Sleeping Cage? Newbie question

[Mrs.Cornbread]

Hello! We are hoping to get to bring Carmen home in the next couple of weeks! We have a nice large cage for her/him, but my boyfriend wants to get a smaller 'sleeping cage' as well. What is everyone's thoughts on this? Should we start using it the first night? Should we put toys in it? Any advice is welcomed
Thanks!

[Donovan]

I personally don't understand the concept of a sleeping cage. I have one but I only use it when I intend on taking my bird outside to the big walk-in cage the next morning before work. Otherwise he sleeps in his regular cage.

[SunniDai]

My fids sleep on perches. Used to use sleeping cages, but they all slept on top of them, so we just did away with them and use them for travel only.
Dana

[MissK]

I like the sleeping cage. Rocky uses one in my bedroom some nights. I really feel it does a good thing for our relationship.

The concept behind the sleeping cage, as I understand it, is to accommodate the bird's natural habit to travel home to roost. It breaks up the long hours in the main cage, provides some interest and variety. It also give your bird a chance to spend time with you, and this is really helpful if the bird is one of those less comfortable with people.

[Mrs.Cornbread]

Thank you for the input! I know that my boyfriend had wanted to get our bird a second cage because our main cage is quite large and can't go through the doorways. While our house has an open concept for the living area, I do have some days that I spend in bed due to health issues, and we wanted a cage that could fit through our doorway, lol. He decided to make it a sleeping cage when we were pricing options for covers for the large cage. He wanted to make some fancy contraption, and he said he'd rather spend the money on a smaller sleeping cage that we could throw a dark sheet over. It will also be nice because we do have cats, who get quite rowdy at night, and this way Carmen can be in with us where it's safe and quiet.

What about toys? Or not, so to as encourage sleep and not play?

[Donovan]

turning the lights out will encourage sleep vs play... plain and simple.

but if it's bed time but not quite lights out then yeah add a toy.. something to chew on.. I would think something easy that doesn't require a ton of energy to destroy like wicker.. casual chewing

[MissK]

I agree. The bird should *always* have toys unless the toy presents a hazard, such as swinging around in a travel cage and bonking him on the head. (Fix travel cage toys to not swing, or put them in when you stop moving.) The bird will sleep (mostly) when the lights go out and wake, if undisturbed, in his own time. Why would you care if he doesn't sleep or wake by the clock - he's not a human child and he will never have learn to get up and go to work. On top of this, when he is not sleeping, having no toy just makes him have to entertain himself - a bird in a box alone has the choice of making noise, destroying whatever is available (a perch or himself), and developing stereotypic behaviour. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypy_(non-human) Nobody wants that!

**When you read that link, please do read that last sentence several times. That goes for anyone who reads this.

[Mrs.Cornbread]

Thanks! This is my first bird, so I have no idea what is "right" and "wrong", hence all the questions.

[Melika]

Thanks! This is my first bird, so I have no idea what is "right" and "wrong", hence all the questions.

"Right" and "Wrong" are often relative. It's like raising children. There are definite things you can and cannot do, but the rest...

A sleeping cage can be a great idea when needed. Often, if a bird cannot regularly get enough sleep, they can become rather grumpy (Much like my husband, she says as she posts at 1:30 in the am) so in the right situation a sleeping cage is very useful indeed! For the bird, not my husband. ;)

[Mrs.Cornbread]

Thank you