Budgies are active and energetic birds, making it odd to find a budgie sleeping during the day when it’s light outside. Some owners fear their budgie is sick or that they’ve done something wrong.
It’s normal for budgies to nap during the day. They may be worn out from play, recouping lost sleep, or wanting to relax.
These naps should last for 30-45 minutes and are healthy unless they span several hours at a time. The extra rest helps budgies get the 10-12 hours of sleep they need.
It’s only concerning if a budgie sleeps during the day for 1-2 hours, several times a day. This could indicate that the budgie is unwell, unable to sleep well at night, or carrying an injury.
During the night, turn off the lights, provide a cage cover, and set a sleeping schedule.
Is It Normal for Budgies to Sleep During the Day?
A 30-45-minute nap is the ideal afternoon rest period for active, healthy budgies. After this short rest, they should wake up feeling more energized.
Budgies get tired and need to recoup their energy for the following reasons:
- Failing to sleep soundly during the night due to light and noise disturbances
- Exhausting themselves during a particularly active play session
- Feeling relaxed, and there’s nothing better to do at that time
It’s natural to find a budgie snoozing between activities 2-3 times a day. You may not always notice this since budgies often nap with one eye open, but it’s very common.
Is My Budgie Sleeping Too Much During the Day?
Sleeping for more than 45 minutes several times per day could signify that your budgie has an underlying illness. There are various explanations, including the following:
- Sadness and depression
- Digestive issues
- Mineral shortage or imbalance, such as too little calcium
- Immune system fighting off a minor illness
When humans feel under the weather, they get more rest to boost their immune system and aid their recovery. Not surprisingly, budgies recuperate in the same way.
However, if your budgie is sleeping a lot, check if its feathers are fluffed up. If the room temperature is 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit, your budgie will have no reason to feel overly cold.
So, fluffed feathers indicate the budgie is comforting itself or struggling to maintain its internal body temperature. You should check for other symptoms, such as the following:
- Runny poop (diarrhea)
- Losing feathers
- Lethargy and sluggishness
- Refusal to eat or drink (weight loss)
If you notice any of these symptoms, seek advice from an avian veterinarian. If no clear symptoms arise, your budgie may just be finding it hard to rest at night due to sleep disturbances.
Budgies should sleep for hours at a time during the night, only waking up occasionally to check their surroundings for risks. If your budgie is fluttering around, vocalizing, or appears restless, it’s unsettled.
How Much Sleep Do Budgies Need?
According to PLOS Biology, a budgie needs to sleep for 10-12 hours within a single 24-hour period. However, budgies should get the bulk of their rest when it’s dark.
However, budgies don’t sleep for 12 straight hours. They’ll wake up several times during the night and rise with the sun. To compensate for any shortfall, budgies take 30-45 minute naps during the day.
At least 10 hours of sleep is essential for optimizing a budgie’s immune system. It must get this level of rest consistently, or it’ll be more vulnerable to illness and disease.
If budgies get insufficient sleep, they’ll soon become unsettled and irritable. They may even become aggressive, lashing out at their owners and companion birds.
What Time Do Budgies Sleep?
A budgie’s internal clock is naturally attuned to light exposure.
Wild budgies sleep around sunset and wake up at dawn to forage for food and find water. Budgies retain this instinct to sleep based on the cycle of the sun.
The optimal sleep time for budgies is 6 p.m. If you cover their cage with a blanket, most budgies find a sleep position around this time. Just cover the cage with a blanket and minimize any external noise.
You need to ensure that no artificial light interferes with that natural sleep cycle. You may enjoy staying up late at night on certain occasions, but late bedtimes and disturbances are unhealthy for birds.
Can Budgies Sleep with Lights On?
Budgies can sleep with the lights on, but it’s harmful long-term.
Wild budgies don’t have lamps keeping them awake. They’re only exposed to moonlight, which is dim when the light is filtered through a canopy of leaf-covered branches.
So, budgies need darkness to sleep. Too much light exposure at night can accelerate behavioral problems and increase the budgie’s susceptibility to illness and disease.
According to the Cambridge Philosophical Society, light exposure can lead to egg-laying. A female budgie may start devoting valuable nutrients from its body to develop eggs that won’t be fertilized.
With these risks in mind, it’s usually sensible to keep your budgie in darkness when it sleeps.
The exception is if the budgie experiences night frights. If so, a night light can help the budgie’s awareness of its surroundings. This can limit any panic it feels if it wakes up feeling confused and afraid.
Do Budgies Need to Be Covered at Night?
You must cover your budgie’s cage each night to ensure it stays quiet and gets enough sleep.
A cage cover will provide security and serve as a buffer to prevent external movements and sounds from startling budgies, minimizing the risk of nightmares and night fright.
When getting a cover, aim for darker color shades. These will block out the most light, and if any light is shined on the cover, the intensity will be significantly dulled. Usually, a dark cover works best.
A cover won’t be necessary during the day as half of its brain will remain active.
A budgie won’t be completely asleep when it’s napping because it’ll constantly be checking its environment for predators and sources of danger. The light source won’t disturb its slumber.
