# Dove will not settle down at night!



## Seijun

My dove sleeps in a large 35" wire dog crate at night She is a little over 6 months old now, I think.. For the past several nights, she has been waking me up every 3 hours squirming all over her perch. I wake up to the sounds of her stumbling all over like she is trying to get comfortable, but if I don't turn the light on right away, she will eventually leap or fall off the perch and crash all over the place until I turn the light on and tuck her back in. If I turn the light on _before_ she jumps off her perch, then she will settle down and I can turn the light off again and get another 3 hours of sleep.

This is slowly driving me insane. Does anyone have any advice on what to do?


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## pdpbison

How high is the 'Crate'?

Is this a sick or injured Dove? Or?


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## Seijun

The exact dimensions of the crate are:
35.5" long
24.5" wide
27" tall

She is a pet, hand-raised. Up until this week has always slept just fine.


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## Doves1111

Do you have a night light on for her...this always works for my birds. Is it possible mice are getting into her cage and scaring her?

Dawn


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## Victor

I suspect you have a mouse who is probably trying to feast on the grain you have for your dove because mice will eat anythng to survive. If it is the dog crate I am thinking about it has just enough room where a mouse can make its way through and scaring your dove. Perhaps enclosing your cage with 1/4 or 1/2 inch hardware cloth around with wire would eliminate the entry of the critter. Insure that the wire is secures on the outer side of the cage and snip off the ends close to avoid the bird and yourself from getting poked.As Phil asked, how high is the crate? If it is too low, that would also provide easy access for the mouse. Take the seed out at night as well.
Regards from Tooterville!


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## Seijun

I don't think it's a mouse... The cage is at the foot of my bed. There have never been any mouse droppings in her cage or in my room. She will fidget around for about a minute on her perch before jumping off. When I turn the light on, she just looks confused, not afraid as if something has scared her. 
She did sleep all through this last night without a problem! I had been thinking about the night light but didn't have one handy. I have a cloth cover on the roof of her cage for at night so I pulled that half-way back and opened the window blinds so moonlight from outside could get in. Maybe this will be enough light from now on to solve the problem.

The crate is about 6" off the floor. I can't put it any higher currently. But like I said, I don't think it could be a mouse. No mouse droppings.


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## Kiko&Kalani

I bet it was the light too. K & K are around 5 months and when I used to keep them in the back bathroom and turn the light off at night it was comepletely dark and they made lots of noise. I had to move them out of that bathroom since it shares a wall with my neighbor  and put them in the living room. There is a street light outside so when I open the balcony blinds that room has a little light. No more noise at night! They only start to coo when they here my voice in the morning now.


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## Seijun

She slept through the night again! So strange that she would be fine sleeping in total darkness for the first 6 months and then suddenly decide she can't anymore..

She will "coo" in the morning also, although cooing isn't really the right term for it. What she does is crow--at the top of her lungs--until I start moving. She has figured out that doing this tends to get me up faster, because I don't want her to wake up the people upstairs!


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## Kiko&Kalani

Smart girl you have there.


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## Jeannine

Maybe she hears things you don't; like the furnace coming on?...you could try to add white noise, or a sound machine (ocean waves). That's how I keep my dogs from barking at every little sound at night. 
I have a 24/7 cooer - He took a bit of time to get used to. It was almost like clockwork, every hour on the hour - really annoying at 2am! He has passed his cooing at all hours of the day/night to his offspring, oddly enough, now, I can't sleep without the cooing!!!


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## Seijun

That's funny. I did wake up to her crowing once at 3 or 4 in the morning. She never coos--only crows, screams, or squawk-hoots (like a coo but with a really sore/scratching throat sound mixed in).


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## pdpbison

Find a way to allow her to Night-Roost up HIGH somewhere.

They HATE being kept just off the floor or down low...Doves are Birds who would never, ever be near the Ground at night.

