Desperate for ideas, screaming sun conure

Hi everyone,

My name is Toni, and I used to spend a lot of time here on the forums. life has been keeping me pretty busy not so much time on the computer anymore.

Anyway, for a little history about Sunny. He was a Craigslist ad. An elderly woman had raised him since he was 3 weeks old, due to failing health she decided it was best to rehome him. We talked extensively before I decided to adopt him from her. I really felt she was honest and had his best interest at heart.

The first 3 or 4 months with Sunny was perfect. he was such a good boy. Everything she had told me about him seem to be true. However, as he became more comfortable in his new environment, he started flock calling.

At first I didn't think anything of it. We have five other birds in the house and they do flock call from time to time, especially when we first get home from work and they are excited, or when someone or something comes into the yard or drives by the house. Anyone with parrots knows, they can be rather effective guard dogs! Haha!!

Fast forward to now, it has been a full year and a half....and Sunny's non-stop flock call is driving everyone in the house crazy.

If he is not out of his cage hanging out with me, he is flock calling non stop. We have a farm, lots going on all the time. All our birds are together in the same area of the house. Caged separately, but in sight of each other.

When we are out working in the a yard or anywhere around the house, Sunny is non stop screaming. The neighbors 1/2 of a mile away hear him loud and clear with our windows closed!

A couple of weeks ago we were out at the barn putting up fencing and Sunny could see us out the window and he would not stop screaming at all. Finally I came in the house and put him down stairs in a room by himself and shut the door just so we and our neighbors could get some relief from the incessant screaming. We could still hear him, but it was muffled.

I have tried everything from covering his cage, (he still screams with cage covered) moving him around the house to see if he might enjoy a different area better, leaving radio or TV on, new toys/treats to keep him busy while we are outside, when it is safe to do so I will even let him be out of his cage in the house while we are outside working...nothing works, not even secluding him down stairs, he still screams.

The ONLY time he is not screaming is when he is out with me and at night when he goes to bed.

I emailed his previous owner and ask her about this behavior and she felt very bad and said that she hoped he would stop doing that when he was in the company of other birds and never told me, ever... not once did she mention that he screamed like this and it finally came out that his screaming is the reason she rehomed him. I kind of figured when she told me she got two new parakeets that something other than her failing health was the reason she rehomed him.

Anyway, now I have him and we are at our last straw with him he is teaching our other green cheek to scream like this and he is making all of us in the house crazy.

If his previous owner had been honest with me about his screaming, I would have passed on adopting him.

Does anybody have anything I can try to teach him that this flock calling all the time is not necessary?

If I can't teach him or redirect his flock calling into something more pleasant, I am going to have no choice but to find him another home....for the sake of everyone's sanity...including my neighbors who are also victims of his non stop flock call when they are outside.

Sunny is 4 years old.

Thanks for reading all this. Hopefully someone can shed some light as to why he is doing this and how to stop it.

Toni

I hope someone comes on with helpful advice.

I have no experience with loud birds I've been very lucky my guys are quiet. Pleasant chattering and noises only.

Conure spoiled bird syndrome....

And it's difficult to reverse.

I think I should also mention that I did not go into adopting him blindly. I knew there was probably some sort of an issue as to why she was deciding to rehome him other then her health, but I figured that it might be either hormonal issues, biting, high activity level, (conures are clowns) and slightly I figured the noise because I do know Sun's can be loud and I was prepared to and expected to deal with all that... but I was not expecting nonstop for hours upon hours upon hours per day of this flock calling. Whether I/we are in sight of him or not.

This is just my opinion but Suns (and Jendays) scream, that's who they are. They tend to be Velcro birds and always want to be with you at all times. I have other birds and both my Jenday and Sun/day are very dependent on human interaction more so than the other birds that I have in my flock.

Ignoring doesn't seem to work either, Google the blog " living with parrots cage free, does ignoring really work?" The article gives you some good tips on how to prevent screaming before they get started.

I had both. Mine weren't screamers... (My dusky was, and he had major conure spoiled bird syndrome.)

My guess is someone taught this bird to scream. Unlearning that one, with a sunny is a major problem.

Is it a line of site screaming thing? Does he stop when he can see you?

Maybe a boing or playstand moved to what ever room you are in is the answer, to the extent that there is one.

(Short of honey BBQ glaze... and a skewer up his little butt... been there, was tempted to go that route.)

I have 2 Suns and had the EXACT same problem...only we have 2 employees in the house with us. If my Suns could not see/be with me (and only me) they would (1 more than the other) scream at the top of their lungs nonstop. I have had them since babies and have NEVER rewarded this behavior. I am convinced this is just the way some Suns are.

Back to the whole employee/family/friends drama due to my Suns. I knew if I re-homed them (which I would never do but did have to contemplate as my employees were seriously ready to quit) it would be heartbreaking for all of us and I don't think many people can tolerate the immensity of the volume and they would be ping ponged from one home to another. I tried moving the employees around the house but it just wasn't working.

All of the sudden I got the brainstorm to bring the birds to me. I am a graphics designer and am in the production room at a computer all day (in our house...it's actually our dining room but you would never know it, lol). So I marched out to the closest bird farm and purchased one of those big Java table stand / bird perch things. I hung a ton of toys (chew, interactive, foraging) and brought the birds to my desk (literally). By the way, my GC is also out with us all day now to and is happy as a peach.

Don't ask me why I didn't think of this before. I am sure anyone else would have done this in the beginning, but for some reason it just did not occur to me.

I also live on 3 acres and have sheep & horses. I just have to bring the Suns with me when the employees are here. If it is just family and I have to run outside I just let them scream and completely ignore them.

I know that my situation is VERY unique in that I can have my Suns with me. It scares me to death that thing may change and I would have to leave them at home while I worked outside the house, but I have tried every "technique" and not one has cut it.

I truly wish you a lot of luck in this situation. I know how incredibly ear breaking Suns can be (but for me, they make up for it with their incredible dorky personalities!). Keep us informed of your progress.

-Jen