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Bender is a 9 year old Goffins that I have had for about a year & a half. He is the sweeter of my 2 Goffins (the other is George- not a bad guy but much more "active" than Bender- his real name is curious George). Over the last few weeks, every night at bedtime, Bender has been throwing a temper tantrum. After I cover him (which I have always done) he starts screaming/growling, flapping his wings & stomping around his cage. I have lifted up the cover to make sure a flying insect hasn't gotten in there & he just looks at me like I'm stupid or something. I was thinking maybe it has something to do with spring but he didn't do this last year. He has always been a very calm boy & I can't think of anything that has changed. It wouldn't be so bad but once he starts, he ticks off all the other birds & they start screaming & I don't like my house that noisy that late at night. Bedtime is 10 & I know it's late but that has always been his bedtime & if I put him to bed earlier, he gets me up at the crack of dawn. This way he sleeps until 6 or so. Any idea what is going on?

It could be spring time...or something that is not noticible to us particularly...a shadow or something, maybe? Maybe start covering the cage a little earlier...just a side here or there....or maybe try letting it go uncovered...I like the name Bender...

If I don't cover the cage- he REALLY throws a fit. Just seems like there is no pleasing him. My husband named him Bender because his beak has a little bend in it & when we first got him, he broke the bars of the cage but would bend them back in place so we couldn't figure out how he got out. Eventually we got a bigger/stronger cage.

My Goffins, Bingo, who is 14, snapped off a couple of bars at the welds in one cage and once he realized he could do that we had to get him in a stronger cage fast! LOL He thought that was fun!

And, showing how different they all are - Bingo would scream all night if we tried to cover his cage. He wants no cover and has to have a night light on in the room, please.

Sounds like Bingo & Bender are completely opposite when it comes to bedtime. I just wish I could figure out Bender's deal. I was thinking about it last night- Bender was a breeder bird when we got him. We have turned him into a pet & it took a real long time for him to come out of his shell. He never had toys or anything like that. He just started coming out of his cage within the last 6 months (I have always given him the opportunity, he would just sit on his perch & look out but wouldn't come out- finally one day when I looked in his direction, he was on top of his cage! Now he comes out every day) Maybe he wasn't comfortable enough this time last year to be his true self. I hope this isn't a new ritual.

Bingo came to us when he was eight but he was a pet already. His previous owner had to give up all her pets because of allergies. She didn't mention about whether she covered him, but when I tried it to see if that was what he liked I got a 'too hanging on the cage bars screaming his head off until it was removed. ) And he gets night freights if he doesn't have his night light on.