Just let her perch on whatever High Shelves or Curtain rods or something, or put something up high just for her, for her to Night Roost on.


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## Seijun

Is it ok for her to roost out of the cage? My concern has been that being loose in my room there would be a lot more for her to hurt herself on if she panicked during the night. Also, she likes to get on my bed and I am very afraid that if she landed on the bed while I was asleep I might roll over on her!


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## Kiko&Kalani

K & K have free run of the apartment and they like to sleep in the same room as me. Even though their "bird condo" is in the living room, if they get the chance they will sleep in the bedroom with me. They started out perching on the top of the door or open closet door. Occationally they will take a nap on the bed but not all night. I don't think you have to worry about her getting hurt. I doubt she will fly around much once the lights are off. The one big down side to letting them sleep out of the cage at night is the poopy mess that will be waiting for you in the morning


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## Seijun

Yeah.. I hate having carpet.


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## pdpbison

Indeed, those are all things you have to work out.



When I had MOorning Doves here, by golly if they did not like to snuggle up against my Ribs and or even fly over and dive under the Covers at the last second as I was getting into Bed.

We got things worked out where they just nestled down on the Pillow next to my head, instead.


However, usually, normally, any half way sane Bird would prefer to Night-Roost up high!


If worried about things not being safe for her, then figure out a way to have her Cage at least elbow high anyway.


My sleeping is out in the Workshop now, but, when in the Aviary, during Summer, various Pigeons who would never, ever let me get within four feet of them, would sveltly fly over, land on the edge of the Bed, and delicately walk up and onto my knee or hip or Ankle, and sleep there.


When I would wake up in the morning, I'd very slowly turn to look at them, and, they would get nervous and or shy and fly off.


So, you just have to work things out, and also make sure the room is safe in other ways, if letting the Dove have free fly.


Phil
Las Vegas


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## Jay3

Seijun said:


> Is it ok for her to roost out of the cage? My concern has been that being loose in my room there would be a lot more for her to hurt herself on if she panicked during the night.* Also, she likes to get on my bed and I am very afraid that if she landed on the bed while I was asleep I might roll over on her!*





Good point. I'd worry about that also. Probably better confined at night. In the meantime, you could try to pick up a small night light.


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## chezd3

Does your dove have a basket with some hay? They love that.


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## Seijun

I will see what I can find. I did sprinkle some hay onto the floor of her cage for her to play with, but she really freaked out about it. Wouldn't go down to the floor for three days even after I removed the hay! It wasn't that much either, just a pinch. Something like that, she may be fine with outside her cage but once its in her room, she thinks it terrifying. 
If I can get her used to a basket outside her cage, then maybe she would let me put in in her cage.. maybe.. She is a Eurasian Collared dove.


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## doveone52

Identify where they like to roost and put down newspaper in those areas.


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## spirit wings

make sure her perch is flat and wide enough for her to "lay" on.. if the perch is round she may feel like she is going to fall off when she is sitting to cover her feet like they do at night..


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## Seijun

I hadn't thought of giving her a flat perch before. Anyway, I just wanted to give everyone an update on my little girl. I took a leap of faith and let her sleep on her closet perch shortly after writing my last post. She was quiet all night but I dont think she slept much, being in a new roost spot for the first time. The second night was not so great. At some point she took of flying and crashed into the door. The rest of the night she was crowing every two or three hours. There were no other light on, she was just crowing in total blackness. 

So then I tried something different-putting her little portable box perch on my night stand beside my pillow, also the spot where she was hatched and raised. That worked, and she has been sleeping peacefully there every night since! Ironically, it's only two feet of the ground, so even lower than the perch in her cage. She is happy with it though, and when it gets too late for her she will actually fly down onto my pillow and wait for me to put her perch down there for her. During the day, she likes napping on the floor, snuggled down into the carpet. Some days when she is in a bad mood she will run across the floor and bite my feet and ankles when I get up to do anything.


