Falling out of "bed"??

[charisma]

This is the second morning I've sat in my bird room in the early morning with the lights off (a nightlight on) fiddling on my laptop. This is also two mornings in a row I hear a bird drop off its perch and fall to the floor, then just stay there on the floor and sleep?? Is that unusual behavior? He did it yesterday too but seemed perfectly normal throughout the day once they "got outta bed" for the day.
Should I be alarmed?

[debbie276]

It's probably more common then we think. My guess is it's staying there till it can see well enough to find the perch again. Every so often I notice the same in my aviary, once I turn a light on it flys right up to a perch. I'm sure its a good thing that it stays on the floor otherwise it would get the whole flock in a panic as it stumbled around in the dimly lite room.

[cindy]

Sandra, my shaft tails roost in plants and often during the day sit on the floor in a group and rest. Now the cage has plastic mest baskets for them to roost in I hung 4 and they all head up there and stay there until morning. Sleeping on a perch might be uncomfortable all night and they may need a change of position. Try adding a platform for them to roost on or a mesh basket.

Even some of my zebras roost on little spots on the grate during the day.

All my cages except the owl flights have the mesh baskets....but I have used them in cages for handfed owls, they readily sit in them.

[kenny]

hi
i think sometimes the get on a perch that is not very comfy and thier legs start to ache and they just let go,if all your perches are uniform then you need to put some different type of perch in the ones in cindys pics are ideal because even at night they can shuffle along to a more comfy bit but if they are all the same shape like the round dowel ones ,it sometimes as i have said make thier feet ache...but if you do put some branches in make sure you put some high and some low otherwise they will all go to the highest ones and they might possibly run out of perching room

ken

[debbie276]

Just a little FYI

Birds don’t have to work at not falling off their perches when they sleep.

They're able to keep their grip because perching birds have thin tendons called flexor tendons that extend from the leg muscles down the back of the tarsus bone and attach to the toes.

When a bird lands on a perch, these flexor tendons tighten, causing the toes to lock around the perch. It's an involuntary reflex. The tendons stay tight until the legs straighten.

When the bird begins to stand up, its legs straighten, causing the tendons to relax and the toes to unlock. This releases the feet.

Falling asleep doesn't change the bird's grip because the weight of the bird keeps the leg in the locked position.

[cindy]

It is like a really bad charlie horse!!!!! Moving around during the day keeps the blood flowing and toes and legs in motion, moving. Do one motion long enough with out changing it and even humans have similiar issues. Think of it this way if you are holing onto an object for hours, without changing the position of your wrist, fingers eventually it would become uncomfortable and your mucles and tendons tighten....you feel the need to move. You realease your grip and the fingers are unable to move at their full ability. Kind of like the birds claw holding onto a perch for 6 to 8 hours.

[debbie276]

In my opinion bird perching is nothing like the human standing in one position for a long period of time. We exert energy to stand where the bird does not, birds would have to exert effort to unclench.

[cindy]

Debbie, I am comparing it more in the the way a human hand grips not standing, that tightness and having to slowly move your hand or cramping say if you clench your fist around an object for a long period of time.

[debbie276]

Yes, but the bird does not clench like that when perching, it is nothing similar to the way a human grips.

[cindy]

This is the way I compare it, not debating. Relating to us, we would not comfortable gripping, standing holding onto a perch/object for long periods of time...just provide the alternate types of roosting places, whether it be special perches, platform, mesh basket, plants.

With all our hookbills and Gray they wre provided a choice and other places to rest at night. It was recommended so the feet do not get sore or tight at night or even perching all day.

[debbie276]

No debate, just don't see how the two are the same, bird do not exert any energy to hold on the perch. Maybe I just need more coffee this morning.

When a bird lands on a perch, these flexor tendons tighten, causing the toes to lock around the perch. It's an involuntary reflex. The tendons stay tight until the legs straighten.

When the bird begins to stand up, its legs straighten, causing the tendons to relax and the toes to unlock. This releases the feet.

[cindy]

Ok....back to the original question....Sandra, I just provide them alternate places to roost and both my cages of shaft tails all roost periodically on the floor of the cage....not uncommon.

[charisma]

Thank you all for your thoughts on this. I'm relieved I don't have to worry then if its a common occurrence.
Cindy the mesh baskets looks like a good idea for another place to roost. We have so little offered to us in our pet stores that I may have a hard time finding something like that. Where did you find yours?
As long as there's no nesting material in the cage I won't have to worry about them making a makeshift nest out of it and them laying eggs on it will I?

[cindy]

It is made from plastic mesh that you can find at Home Depot or home improvement stores, usually in gardening. It is like hardcloth wire mesh just plastic.Just make sure they can't tear up the paper in the tray...they may try that and drag a sheet up there.

[charisma]

gotcha! thanks Cindy