FINCHforum

I was wondering if anyone could tell me how common it is for birds to fly into cage walls at night/in the dark? I have now had two birds that I suspect have died as a result of this. I found my society dead on the floor tonight. As with my other bird that died, she did not appear or act sick and she wasn't very old (probably about 3 years old; my spice finch is the oldest at 7 years.) I did have a small night light in the room, but I'm wondering if this is not enough light for the finches. I'm thinking that, instead of the night light, I should get a timer for night and use the small strand of blue Christmas lights I have.

It's extremely frustrating for me when my birds die just out of the blue like this. I'm going to miss my little society. She was so curious about everything and was always the first to try the new foods.

I've found that just having a night light in the room isn't enough for some of my birds - some actually need a light on the cage itself. I use night lights on the cages (those LEDs when I can get away with it, the usual brighter lights when I have to), but the Christmas lights would certainly be more attractive! That would at least rule out night frights.

I have been using christmas light for over a year with very good results they are the small multi color I just drap on the back side of the cage

Could there be something scaring the birds at night like a cat or a rat or anything like that? Sometimes my cat gets to the birds and they get spooked and fly around aimlesely.....It hasn't happened since i've put them in a larger flight that they can sleep high up in the branches. Good luck!

I don't have any other pets, just finches. They already sleep as high as they can get at night. Before I added the night light, I would actually wake up and hear them fluttering around (I live in an efficiency.) When I'd hear them, I'd turn the light on so everyone could find perch and settle down.

I put the blue Christmas lights up tonight. It definitely provides more light than the night light did. I now just need to get a timer that lets you plug in two things (for my day and night lights) and set them to come on at different times, since my current time covers up the second outlet and only allows for one item to be plugged in. I think I saw a timer like that in the herp section at Petsmart.

My spice finch lost his sleeping buddy. He is now sleeping beside my female gouldian. I feel so bad!

I can't imagine a bird dying from flying into the side of the cage, especially 2.

My birds often fly into walls, windows, people...you name it and never an injury, maybe my Javas are a bit more robust than other species.

I cover the cage at night so it is pretty dark in there but there is a night light for them, not too bright, just enough for them to feel comfortable, but I have found that the birds actually have pretty good vision in the dark so if I forget to turn on the light for them there is never a problem. Hmmm

I have an infrared heat bulb on top of my flight cage and that seems to work well for my finches after I turn out the regular light. I do turn it down some during the night though. If I leave it on the daytime level it seems to be too much light for them at night and they move around more. So the low setting works for me.

I don't understand it when people say their birds fly into things. I have mine in an aviary with glass windows all the way around it. I have never had one fly into the window. They know their boundaries.
Mine get enough light through the windows and go to sleep by the moonlight.
But when I bring some in the house for some reason, I always leave a night light on for them so they won't get confused.

When I first got my zebras I lost one to flying into the cage wall at night. Since we've moved, I just leave the blinds to the patio door open and now they seem to be having an easier time of it.