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## Birdmom4ever

It sounds like she just wants to be close to you! Is this a ring-neck dove?


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## Seijun

She is a eurasian collared dove.


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## Libis

Aww, it's really cute how that worked out for you guys. I'm sure she's happier now to be close to you and in the spot where she was raised. 

I know my ringneck dove likes for me to be in the room at night, and if he hears something scary outside he will only settle down after I talk to him. (He sleeps in a large cage near the foot of the bed.)


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## Seijun

Hey guys, things have gone downhill again!

She started perch shuffling again last month (where she shuffles back and forth on her perch for 15 minutes and eventually flies off to crash-land into something). I finally figured out that she wanted her perch turned 90 degrees so she could face a different direction. That settled her down for about a week. Then she started perch shuffling again, so I wrapped her perch in cotton socks to she would have a large soft area to sleep on. This settled her down another week before she started perch shuffling AGAIN. 

Her primary objective as of late has been to be on my covers. No matter where I put her perch (even on the mattress with me!) she does not like it. She wants to sleep on the covers with me, and she will try to do so literally until dawn. She has figured out now that if she just jumps off the perch in the right direction, she will always land on the bed (as her perch is either on the mattress or on the nightstand). So for several nights a week, I am kept up til 5am listening to her shuffle all over her perch and having to constantly put her back on her perch when she jumps off onto the bed. Last night at about 3am I took a shallow basket and filled it with socks and clean wash cloths thinking maybe she just wants to sleep in something more like a nest than a perch. I put her, and her sock nest, next to my pillow and that kept her quiet for about an hour. However, when I woke up later she had crawled off the sock nest and was asleep on my shoulder. As adorably sweet as this is, I just can't let her sleep on me at night! I am racking my brain trying to think of ANYTHING that would allow her to sleep that close to me but without making a mess of my sheets and without her being in harms way.


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## spirit wings

have you thought of pg wear.. they are pants for birds.. or diapers... with her being a lone bird..it does not surprize me she wants to "roost" with you..that is what they do when they have a mate..it is natural to them..


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## Jay3

spirit wings said:


> have you thought of pg wear.. they are pants for birds.. or diapers... with her being a lone bird..it does not surprize me she wants to "roost" with you..that is what they do when they have a mate..it is natural to them..


pg wear won't help the problem of it not being safe for the bird to be on the bed. She could get rolled over on and injured. Just not safe. She would be better off in a cage close to the bed.


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## Seijun

She has a cage close to the bed, and she won't sleep in it. Jumps off the perch, flaps around everywhere until I turn the light on and put her back on her perch, then does it again. That's why she has been out of her cage, because I hoped she would sleep better loose. And she did, for a while..


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## Jay3

May have to keep her in another room at night. I know you don't want to do that, but you need to get some sleep. Maybe ear plugs so that you don't hear her moving around?


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## Seijun

I thought about ear plugs, but that wont stop her jumping down on the bed. I've also thought about putting her in her cage in another room. I would hate to do that. She would need a nightlight so she doesn't jump off her perch and get "lost". But at the same time, she has a really bad habit of crowing at night if there is too much light. I live in an apartment with a roommate and upstairs neighbor, and pets aren't actually allowed. I need to be near her so I can get her to shush when she gets that 4am musical urge.
Right now she is snuggled into the carpet napping. Stop looking so cute! This is why she is so spoiled  I remember when she was a just a little baby, and would fall asleep all on her own at 7pm every night...


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## Jay3

Well you could always try getting her a mate for company. I'd cage her with a nightlight. If none of these things is possible, then guess you're going to have to live with it. Good luck!


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## spirit wings

get you some bird diapers and snuggle in!..lol//... or the mate idea is really what is needed here.. doves do better when their mates are in with them.. in the safty of the cage....


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## Seijun

I have diapers here, but it didn't work out last time I put them on her. She had them on 10 or 15 minutes, and just lay on the floor looking miserable at me. After I took them off she refused to eat anything for 24 hours or ever coo at me. She goes into a panic whenever she sees them now. I don't want her to be afraid of me or of bedtime. 

