# Hide N Sleep Birdie condo for a cockatiel?



## mekat (May 18, 2015)

I was wondering if the Hide N Sleep Birdie Condo could be used as an alternative to covering the cage every night? 
Hide N Sleep Birdie Condos/Huts by Sunrise Solutions My new tiel (still at breeders house being hand fed) has an A&E flight cage and with the sheer size of the cage finding a night cover will be difficult. So I was wondering how practical this product would be as an alternative.

Nights at my house - I am a night owl with insomnia. I also leave lights on in the house frequently since my son sometimes has medical alarms going off in the middle of the night or will need medications. Tico, the budgie does fine with chaos but I am worried about cockatiel night frights since we really don't wind down at a set time and at any moment schedules and activity level can change based upon my son's health status (yeah never had insomnia either until the kiddo started messing with my sleep schedule).

ETA - I forgot the cockatiel is male so I don't have to worry about egg laying or anything.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

I think if it works it would be fine, I looked at the product and it says there's no fuzz or threads to chew and ingest. I think you could use it but just monitor the use of it and make sure he's fine with it. Also, you could just cover part of the cage if you can't find something big enough, maybe over his preferred corner to sleep in.


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## Abarriger (Jun 16, 2015)

I have heard that any product like this is not a good option as they encourage nesting behaviors, which can lead to aggression or egg laying or other hormonal habits... I've never tried though.


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## mekat (May 18, 2015)

Abarriger said:


> I have heard that any product like this is not a good option as they encourage nesting behaviors, which can lead to aggression or egg laying or other hormonal habits... I've never tried though.


That is a problem you never know how a bird is going to react. Supposedly mirrors cause problems with bonding but my budgie never bonded with his mirror. I have also heard of people saying their birds bonded to their reflection in stainless steel bowls. Yet everyone says the stainless steel are best because they curb bacteria growth.

I use to use one of those Happy huts (almost 20 years ago) with a female cockatiel. She never laid an egg or got broody and she loved it. The hut got frayed and it wasn't easily washable so I threw it out and never replaced it since by that point stories were coming out about birds getting injured.


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## mekat (May 18, 2015)

StarlingWings said:


> I think if it works it would be fine, I looked at the product and it says there's no fuzz or threads to chew and ingest. I think you could use it but just monitor the use of it and make sure he's fine with it. Also, you could just cover part of the cage if you can't find something big enough, maybe over his preferred corner to sleep in.


I'm worried it will not get used, up to high (new bird will be a baby newly weaned) and the pole in the middle will be an extreme annoyance. OK, I may have just talked myself out of buying one.  Maybe I should just spend that $40 at Hobby Lobby on materials and thread and sew a cage cover.


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