hi all,i was just curious as to the sleeping arrangements of your inside pet budgies especially those of you who do shift work if any. i do shift work that varies each week.this week i leave at around 230pm and dont get home till about 1130-12pm.i live in a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom/laundry apartment with open living area and kitchen so i put Booga to "bed" in the spare room just before i leave. as he is only 8 weeks old i cover 3 sides of his cage with a sheet so he feels secure. the bathroom is opposite so i close the spare room door so as not to disturb him when i get home. apart from not being able to say hello when i get home i worrry that hes lonely in there on his own but i know it for the best to keep him in cycle with the sun. he normally wakes me up at about 630am with his chirping so i get up uncover him and bring him either into my room or the living area. next week i will be leaving the house around 930am and be home around 630 7pm. technically i wont see him all day . does anyone keep thier budgies up past thier bedtime??? im not sure of the best thing to do for him??? i dont want to disturb his sleep patterns as he came straight from an outdoor aviary to me so he is used to sleeping and waking with the sun but i miss saying hello and "checking" on him when i get home. i have had him for a week and half now and have been on night shift so have been able to spend a good amount of time with him in the mornings and training him (we have almost got "step up" ) i am worried as to what will happen next week where i may only get an hour in the morning. i usually leave a lamp on in the living area for me if i am late home but was thinking if i left him out there even with a sheet covering him the artificial light might "mess" up his sleeping and also the noise of me coming in may startle him.. sorry i have written an essay but would appreciate anyone thoughts on this

I personally would keep him on a schedule, when you get home you can say hi and then keep him covered, it is best to cover them on all four sides for bedtime to avoid any lights coming into the cage. It is best that they always gett 10-12 hours of straight sleep because it keeps them in check with their hormones and keeps them balanced. We have odd shifts here and there but I always uncover him at the same time and cover him at night at the same time.

 

I hope this helps.

I agree with Elly -

 

Birds love routines so I would try to stick as close to your normal routine as possible :hap:

thanks for your replies elly and neat..