Cockatiels sleep standing up, alternating which leg they stand on and usually in the same comfy corner each night. They do sleep with their eyes closed and will often turn their head around and tuck their head in their back feathers. Your pet cockatiel needs around 10-12 hours of sleep each night so make sure you cover your bird up at a reasonable hour and place their cage somewhere that is not being disturbed too much.
Cockatiels will nap each day too. You will see this more in summer, with the longer days or if perhaps you are keeping your bird up at night.
Our pet cockatiel, ‘Nebbel’ has a regular nap on me many days in the afternoon, tucking herself in near my chin. We have a little snack together, a scratch, she may prune herself a bit and then she take a nap while I catch up on some news on YouTube.
Should I Cover My Cockatiel’s Cage at Night?
This is a great question and the answer depends on who you ask. Here’s my opinion from our experience and using a little common sense.
For an outdoor aviary, no. For an indoor pet cockatiel, yes.
Firstly, let’s look at the aviary. For 2 reasons I say no. First, it’s very impractical to cover up a large aviary. Secondly, you should have a few ‘natural’ hiding spots in the aviary for your birds and they will feel safe enough, if they have somewhere to retreat. Lastly, as the lighting for an outdoor aviary is the natural rhythms of the sun, your cockatiels will get enough sleep, getting their cue from creation, just as their wild cousins do.
For pet cockatiels in smaller cages inside the house, I recommend to cover your birds cage at night. With the invention of electricity and tvs etc, most of us don’t go to sleep until a numbers of hours after dusk. Whether that is good for us is a debate for another website, but for birds, it’s clear that it is best they sleep roughly from duck to dawn. We mimic that by covering our cockatiel’s cage at night.
Our cockatiel starts to get cranky at around dusk, and all of sudden she doesn’t want us near her cage or want anything to do with us. Sometimes she starts squawking a bit. It’s our cue to move her cage to quiet place in the house and cover her up.
We have found she is happier during the day, when she gets the uninterrupted sleep that she needs. Cockatiels need around 10-12 hours each night. The cover also helps her feel safe.
Chat soon,
Glenn
Every cockatiel is a bit different and some have some very funny ways that they like to sleep. Here’s a few fun YouTube videos of sleeping cockatiels that are not the norm, but very cute and funny!
