Many species of birds may experience potentially life threatening night frights. What are they? Why may they occur? How to react during or after an episode? What can proactively be done to reduce the chances of them from occurring?

Pet Birds' Night Frights

Seems like the birds that experienced night frights in my care were in the parrot family.....the budgies, cockatiels, and my African Gray parrot. They are higher intelligence birds. I never had an issue with the canaries, finches, or doves.

I found that not covering the cages and putting a night light in the room helped a lot. The incidents went way down. Still, my parrot would have a night fright a couple of times a year.

Our lovebirds have never had a problem with night frights. However, Snickers Burdette, our cockatiel, has experienced many night frights. This was especially true during the first two years of his life. Here's what has worked for Snickie:

*We cover the cage, but leave a large opening in front.
*We leave a light on in the next room. It's enough light to keep the room from complete darkness. We experimented with night lights, but it didn't work out.
*We are careful not to startle him at night.
*When there are fireworks (4th of July, New Year's Eve) we stay up with him until they are over.

He had a night fright a couple of months ago, and I think the cat startled him by walking under his cage while he was asleep. Our birds' cages hang from a beam on the ceiling.

I'm always afraid he'll break a feather and bleed. It's never happened, but the thought worries me.

Les, may I say that it sounds lively at your house during the night!

Hi Debbie, Connie and all,

The name of the town, Churintzio, means "Land of the Long Night"
but in reality it should be called the "Land of the Interminably Long Noisy, Noisy, Noisy Night." One of the points that I was obliquely trying to make in the article is that although all of that potentially startling and cacaphonous noise exists there in some manner, shape or form every night, I have never discovered what was/were the antecedent(s) for my budgie, Fonzee, to experience any of his rare night frights.

What I wrote in the article was no hyperbole Churintzio noise- wise with all of the outside animals, music from outdoor wedding receptions a block and a half from our house, church bells. cars, fireworks, rocket cannon blasts during religious processions. I could have also included 2AM serenades for girl friends and mothers and the shooting off of pistols, especially during Independence Eve. None of that seems to bother the birds or even the dogs as they have become "innoculated" to it.

It does seem that birds in the parrot family are more susceptible to night frights than most other bird families. I had read in a few places that smaller birds are more prone to NFs, but I do not know if that is really valid because cockatoos and some species of macaws can be prone to them also.

Thanks Debbie and Connie for sharing your birds' experiences (or not) with NFs and the proactive measures that you have utilized that have worked for them. My birds are so used to my roaming around and pacing at all hoursof the night that almost nothing disturbs them, except for sweet, demure Fonzee about once a year.