Budgies manage their sleep schedule and replenish their energy while they rest.
However, you may find that your budgie is struggling to get enough sleep or refusing to sleep often enough. Budgies are light sleepers, so any disruptions in their environment will cause them to awaken.
Your budgie may not sleep because the surrounding area is too bright or loud. Sounds from the TV or light on an uncovered cage can keep a budgie awake or make it sleep for shorter amounts of time.
If the room is cold and the budgie lacks other cage mates to huddle with, it may also struggle to sleep.
Of course, there are times when night fright is keeping your budgie awake. This results in the budgie panicking and fluttering around. Even once it’s calmed down, it may struggle to sleep.
Why Won’t My Budgie Go To Sleep?
Sleep-deprived budgies are known to become grumpy, irritable, and stressed.
According to Pflugers Archives, sleep and the circadian rhythm exerts a strong influence on the immune system of humans, as well as other animals, including budgies. Lack of enough sleep can weaken the immune system, thus making your budgie more susceptible to illness.
Normally, a budgie will handle its sleep schedule. They’re known to sleep long hours at night, even taking naps throughout the day to meet their rest quota.
That makes it confusing if your budgie still exhibits signs of sleep deprivation. From too much sunlight to too much noise, or even too much company, there are various reasons why your budgie isn’t sleeping:
1/ Environment Is Not Dark Enough
A budgie’s circadian rhythm is significantly influenced by the lighting conditions in their environment. In other words, less light in their environment signals that it is time to sleep.
Unsurprisingly, your budgie will find it harder to fall asleep if the room it’s sleeping in is not dark enough. To ensure that your parrot gets quality sleep, cover its cage with a dark cloth and switch off the lights at night.
To sleep well, your budgie should have at least 10-12 hours of uninterrupted darkness.
2/ Room Is Too Cold
Your budgie may have a problem falling asleep at night if the room is too cold.
In the wild, budgies usually keep warm in cold weather by huddling together. This may not be possible when kept in captivity, especially if the budgie lives alone.
Covering the cage with a bath towel will help insulate your budgie’s cage. Remember to leave a small opening at the top of the cage to ensure air circulation.
You can also regulate the temperature of the room with a heater, as long as it’s not placed near the budgie’s cage.
3/ Prolonged Confinement in the Cage
Budgies are active and playful creatures that love to fly around and play outside their cage. This not only allows them to exercise and stay fit but also keeps them occupied and lively.
If you constantly keep your budgie locked up in its cage during the day, it may get bored, stressed, and anxious. This will cause it to stay awake for longer at night.
To prevent this, you need to let your budgie out of its cage for a few hours of play every day.
4/ New to The Environment
While budgies can form emotional attachments to their homes, it usually takes time for them to become familiar and comfortable in a new environment.
Therefore, if you buy a new budgie, it will stay alert during the first couple of weeks. This can make it harder for it to fall asleep at night.
5/ Noise and Other Disruptions
If your budgie’s cage is located in a high-traffic area of the house, such as the living room, it may struggle to fall asleep at night because of noise.
Any loud noises from the TV and general human activity will put your budgie on high alert for predators. This, of course, makes it impossible for it to fall asleep.
How Do I Know If My Budgie Is Not Getting Enough Sleep?
Like most parrots, budgies need at least 10 hours of restorative sleep to stay healthy and happy.
A lack of good-quality sleep will cause your pet budgie to become anxious and stressed out. This will manifest as behavioral changes, such as increased aggression and crankiness.
A lack of quality sleep can also weaken your budgie’s immune system. Therefore, if you notice that your pet is suddenly getting sick more often, it may be due to a lack of adequate sleep.
How Long Can a Budgie Go Without Sleep?
Budgies need between 10-12 hours of sleep every night. Anything less will cause your budgie to get tired and irritable, which may trigger aggressive behaviors.
No official studies have been conducted on how long a budgie can survive without sleep. However, it can be assumed that more than 1-2 days is extremely unhealthy due to a budgie’s fast-paced metabolism. Getting no sleep during this time would rob the budgie of a chance to restore its health and mental capacity through rest.
Since budgies can’t survive multiple days without food or water, it’s easy to assume that they also could not handle multiple days without sleep.
The good news is that even a budgie that’s struggling to sleep will often take naps here and there. This may be involuntary if the budgie is particularly exhausted.
You have time to resolve the issues keeping your budgie awake before it reaches a dangerous point.
Why Is My Budgie Awake at Night?
Your budgie may be kept awake at night because of night fright. This occurs when the budgie is jostled awake by a nightmare, loud noise, or startling movement in the night.
Since budgies have poor night vision, they are more likely to panic when finding themselves in darkness with potential danger. Some budgies flail around their cage wildly because of night fright. The ensuing panic and adrenaline can keep your budgie awake, even after it’s calmed down.
You can reduce the chances of night fright by applying the same solutions as above. The fewer disturbances your budgie has in the night, the less likely it will wake up frightened.
Do Budgies Need Darkness to Sleep?
According to PLOS Biology, the sleeping patterns and requirements of budgies are similar to those of humans and other advanced mammals.
The sleep-waking cycle of budgies is influenced by the amount of light in their environment. Less light signals the budgie’s brain that it is time to sleep and vice versa.
Therefore, if the room where your budgie sleeps is not dark enough, it will not be able to fall asleep properly. Be sure to place a dark blanket over the cage and turn off the lights during the night.
Do Budgies Need Quiet to Sleep?
While budgies are known for being loud and boisterous birds, they require relative silence to sleep peacefully at night.
It’s important to make sure the budgie’s sleeping area is quieter during the night than during the day. You should minimize talking and loud noises at night since this can disrupt your budgie’s sleep cycle and keep it awake.
Budgies don’t require total silence to fall asleep. Even in the wild, budgies are exposed to ambient sounds, such as the rustling of leaves, animal calls, and other sounds of nature.
However, these sounds are quieter than during the day, when there is more activity. Don’t worry about a quiet fan or the normal sounds of your home’s appliances keeping the budgie up.
