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What are your thoughts on covering the bird's cage at night (budgies and tiels)?

I don't cover my cages more than 3/4 of the way in the winter. This helps with having a nice place, but doesn't keep tiels in their own dust overnight in a small space.

I've never covered any of my birds, well, not since the year of my first bird. And there is one new rehome who's used to being covered, so I'm still weaning her. Not only do I not want their ventilation limited for long hours overnight, but they're all in bird rooms that I don't reenter after turning off the lights at their bedtime.

All of my birds get covered at night.....both the bigger cages are open in the back, and they tend to sleep towards the back of the cage, so I'm sure they get enough fresh air.......my lovie gets totally covered though........he actually sleeps just outside his cage on a little platform area and I just drape something over, it hangs down off the playgym.....he has all open underneath him, hard to explain, but he has enough open areas for ventilation......plus lovies are not dusty birds. All of my birds stay in sleep mode until I uncover them, except for my lovie.......he comes out of his sleeping spot, hops on the couch, runs to the end, then gets on a table, and flies over to the other cages.......goes up underneath their cozy cover and sleeps there on perches and things I have attached to the outside of their cage until I get up........he does this every morning faithfully, and as long as the other birds are all calm and sleepy, he sleeps right along side them outside their cages, under the cozy covers!

I think it depends on your birds and the location of the cage. If it is in an area where there is no activity or light at night and they are fine with not being covered, then you don't have to cover them. My birds all get covered at night but they also have a night light because I have 3 tiels that have night frights. I also don't cover the cage completely and I use thinner blankets so some light shows through the blanket.

I cover Julie at night because she wouldn't sleep otherwise - too nosy, and if she doesn't sleep enough she's crabby the next day. We've loosely covered all of our birds, and none of them seemed to mind it.