Sometimes at 5am you may feel quite desperate trying to silence your pet bird! Here are some tips for keeping your pet quiet while you try to sleep.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Keep the Bird in the Dark
Step 1. Put your bird in the dark for longer
Use this quick fix to trick him into sleeping more.
- Place a towel or blanket over the cage. However, make sure there is sufficient air flow (keep in mind that the polyester fabric does not breathe, so do not use it for this purpose). The fabric will block out the daylight.
- To make the cage even darker, use a black tarp.
- Turn off all the lights.
- This will probably be enough to calm your bird down and entice it to go back to sleep; most of them become quiet in the dark.
Part 2 of 3: Comforting the Bird
Step 1. If the bird is small (dove, cockatiel), put it under your shirt
Support it through the fabric or grab it from underneath and leave it on your open hand. This provides him with both the darkness and warmth of contact, as well as your smell, which creates a better bond with the animal.
Step 2. Maintain a slow, comfortable pace
Your little bird may always be nervous or angry about something if you move it too quickly. It also checks that there are no factors or elements that could disturb it, such as early morning noises from appliances, or the ability to hear other birds that live outside and wake up.
Step 3. Speak quietly
Birds often calm down to hear what you are saying.
Step 4. Change annoying behavior into an opportunity for him to eat
Make a simple toy to stimulate your pet and keep him busy foraging for food.
Examples include bottles full of food with holes in them, a sock full of seeds, and the like. Be creative, always use bird-safe products and provide them with adequate nutrition
Step 5. Make sure you reward him when he is silent
You can do this by giving it a treat like an apple slice, plain popcorn, or even cooked pasta (without adding any extra ingredients, like gravy, which is high in sodium and can be harmful to birds).
Part 3 of 3: Understanding His Behavior
Step 1. Keep in mind that early mornings and evenings are times when birds are naturally prompted to sing
The sounds of dawn are known as the "morning choir". If you live in a rural area, you can hear all the songbirds chirping just before sunrise.
Step 2. Know that birds are intelligent and can learn to use your reactions to get your attention
If you start yelling at your feathered friend when he's loud, he'll think you want to sing with him in sweet harmony, he won't find it irritating. On the contrary, remain indifferent when you try to calm him down. Do not look him straight in the eye (but make sure the bird is okay).
Step 3. Realize that sometimes he needs to make noises
If he sings a little too loud, it's not his fault. Bird songs were originally used to call members of the group through the foliage of the forest. Close the bedroom door and put the pillow over your ears!
Advice
Take some earplugs or move to another room where you don't hear it during the early hours of the morning. Or move his cage
Warnings
- Don't cover the cage every time in response to his chants. Use the towel at night or when trying to sleep in the morning. If you keep the bird covered all the time, it can become unsociable and neurotic.
- While it can be annoying, you shouldn't take drastic measures. It is a bird after all, and singing is what these animals do!
- Do not hit or throw anything on the cage, it will only scare him and he will continue to sing anyway; the trick is not to reward him with attention.
- Covering birds for long periods of time can have other negative effects, such as increasing the frequency and sound levels of their normal vocalization. Since the primary form of communication between birds (which have a flock instinct) is singing, trying to obstruct these "normal" vocalizations (which are only more frequent in the morning and at dusk) can be socially harmful, and in turn it can cause them physical harm. If you prohibit instinctive behavior at appropriate times, they can react in other ways to gain attention, such as plucking their feathers and being aggressive towards other birds and humans.
