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Hi All.....Just curious, are all birds very routine oriented, or Caiques particularily, or is it just Bella???? I have a nice routine with Bella for before I go to work, when I come home, and then when she is getting ready for bed. She seems to really crave this, and when the routine is broken, she seems a little miffed by it.
She is SO good in the morning in that she doesn't make a sound until I whistle for her coming down my steps, and then she responds back to me with the whistle she does for me. I didn't go to work today, because I am still fighting bronchitis from last week and still have a temperature, and so didn't come down until 8:30, and she was still just waiting quietly for me. I don't cover her cage at night, so she is up with the sun. Do you birds do the same? I didn't know if this was a Caique thing, or a Bella thing.
We also have our routine at night that she really seems to need. As soon as it begins to get dark, I put on quiet classical music for her, she has a couple of cranberries, she drinks some water, and then she actually snuggles in my arms and I rock her for a little bit standing in front of her cage. I LOVE this time with her. When it is dark, she just goes up to her sleepy perch, and is there until sun up. I don't use the room she is in once she is asleep. Again, do your birds also go to bed with the sun, and so easily?? It is hard now because I don't get home until 4:30 from work at the earliest and it is dark by 5. I usually put on all the lights in her room when I am working, so that she is up with me at least for an hour to an hour and a half, before heading to bed. She almost seems uncomfortable, though, because she can see out the windows, and can tell it is dark, and is almost looking at me like, "why aren't I in bed, Mom???" I have half shutters on my windows, and valances, not full curtains. I am hoping that since Bella gets a full 12-13 hours of sleep each night, that this will help prevent her from being an egg layer in the future. I heard that can help.
Anyway...Just wondering if all Caiques like routines, or do birds in general? Are you all, as crazy as me with sticking to routines? Since being a bird Mommy is only about a year for me, I am still curious about these amazing critters!

Lola has a routine...I'm the one that gets her up in the a.m and if for some reason I'm away and my mom has to take care of her in the a.m she is very confused. Her cage is near the stairs so my mom tells me when I'm away, she'll do her call for me up the steps and wont come out for awhile. Finally she figures it out and does the morning routine with my mom. At night I or my parents put her to bed if I'm not home. I usually have her upstairs with me at night until bed time...my parents play with her downstairs or let her sit on the cage and she puts herself in her cage to sleep. Once we put the hut in and cover the cage she knows it's nite nite time soon. But she does have a routine...it's not just bella!

I have such a hectic schedule, I'd be lucky to have a routine for myself! The only routine I have with my birds is feeding. In the morning when I uncover the cages (whatever time that may be, usually between 7 and 9) I feed and water them in order. I also uncover the cages in order. When I get home fron class or work, my BH Caique Dweezel screams to be let out. He knows this is when he gets to come out and play. My birds would go to bed when it got dark outside if I didn't turn on the lights but they are awake as long as I am, but I do cover them up no later than 11 but they like to stay up and play. When we lived at our last house, the sleeping cage for Dweezel and my Sennie Juliah was in a back room and they would stay in the livingroom during the day. When Juliah wanted to go to bed, she would fly to the end of the couch (so she could look down the hallway into the back room) and wait for us to turn the light on in the back room. Once the light was on, she would fly to the cage and go to sleep. Slowly, Dweezel learned to do this too but when they started destroying the furniture, they had to stay in their cages during the day when I wasn't home (so the cages were put in the livingroom where there was more light). Wow, that was long, sorry, lol!

Hi Beth
Most birds need the familiarity of a routine for various things, but it's also good to let them experience differences in that routine. Does that make any sense? LOL In other words, every now and then, slightly modify the routine a bit. I let the birds stay up a little later on the weekends because we sleep in a little the next morning. I have my lights in the living room on a timer and they go on before it gets dark. I get home about 4:45m. You might try giving her something different before bed, say... a grape or piece of apple. Instead of then going to bed, lightly play with her on your couch for a short time, THEN, do your music and put her in bed.
I've always covered my birds' sleep cages because I think it helps them feel more secure, but I do leave a little night light on.

What is important in varying a routine while still maintaining the 'sameness' of it, is there might be a time when you (as an example) have to care for someone who is ill and your own home schedule is different for awhile. When they get used to a 'variety of routines' so to speak, it keeps their trust and they KNOW everything will be ok. It's just a little different perhaps, for 3 or 4 days. I think slightly modifying their routines as they grow just helps keep them well rounded and accepting of changes that may come along. They aren't as likely to scream as they know things will be ok because it's happened before, and/or they don't suffer from the anxiety that can take over sometimes, if they know a few different things are ok. They're less frightened if you should need someone to feed and water them for a day or two for some reason, and it just helps keep them comfortable, trusting and socialized.

Sorry to ramble on, but I think moderate changes, along with their own growth and maturity, are good for them.
Andrea

Sparky and Mika definitly have some routines, but they aren't real upset unless they change a lot for a long time. For example, they wait for me to come down in the morning, but on the weekends my husband usually gets them and brings them up stairs. If we sleep in too long, Sparky will come upstairs and find us and of course where he goes Mika follows.

Yes, my BHC is routine-oriented. She even dislikes when something is out of place!

I have a pretty set routine and hate leaving the FIDS when I go to work, but I only work part time, so it's not too bad. I uncover them (also in order) and feed them. They might get out for only ten minutes each, and then I put them in their cages with a treat and a foraging toy and let them know "I have to go to work". They never squawk when I do this, but once I'm home and say... go into the garage to get something, they WILL squawk and tell me to get back in the house. Birds are so fascinating!

My sennie is accustomed to change, but Daisy still needs to learn that change is ok. We travel 3 or 4 weeks a year in our RV and will take both birds. Murphy loves it and when we bring his travel cage to get ready to put in the car he say "wanna go bye bye". I hope Daisy will like it as much, it will be several months before she gets to try it out. We will take her for a few rides in the truck just to get her used to that part of it.