I do want to get her a mate, but I can't until I get a bigger place to live. Her cage isn't big enough for two birds long-term, and I don't actually have room for anything bigger right now.


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## Jay3

This is a bird. Cage her at night. Then use ear plugs. We have made several different suggestions, but none of them seems to be what you want to do. The only thing left is to let the bird run the show and sleep where she wants, and you to have several drinks before bed time, so that her making noise and jumping around where ever she likes, will not disturb you. Think of it as medicinal.


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## Seijun

Earlier in the thread everyone is saying "let her sleep out of her cage" now it's "put her back in". I'm going to try putting a nightlight in my room and see how she feels about that, and if that doesn't work will try caging her with the light either in my room or out. Last night and the night before I left the fish tank light on and she slept quietly, but my fish needs sleep too!

And Jay, I's not that I just don't want to follow anyone's suggestions. I'm trying to find a medium that will keep the bird happy too, not just me. She is my companion, not a decoration.


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## Jay3

Seijun said:


> Earlier in the thread everyone is saying "let her sleep out of her cage" now it's "put her back in". I'm going to try putting a nightlight in my room and see how she feels about that, and if that doesn't work will try caging her with the light either in my room or out. Last night and the night before I left the fish tank light on and she slept quietly, but my fish needs sleep too!
> 
> *And Jay, I's not that I just don't want to follow anyone's suggestions. I'm trying to find a medium that will keep the bird happy too, not just me. She is my companion, not a decoration.*


*
*

She's still a bird. Not your spouse. You want to keep her happy, but not at the expense of her being unsafe, or causing you to lose sleep. She should be in a cage at night where she is safe, whether she likes that or not. She'll get used to it.


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## Seijun

She was caged for the first 6 or or so months of her life. She was fine with that until just recently (November), when she suddenly stopped being ok with it, which is what started this thread. 

I will try the nightlight though, first out of the cage and then in. I am hopeful since last night and the night before she stayed on her perch with the fish tank light on. She stopped trying to jump onto the bed once she could see me.


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## Libis

I agree with Jay3, her safety is much more important than her whims and you cannot be loosing sleep.
I wonder if a mate would do her good? Someone she could safely cuddle with. 

Though if you are not allowed to have pets in the first place, the safest would be another hen, as a cock could be noticed. My Edmund coos in the middle of the night every time he hears anyone get up or whenever the police drive past with their sirens going. I can also hear him outside during the day.


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## Jay3

Libis said:


> I agree with Jay3, her safety is much more important than her whims and you cannot be loosing sleep.
> I wonder if a mate would do her good? Someone she could safely cuddle with.
> 
> Though if you are not allowed to have pets in the first place, the safest would be another hen, as a cock could be noticed. My Edmund coos in the middle of the night every time he hears anyone get up or whenever the police drive past with their sirens going. I can also hear him outside during the day.


Didn't think of that. You're right. The males can be noisy. Well, another hen would be nice company.


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## Libis

Jay3 said:


> Didn't think of that. You're right. The males can be noisy. Well, another hen would be nice company.


Yeah, lol. And my boy got much louder even than he used to be when I brought home his hen. lol. He laughs every morning quite loudly, and coos for at least an hour straight after waking up--courting her. The little hen laughs and coos back, but much softer.  
Wonder what Seijun's neighbors would think of all that maniacal laughter every morning if she did have a male lol.

As far as two hens together, I know my two diamond dove hens do very nicely together, and I would think two ringnecks would be happy too. My diamonds are always cuddled up on a perch or in the nest together at night.  So cute!


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## kcmodena

Or ... let her sleep in the bathroom. shutting the lid on the toilet is manditory - but if put to roost on the shower curtain is feasible - clean up would be fairly easy. besides - it is a dove.


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