Constant Screaming

[AngelAndMe]

My parrot is constantly screaming. Every five minutes, theres a loud scream coming from the living room. I'm okay if she would only do it every now and then, as that's normal, but it's very excessive.

Her previous owners would give her attention when she would scream, so she learned to scream to get attention. She's plucking a lot as well. I stopped giving her any attention when she screams and only when she's quiet, and it has just gotten worse. It's every time someone leaves the room, or even if you're just in there with her, she lets out an ear piercing screech.

How can I teach her to dial it down?

 

[Kiwibird]

If screaming was reinforced in her past, it is going to get worse before it gets better. All she knows is screaming=attention, so when she is not getting the results she expects, she's going to scream louder and longer until she grasps that is no longer what gains her attention. That means you must be *extra* consistent in ignoring her when screaming. I also *strongly* suggest heavily praising/rewarding and positive noise she makes. That way, she learns to ask for attention politely

 

[Birdman666]

Exactly. Scream N Plucks are created... and that's HOW.

Unfortunately, undoing it is a complicated process, especially with a plucker.

Screaming protocols have been posted 100 times, and I'm tired of repeating myself. It's already on this system.

Plucking is harder.

Bottom line, is it doesn't stop until the bird learns how to self entertain. That's and the screaming protocols are what you need to focus on.

 

[labell]

I have been following your posts as I am very familiar with Eclectus. First I think the previous owner told you what you wanted to hear. Female ekkies CAN be more difficult and require you to understand the very different role these girls play in the wild than other female parrots.

The scream you are describing, if it is SUPER loud is a fear based scream. She hasn't been with you that long and everything is different and strange to her. I have only heard that type of scream from mine less than a hand full of times and it was always when they saw something that scared them. Is she close to a window? In a high traffic area? Is there other animals, such as a dog or a cat going too close to her cage?

How often are you giving her a bath imo eclectus need a good bath 3 to 4 times per week, mine sometimes get 5 to 6 a week because they love it.
Is she eating a wide variety of fresh foods?

Did the previous owner tell you how long she had been plucking? How old is she? Do you know what subspecies she is?

 

[weco]

Along with the above info, there are several videos on youtube that you might find interesting.....there are a couple of other stop screaming videos there, but I'm not a fan of Chet Womach.....he is not the bird trainer he would like people to think he is.....his background is in E-Marketing & he started out in the Spam business, so I'd tread lightly around things of his that want addresses, real or E-mail.....

Good luck with the upcoming training sessions...yours and Angel's.....

 

[AngelAndMe]

I have been following your posts as I am very familiar with Eclectus. First I think the previous owner told you what you wanted to hear. Female ekkies CAN be more difficult and require you to understand the very different role these girls play in the wild than other female parrots.

The scream you are describing, if it is SUPER loud is a fear based scream. She hasn't been with you that long and everything is different and strange to her. I have only heard that type of scream from mine less than a hand full of times and it was always when they saw something that scared them. Is she close to a window? In a high traffic area? Is there other animals, such as a dog or a cat going too close to her cage?

How often are you giving her a bath imo eclectus need a good bath 3 to 4 times per week, mine sometimes get 5 to 6 a week because they love it.
Is she eating a wide variety of fresh foods?

Did the previous owner tell you how long she had been plucking? How old is she? Do you know what subspecies she is?

She's not screaming in fear. I've done a lot of research, so she's not scared. She's also become more loving, she's been jumping on my hands to walk around the house, making a lot of cooing noises, and she has started to say hello, the word I've been teaching her.

She is eating a wide variety of fresh food, she didn't used to, she wasn't eating much at all before, shaking a lot, but she no longer does that and loves many different fruits and vegetables. I try to only feed her a pellet and seed mixture in substitute, and she doesn't eat much of it at all. She more so goes for the fruit.

I haven't officially bathed her yet, but I've been misting her with warm water, and she likes it. I do that about 3 or 4 times a week.

Back to the screaming, when I went to pick her up, she would always scream when the person she bonded with left the room/area, she wouldn't scream otherwise. She's not close to a window, my cat is terrified of her, and she's in a corner in my living room, so that she can see what's going on and she's not isolated in one room, but she doesn't have people constantly walking by her cage.

After intense research I've found that the female Eclectus' are much harder to work with than the male, but I'm patient. I've worked on any farms and rescues, and I appreciate an animal's need for time.