It’s easy to fall asleep when a parrot’s warm, relaxed, and comfortably nestled against you.
However, you should never sleep next to a parrot due to the risk of asphyxiation, broken bones, or punctured organs. If you’re drifting off while handling the parrot, put it back in its cage.
Parrots require 10-12 hours of sleep, and napping together disturbs their sleep routine.
Can Parrots Sleep with You?
The only benefit of letting a parrot sleep with you is the experience can enhance your bond.
While the parrot may enjoy sleeping with you, it could have life-threatening consequences. As mentioned, if you fall asleep, you could accidentally roll onto the parrot.
Parrots should sleep in their cages where they’re safe from harm.
Suffocation And Injury Risk
The problem with allowing a parrot to sleep next to you is you could roll onto it. Humans are much bigger and heavier than the largest parrot species, meaning they could suffocate.
At the very least, it’ll experience injuries, like broken bones or damaged organs. If the injuries are extensive, you may have to euthanize the parrot to prevent further suffering.
Suffocation is much more common than crushing. Parrots have strong, pliable bones that don’t easily break. However, their respiratory systems are far more vulnerable. They draw in air by significantly expanding their chests, generating enough room for the air sacs to expand.
They can’t inhale enough air to stay alive if they don’t have enough room to expand their chests and take in sufficient oxygen because they’re pinned under you.
We can’t control how much or often we move around when we sleep, so it’s a risk not worth taking.
Allergies
Parrots with powder-based feathers, like African greys and Amazon parrots, produce a lot of dust. This layer of fine keratin called barbules protects birds from rainwater and external damage.
It naturally sheds off, especially during the molting season. Most parrots molt once or twice annually.
According to Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology, it’s estimated that 40% of people are sensitive to foreign proteins, like parrot dust.
Owners with parrot dust sensitivity risk developing allergies if they fall asleep in the same room as their birds. Over time, th symptoms could could worsen.
The common signs of a parrot dust allergy include:
- Watery eyes.
- Sneezing.
- Itching.
- Coughing.
- Chest pain.
Allergies to parrots include:
Asthma
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 million people in the U.S. have asthma. Sufferers are sensitive to parrot dust particles, and even short-term exposure can be a trigger.
Bird Fancier’s Lung
Bird fancier’s lung disease affects bird owners. It’s caused by exposure to the proteins in droppings, feathers, and parrot dust. This leads to pneumonitis, which is an over-sensitivity to avian antigens.
Sleeping with a parrot increases your exposure to various triggers. If your lungs become overexposed to the various avian antigens, you could get bird fancier’s lung. The symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath.
- Chest discomfort.
- Chills or fever.
- Inflammation of the air sacs or alveoli.
Sleep Disruption
Sleeping with a parrot doesn’t result in good sleep for either party.
If you toss and turn, you’ll cause the parrot to awaken several times a night. Also, parrots that are noisy or move about will disturb your rest.
Some parrots enjoy cooing and chattering as they settle down to sleep. Parrots awaken at dawn as soon as the sun rises, giving you an unwanted wake-up call.
Sleeping together can affect each other’s mood, making you more tired and irritable. Stressed, tired parrots can become aggressive, lashing out with their wings or beaks.
Parrots need around 10-12 hours of sleep a night.
Teaches Bad Habits
Depending on how much a parrot enjoys resting with you, it may refuse to sleep in its cage. It may also develop unnatural sleeping patterns, making it susceptible to over-tiredness and behavioral problems.
Parrots thrive on routine and structure. Throwing their routine out of sync with unregulated sleeping patterns will stress and confuse birds accustomed to a defined structure to their days.
Escape Hazard
If the parrot wakes up while you’re asleep, it could enter an unsafe room. Here are some hazards:
- Other pets.
- Glass windows and doors.
- Ceilings fans.
- Open windows.
- Electrical appliances.
- Cords and wires.
If it finds an open door or window, it could fly away, never to return. While this is the worst-case scenario, it could happen, especially if you’re asleep and unable to stop the parrot from escaping.
How Do Parrots Sleep at Night?
Parrots sleep while standing on one leg; they tuck one foot into their feathers so it’s comfy and warm.
Doing this reduces muscle fatigue, making parrots feel rested when they wake up. Parrots also feel more comfortable sleeping this way, allowing them to flee from predators and threats.
If a parrot can’t escape, it’ll feel threatened and stressed. It’s unnatural for parrots to sleep snuggled up to their owners because it prevents them from carrying out their basic instincts.
Where Should Parrots Sleep?
You may consider positioning a parrot’s cage in your bedroom, but this has various drawbacks.
Bedrooms don’t usually have as much space as living rooms, so a lack of room may exist. Similarly, we don’t spend as much time in our bedrooms, so the parrot will likely feel isolated or neglected.
Allergies and bird fancier’s lung are just as much a problem for owners with bird cages in their bedrooms as sleeping with their parrots. You don’t want your bedroom filled with avian antigens like parrot dust.
The quality of your sleep depends on how much the parrot vocalizes throughout the night. If you get up earlier than the bird, your alarm will disturb the parrot’s sleep.
Spend time with the parrot playing and socializing during the day. The most suitable locations include:
- Living rooms.
- Outdoors in an aviary with other birds.
- Dining rooms that are frequently used.
Sleeping with a parrot isn’t recommended. Not only is it an unnatural sleeping position for birds, but the chances of it becoming trapped after you’ve moved or turned over are extremely high.
