Situation guide
Sudden nighttime thrashing — causes, night lights and cage safety.
A bird that will not settle at night has a cause, and the order you check them in matters. This works through sleep length and light schedule, the cage and the room, red mite that feeds only in darkness, the medical problems that are worse when a bird tries to rest, and the sudden panic in the dark that cockatiels are
Most pet birds need 10 to 12 hours of genuine darkness and quiet each night, and too little sleep quietly drives biting, screaming, feather-plucking and hormonal problems. Here is how much your bird really needs, how to build a proper sleep routine, and how to handle night frights.
Night frights are sudden bursts of blind panic, most common in cockatiels, where a sleeping bird thrashes against the cage in the dark. Learn what triggers them, how a dim night light and quiet room prevent most, how to make the cage injury-proof, and when thrashing means a vet visit.
