Budgie Sleeping a Lot

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Budgies need at least 10-12 hours of undisturbed sleep during the night and a few catnaps during the day. Some budgies can sleep as much as 16 hours a day. However, it is concerning if your budgie has only recently started sleeping all the time, especially in its normally active hours. 

Why?

Let’s find out why your budgie is sleeping a lot

 

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What Does It Mean When Your Budgie Sleeps All Day?

Typically, only an extremely disturbed or terminally ill budgie sleeps all the time.

Don’t Panic! 

It may just be that your bird is not getting enough solid sleep.

But only a vet can properly diagnose your bird’s condition. 

I advise you to immediately take your budgie to an avian vet.

To understand if a budgie is sleeping too much, you must know:

What Is Normal Sleep For Budgies?

Like other birds, budgies tend to sync their sleep with daylight.

And so, with the dimming of sunlight, a budgie will search for a perch to sleep.

Since budgies in the wild prefer to sleep on top branches with maximum cover to escape nocturnal predators.

Which means,

For a budgie, an ideal sleeping perch in the cage is the highest perch with some cover. 

A wild budgie sleeps with the approach of dusk and wakes up with the dawn.

So, normally a budgie sleeps about 10-12 hours in the dark.

Besides that, they take small naps of about 45 minutes during the day.

But,

An indoor caged budgie is likely to get confused with artificial night lights. 

Since budgies decide their breeding periods with extended daylight.

Therefore, a caged budgie may artificially enter the breeding cycle.

Consequently, it may experience unnatural hormonal fluctuations, all year long.

And so, it may be chronically sleep-deprived.

So, if you are asking me,

Why Is My Budgie Sleeping So Much?

Here’s the answer..

Odds are that he is not getting enough sleep. 

Or, perhaps, your budgie is too sick to move.

Occasionally, excessive sleep may be a result of a seed-exclusive diet.

New budgies may pretend to sleep, only to divert human attention.

Although, that is rare (but it’s a possibility) 

How Does a Sleep-Deprived Budgie Behave? What To Look Out For

In most cases, a sleep-deprived budgie will show symptoms like:

  1. Sleeping with half-closed eyes
  2. Crankier and more aggressive than usual.
  3. Lethargy
  4. Excessive broody instincts.
  5. Watery poop.

If you little birdie is sleep deprived

I’m sure you want to help your little friend right?

Here’s what you can do

How Can I Improve Sleep Quality For My Budgie?

You can do so, by:

  1. Gradually dimming lights in the evening. 
  2. Shifting the birds to a quieter and darker area for the night.
  3. Providing enough sleeping perches for every bird.
  4. Covering the cage with a prescribed cage cover.
  5. Not disturbing the birds for at least 12-hours. 

Now, you may be wondering,

What If a Budgie Is Sick Or Depressed And Not Sleep-Deprived?

Even with a chronic lack of sleep, a budgie may still eat, vocalize, and preen itself normally.

So,

If a budgie is not eating much and sleeping excessively, then he may be ill or depressed. 

A healthy budgie is likely to sleep by perching on a branch with just one foot.

Most budgies draw their other leg close to their chest.

This ensures that they don’t lose much heat from their featherless foot.

Some may even sleep hanging upside down. 

While budgies younger than 6 months may sleep on the cage floor.

However, only sick adult budgies find perching hard.

And so, if your budgie has only recently started to recline on its back or use both of its feet to perch for sleep, then it is likely a sign of illness.

If you do see this sort of behavior it’s best to take your parakeet to the vets asap

Your budgie may be depressed by simply not being able to spend time with you. (Check out my article – How do I bond with my budgie?)

Or it may be from the death of a mate.

But a glum budgie is likely to sit in corners as well as self-mutilate. 

Related article – Why is my budgie in the corner?

Getting a new bird for your lonely, depressed budgie will likely cheer him up.

A sick budgie will need medical attention

Let’s look at the symptoms of a sick budgie

What Are The Symptoms Of a Sick Budgie?

Budgies tend to hide sickness to avoid being predated.

So, if your budgie is showing signs of sickness then chances are that he is extremely ill.

I suggest you immediately rush to a vet.

You must know your birds’ usual routine to distinguish a healthy bird from a sick one.

