room after birdie
gets to bed
* Avoid entering the room during the night
* Try to make sure the bird is undisturbed by noises
during the night.
Birds that sleep in the wild are accustomed to a certain
noise level in the forest. A complete quietness means
there is danger in the woods for them. Birds in the wild
are also used to having some light at night from the
moon and stars.
You may try leaving some soft, soothing music on during
the night, hard rock won”t cut it. You can also purchase
small recorders that play soft forest sounds which seem
to be soothing to a number of birds. Petey and Petunia
enjoy these sounds and it has a calming effect on them.
Tweet Tweet likes to listen to classical music.
What To Do About Night Frights
If your bird is having an attack of night frights, immediately
turn the lights on in the room. Speak to the bird in a soft,
calming tone of voice.
Don”t try to reach in the cage and grab the bird, that may only
scare it more.
Remember, even though night frights may not be caused by a
bird”s dreaming, the panic and anxiety is much the same as
if one of your children had awakened from a nightmare.
Just like you would reassure a child, you must also calm
and reassure the bird.
You may want to purchase a transmitter like is used for
babies so you can monitor the sounds in the bird”s room
during the night.
