Sufficient exposure to natural sunlight and sufficient sleep in a dark environment, are both vital to the physical and emotional health of your pet bird. If other more obvious causes have been ruled out by an avian veterinarian, an ill-tempered or sickly bird may very well be suffering from a lack of sunlight and/or a lack of sleep.

As with humans, sunlight allows for the activation of Vitamin D in your bird, which among other things facilitates proper calcium absorption. Calcium is essential for a host of functions other than the most widely touted – that of building bone strength. It is not uncommon for avian veterinarians to be presented with birds suffering from hypocalcaemia – a type of electrolyte disturbance measured by the presence of low serum calcium levels in the blood. This is often as a direct result of a Vitamin D deficiency brought about by insufficient sunlight. Hypocalcaemia can cause a bird to have seizures, muscle spasms and weakness. African Grey parrots are particularly susceptible to hypocalcaemia.

Ideally a pet bird should be allowed between four and six hours of sunlight each day, or as close to that as possible. Bird-owners who are out at work all day, should ensure that their bird is in a spot that receives some sunlight at some time during the day. Unfortunately, as most window glass has been treated to prevent ultraviolet rays from passing through, birds that are in a sunny spot indoors do not get the benefit of the sun’s ultraviolet rays, nevertheless this filtered sunlight is better than none at all.

Other benefits of a daily dose of sunshine are the promotion of a healthy appetite, improved feather quality and color, while stimulating a natural molting cycle and preventing hormone imbalances. Additionally, natural sunlight will do wonders for your bird’s disposition, making it more cheerful and more sociable. Prolonged periods with no natural light can make a bird sluggish, grumpy and depressed, and as we have seen, even physically ill.

So, with a sufficient amount of quality sleep (between ten and twelve hours per night), regular natural sunlight and the correct diet, your bird is likely to be a very happy member of your household.

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Owning a pet bird can be very rewarding. It is also a big responsibility. A pet bird is totally reliant on its owner for its health and well-being, and while many bird owners appreciate the importance of correct diet for their feathered companion, not all owners understand the important role that sleep plays in their bird’s health.

Although sleep requirements may vary slightly for different species, most pet birds need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep each night, preferably in a quiet, dark environment. A bird that is sleep-deprived is likely to be cranky and unsociable, and will eventually develop a compromised immune system, leaving it susceptible to a host of health problems. Ideally, birds should be allowed to sleep from sunset through to sunrise as they would in their natural environment. Realistically though, many birds are members of modern households that just don’t run on the old adage of “early to bed, early to rise…”, so what can you as a bird owner do in the best interests of your beloved pet?

You certainly don’t want to cut short any playtime that you would normally enjoy with your bird. If the only time you have available to spend together is after sunset, then by all means take all the time you need to do this – both for your benefit and the benefit of your bird. But once playtime is over, it is best to remove your bird from the room where the family is gathered, most likely chatting and watching television. Many bird owners have found that their pets do very well in a “sleep cage” – a smaller cage which is only used for the bird to sleep in and can be placed in a room away from household activity. This cage can be covered in order to provide an even darker environment. If your bird has been up late in the evening, preferably allow it some extra quiet time in the morning in order to catch up on its “beauty” sleep.

What if your work schedule means that you only get to see your bird later in the evening when he may already have gone to sleep? Experts say that it is perfectly acceptable to wake your bird up to spend time together – but this needs to be done gently, or you may be on the receiving end of an irritated bird’s beak. Simply switch on the light in the bird’s room, which will encourage it to wake up naturally, and then spend some quality time together. The key thing in this situation is to allow the bird the full amount of sleeping time, even if it has been broken into segments.

In nature, birds generally remain awake during daylight hours because they are constantly on the lookout for predators. Your pet bird will exhibit the same behavior when it is in a well lit area. Although it may at times seem that your bird dozes off during the day, this is not quality sleep and it will likely react immediately to any noise or disturbance. Of course, you know that there is no danger from predators in your home, but your bird’s instincts tell it to be alert – and this can be exhausting when artificial light extends the bird’s “daytime” past nature’s twelve hour period. Moreover, some species of birds are stimulated to go into breeding mode when exposed to long periods of daylight. Cockatiels and lovebirds are among the species that are susceptible to chronic egg-laying, which is generally as a direct result of too much daylight.

Many bird-owners have found that simply providing a suitable sleep environment and allowing their pet between ten and twelve hours of sleep has made a world of difference to their health and temperament.

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It has always been thought that only mammals enjoy the somewhat varied sleep patterns that we are all so familiar with, but now it seems that birds are capable of REM, slow-wave sleep, transition stages and quick spikes too. Recent research conducted on the zebra finch has resulted in some alarming findings.

Research conducted by Philip Steven Low and his colleagues at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California, shows that songbirds have very similar sleep patterns to humans and other mammals. The findings, which were reported on in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, came from electroencephalograms which were conducted on the birds. The discovery comes quite unexpectedly since previously it was thought that a neocortex was needed in order for an animal to have these varied sleep patterns. Birds do not have a neocortex – a fact which up until now has made it very difficult to even attempt to study the sleep patterns in birds. Scientists have actually been wanting to conduct studies on sleeping birds because of evidence that supports the idea that sleep plays a role in song learning. However the lack of a neocortex has made it difficult or impossible to pick up proper electrical signals from the test subjects.

However, according to Dr. Low, it was all about “Location, location, location.” The team of researchers experimented with moving the EEG electrodes to various parts of the brain until they found the most suitable spot. Once the signals were coming through loud and strong, he devised an algorithm to analyze them with. These algorithms created a multidimensional grid – a sort of mathematical map – that revealed the structure of the bird’s sleep. By mapping out the results in this way it was much easier to find and interpret the different sleep patterns the bird was experiencing.

The results of the research show that a cortex is not necessary for a creature to experience structure sleep patterns. The algorithms created to understand the brain activity of the sleeping bird can also be used as a basis to help find structural changes in the sleep of humans who are struggling with neurological disorders. This may prove to be of much benefit in future medical advances in the years to come.

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