How Much Do Conures Sleep?
Keeping a pet conure is no doubt easy and will bring your household a lot of joy owing to the bird’s lively personality. Even so, if you do not pay attention to some aspects of the pet’s care, your conure will not live its full life, or you might be stuck with repeated vet visits.
One of the primary determinants of a conure’s health is sleep. Healthy and happy conures need adequate high-quality sleep.
Conures will need 10-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep per day though a minimum of eight hours suffices for them. Putting the bird to bed at 9 pm every night guarantees that it will get enough sleep when it wakes up at 7-9 am.
Having the same routine for you and your bird is recommended so that you do not interrupt each other’s sleep. Having the routine also makes it easy for your entire household to care for the conure.
Below are a few facts that will answer the common questions you might have on how much a conure sleeps.
How do Conures Sleep in the Wild?
Understanding the way your conure sleeps in its natural habitat is important for you to emulate the same in your home for the bird’s comfort.
The leading concern for wild conures is the avoidance of predators. While their eyesight helps them to avoid predators as much as possible during the day, they need to sleep in secure and warm places at night to avoid predation.
Wild conures often sleep in flocks in designated roosting areas. They come to these areas about an hour before nightfall and socialize close to their sleeping quarters. Owing to their varied personalities, conures often have diverse sleeping positions.
Some sleep on their backs, much like you would in a hammock, while others lay on their sides. However, most of them will sleep while standing on a perch with their heads tucked beneath one of their wings.
Like most birds, conures will sleep with slightly open eyes, a truly interesting thing to watch.
Can Conures Sleep With Lights On?
Yes, they can, but they will not get high-quality sleep. Conures live in subtropical or tropical environments like most parrots. This means that they get approximately 12 hours of darkness per day. In the wild, they are awake from dawn to dusk then sleep from sundown to sunrise.
The bird’s internal clock will have gotten used to this. Without a dark sleep environment, this clock is disrupted since the bird is unsure whether it is day or night. Imitating a conure’s natural environment with a dark sleeping environment is the best choice for optimal and adequate sleep.
Other than a dark environment, ensure a conure’s sleeping cage is far from animals like cats and dogs that might disturb the bird when asleep.
Remember that safety is a paramount concern of conures in the wild. Do not let your guard down when the bird is in your house since you are responsible for its safety.
Should You Cover the Bird’s Cage?
Yes, you should cover your conure’s cage at night if you cannot guarantee a completely dark environment. Other than ensuring the environment mimics the bird’s natural environment and boosts the chances of getting quality sleep, the cover will prevent accidents.
Conures are not entirely blind in darkness, but they have limited night vision because their eyes have few light-sensing photoreceptors. When the bird sees even a slight amount of light at night, it will be drawn to investigate it if the cage is open.
Since it cannot clearly see its path, there are chances of it flying into a solid object and getting hurt. A cage cover will give the conure uniform darkness in its sleeping environment.
Some birds are, however, uncomfortable with a cage cover since they find it suffocating. If yours does not like the cover, you can choose room-darkening blinds or a sleep cage placed in a quiet and dark place like the laundry room or walk-in closet for your bird.
Do Conures Sleep During the Day?
Yes, conures will sometimes sleep during the day. This is more of a nap when the bird gets tired from all of its activities. Nonetheless, if your pet is sleeping too much during the day, it might be a sign that it is not getting enough sleep at night or that it is unwell.
You can start by ensuring the conure’s sleep environment is as optimally set up as possible to get quality sleep. If the bird still sleeps for long periods during the day after this, consider visiting a vet to address any underlying conditions.
Can Conures Fall Asleep When Cuddling?
Yes, your conure can fall asleep when cuddling. Happy conures are quite affectionate. They might show their affection by cuddling, preening, love bites, or falling asleep in your arms.
The falling asleep might thus be a natural way for the bird to show its affection in addition to cuddling. Alternatively, the bird might become too comfortable when cuddling and fall asleep in your arms.
While it might not seem like much for a conure to fall asleep in your arms, this means that the small bird trusts you enough to let its guard down knowing you will do it no harm. As such, this is something that you should be proud of as a pet conure owner.
Conclusion
Sleep is as important for your pet conure as the food you give it. The information above will hopefully go a long way in ensuring your bird gets optimal sleep and thus thrives in your home.
The reduced visits to the vets that quality sleep guarantees for your conure also mean saving cash. Ensuring your bird gets the best sleep is hence a win for both you and your bird. It might take time to learn what your conure likes and what is best negated from its sleep environment.
Be patient and do not change sleeping environments too often since you cannot learn much this way.