Badly behaved conures

[Spinknas]

Hi

I'm new to the forum but am really hoping someone has experienced a similar situation to mine and could give some good advice.

I have to sun conures. 1 male I have had for 5 years since he was a baby and 1 female I have had for 4 years since she was a baby. I also have a rainbow lorikeet.

My issue is with my conures. They have always been loud screaming birds which I know is what they are known for
I'm okay with their regular amount of noise but they have been getting worse and worse with their screaming. They don't ever seem to settle if I'm in the room and they aren't on me. If they can see me they scream non stop. If they do eventually quiet down say if I'm in another room once they hear I am in the house they scream again.

I have tried covering them
Ignoring them. Saying "no" etc. Ive tried all these for long periods of time with no luck. I've tried them in their own room as well as being out in the common area.

I'm just lost. I know I'm all they know but there has to be boundaries.

On another note they hate my boyfriend. The female seems okay with him but the male will attack him. I am sure it's because I am his "bird" and he doesn't want a one else around but again there has to be some way to help


Im grateful for any and all suggestions!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

This is one of those issues where you may receive several different tips. Conures can be complicated and the best thing I can suggest is going over the tips people will give you and finding what works best.

For me, Skittles was a major screamer in the beginning for the first two years. There were days where I swear I was ready to pull my hair out.

I've no experience with multiple conures - my experience is limited to just Skittles but boy has he taught me a lot.

I too, did time outs in his cage and in a separate dark room in a 'time-out' cage. They worked temporarily but did not solve the problem.

For me, the issue with Skittles was two-fold.

For one, I wasn't setting boundaries, limits or being consistent with my training. He was in fact controlling me. Once I asserted myself as the head of the flock, he began to settle down.

I began to observe him, his actions and behaviors. Taking note of what was going on and what was in the room when he would go on his screaming binges. Sometimes it was a foreign object, other times he was trying to tell me something.

I'm not suggesting you respond and cater to them whenever they scream. You don't want to encourage that behavior. But the other thing you want to consider is why are they doing it?

Skittles is now probably the quietest bird I've ever owned. He is VERY responsive to target training and when he tries to get my attention - I try to figure out what he is trying to communicate.

Conures, especially suns, like to be near their owners. Skittles is pretty much a velcro bird. I don't mind that, but I know some people do.

Ultimately, it boils down to process of elimination. Once you figure out WHY the screaming is occurring, you can begin to put an end to it. I found this to be extremely successful with Skittles.

Don't let them walk all over you, but don't completely ignore them either. You have to find a happy medium. They need to know you are aware of their presence and what their needs are. IMO, they don't screech non-stop for no reason. Chances are they are trying to tell you something. What that is, is something you have to figure out without encouraging the screaming.

Has their been a change in lifestyle, living quarters etc. These can be among the triggers of screeching. So too can hormones be - given you have a pair of opposite sex conures.

 

[OneHorseRanch]

Sheldon screams when he trys to get us back in the room. So, we dont respond to the screams and as soon as he makes nice whislte noises we will respond with either the same whistle or we'll come back to the room. sometimes it help other times it's a guessing game.

If we're already in the room and he starts screaming we check the window. sometime a large bird will land on the trees and he's warning us to take cover. He doesnt really like my husband so when he enters the room the screaming starts.

If he's on our shoulders and he starts in we put him immediatly back in his cage and leave the room. Being consistant can be hard. We try, and it seems to be helping. Sheldon goes through seasons and we can be sure when the week is up, he is over it.

 

[Spinknas]

Thank you both for your reply. I will keep trying and definitely try to not let them control me