Unwell budgies typically show the following symptoms:

1. Unkempt Appearance

Since a sick bird cannot groom itself, therefore, it will have a rugged appearance with:

  1. Over-grown beak
  2. Ruffled and discolored feathers
  3. Droopy posture
  4. Un-natural feather bandings
  5. Clotted blood.

Paler feathers usually indicate liver issues or dehydration.

However, clumped blood may be from a broken pin feather or injury.

2. Cloaca And Droppings

Blood on the cloaca may be a sign of internal injury or egg binding.

While watery poop may be explained by the stress of moving to a new home.

However, sudden changes in droppings are the early indicators of bird health. 

Signs of sickness may include:

  1. Bigger and smellier droppings.
  2. Change in color or moistness, not explained by the bird’s diet.
  3. Yellowish urine.
  4. Oily and bulkier droppings.
  5. Undigested food in droppings.

Yellow-greenish droppings indicate poor liver health.

But oily droppings are a definite sign of inflammation of bile ducts called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, which may lead to jaundice. 

Diarrhea or undigested food points to bacterial infection. 

3. Changes To Eyes

  1. Squinting refers to mild infections.
  2. Mucus or fibers around the eyes indicate fungal infections.
  3. Crystalline or scaly appearance around eyes is a sign of bacterial infection or parasite infestation. 

4. Problems With Cere

Having one of the most efficient breathings systems, birds are quite prone to lung infections.

These may manifest as:

  1. Wetness or mucus around cere.
  2. Scaly appearance or crooked beak.
  3. Excessive breathing or flapping.
  4. Sneezing or cough.
  5. Vomiting with food stuck to unusual places within the cage.

5. Injuries And Tumors

An injured bird pacing with an abnormal gait or showing decreases activity may have internal bleeding.

A bird with a moving head but no movement in its feet may have a tumor above its kidneys.

Such a tumor may be putting pressure on nerve endings, and so it needs to be surgically removed. 

6. Odd Behaviors

A sick budgie may exhibit odd behaviors such as:

  1. Stiff gait or limping.
  2. Head or tail bobbing. 
  3. Sleeping the whole day.
  4. Barely eating, even their favorite treats.
  5. Being excessively quiet or shrieking without provocation.
  6. Lack of energy and no interest in usual activities.
  7. Self-mutilation.
  8. Loss of balance.
  9. Sleeping with both legs perched instead of just one.
  10. Getting attacked by otherwise friendly cage fellows. 

If one of your birds is sick, it’s best to separate it from the rest of the flock.

Take your bird to the vet as soon as possible. 

With a sick bird, budgie parents often question if their bird is dying. 

Again, only a vet can estimate a bird’s health.

But if you are wondering,

What Are The Signs of a Budgie Dying?

Most dying budgies show extreme signs of sickness:

  1. Reduced activity, dizziness, or trembling.
  2. Smellier or bloody droppings.
  3. Heavy strained breathing.
  4. Mucus-like secretions around the face.
  5. Cloudy fibrous eyes. 
  6. Sleeping the whole day, or generally closed eyes.
  7. Variance in speech or talking less. 
  8. Droopy posture and preferring to sit on the cage floor.
  9. Refusing to eat. 
  10. Weight loss and paralysis. 
  11. Old age.

But these are not definite signs of dying.

Sometimes birds suddenly die without any symptoms, typically by fumes from Teflon pans, scented candles, or air fresheners. (Related article – Budgie died with eyes open)

While sickness can be cured, but if your budgie is dying from old age unfortunately there is not much you can do.

Just make sure he is comfortable, give him favorite treats, and talk softly to him.

Spending quality time with your budgie is very important – Check out my article 11 awesome fun games to play with your budgies!

Final Words

Budgies typically sleep 10-12 hours a day.

While budgies regularly take catnaps around the afternoon.

However, if a budgie is sleeping the whole day, then he may be sick, depressed, or simply sleep-deprived.

You can help a sleep-deprived bird by improving the quality of bird sleep.

But do visit a vet to ensure your budgie is healthy. 

Check out these related articles

My budgie gets grumpy at night

Why is my budgie lying down?

Do budgies sleep with their eyes open?

My budgie talks in his sleep

 

We at birdcageshere.com write about bird health and diet however it should not be taken as medical advice. For advice on your bird you need to seek out an avian vet. The information you find on birdcageshere.com is for educational purposes only. At birdcageshere.com we are not liable for any information that you may find on here. Birdcageshere is NOT a substitute for professional medical advice about your bird.