Do you ever wear earplugs?

[YSGC]

Calm down.
Hear me out.

Pico, my 3-yr old, wing clipped, hand raised Conure gets all his needs met, but sometimes he just has to be a parrot and scream ... for a long time.

Yes, I know parrots often scream because they need or want something.
But he truly gets everything he needs ... I just question his extreme wants - as in getting surgically grafted to my neck.
It would be inexcusable if a neglectful parront wore earplugs to ignore the screaming of a bird that really did need something.

Is it common for parrots to scream in spite of all their needs and nearly all wants being met?

I can't list everything he gets, but he's always in view of me.
Every day he spends several hours on my shoulder, chilling, cuddling or napping.
We shower and eat together.
He's never in his cage during the day unless I go somewhere where I can't take him, which is only a few hours a week.

I rotate his toys and give him fresh stuff to chew.
Throughout the house there are stand perches with toys that he moves between.
Every birdie station has a thick rope hanging to the floor that he uses as an elevator.
He has the freedom to, and often does, walk over to me and climb up to my shoulder.

I'm a semi-retired homebody who hasn't taken a vacation in 10 years.
I only go out to do chores and, since we live in a mild climate, Pico comes with me 90% of the time.
He's highly socialized and loves meeting new people every day.
No feather plucking.
He's a very happy bird.

He gets annual vet visits and is on a healthy diet of Zupreem pellets and lots of fruits, veges, and whole grain stuff.
Fresh clean reverse osmosis-filtered water twice a day ... etc. etc. etc.

He's super affectionate and cuddly.
He loves my SO and vice versa.
Based over 50 years of being a parront and reading lots and lots, Pico seems to have the perfect home.
It's just that no matter how much attention I give him it's never enough to keep him quiet 100% of the time.
When I know all his needs are met, yet he screams anyway, I put in earplugs and go about my business.

Of course he can't be near me when I'm cooking (no, there's no teflon) or when I'm using bleach to clean the bathroom or kitchen.
He doesn't understand why I'm ignoring him so he screams - hence the earplugs.

Do you ever use earplugs?

 

[noodles123]

For screaming, no, but I recently removed liners from my bird's cage at night (due to attempts at nesting/shredding through the grate) and the sound of clanking food has caused me (a VERY light sleeper) to resort to using the silicone variety.


Wearing them is smart though, as it limits your reaction to the behavior.

 

[SilverSage]

Nope, I don’t. Sounds like he needs to be trained to play on his own. It’s a learned skill, but an important one. You might also want to cut his fruit and grains and go to just pellets and veggies, or if you can, just veggies and a few nuts. A clipped bird has a much lower energy output than their wild cousins and in my flock we give fruits as treats only or to breeders who are flighted. Limiting the sugar was a HUGE step toward regaining my sanity


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[Terry57]

I use earplugs every time I give the birds their baths. Everyone screaming at one time in excitement is a bit much. I think that anything that helps is a good thing

 

[Jen5200]

I must confess to occasional use of earplugs....I always have them in my purse because I volunteer at a rescue/sanctuary that is largely a cockatoo population (and wow can they get loud). My sunnies have the odd day where they like to holler, and if I’ve had a long day or have a headache....I’ll pop them in. Then they can be out hooting and hollering and being birds, and I can play with them regardless of the sad state of my cranium. Normally I have no issue with sun screeches....but there are some days where it’s more comfortable for all of us

 

[texsize]

Only when sleeping.
At night (in the winter) the heater cycling on/off makes it hard to go to sleep.
Taking a nap earplugs are vital. Even then I have to have some kind of noise in the background. Earplugs and a closed door are not enough. I usualy run a fan or air purifier as background noise.

texsize

 

[itzjbean]

I only have cockatiels and they don't chirp/scream for very long just a few minutes in the morning and at night. I am at work during the day.

Sounds to me like you have a very SPOILED bird, nothing wrong with that except that it presents a problem in that they constantly want you to entertain them, and it sounds like he is not used to being by himself or playing independently. It's very important to teach our birds to play by themselves and entertain themselves otherwise you get this constant screaming that doesn't seem to end.

I also agree with cutting back on fruits and grains as it gives them more energy and should only be given to breeders who are raising chicks, otherwise it can give them a lot of excess energy that they feel they need to expel with screaming.

Training him to play by himself (without your interaction or having him on you) a couple hours a day and a change in diet to more veggies and less fruit would most likely be the cure for his screaming. Get him a play stand with fun things to do on it, toys to shred and rope to swing on, and leave him there for a designated time every day for a couple hours. He needs to learn that being by himself is okay.

 

[ChristaNL]

I had a hard time ignoring Sunny's screaming for attention (something she picked up in her previous home) so I kept them handy, just in case.
Do not remember if I actually used them, but they were definitely in my backpocket a lot of the time!


--


as for your bird: being non-flighted... his brain gets enough exercise but I think his body may not...

(its the same in dogs who just *have* to bark their superplus energy away -> get them on nice long draining walks and some training and the problem disappears)
Of course you can train him to stop screaming: if every scream earns him no more contact with you for a few minutes he will stop, but then you do not get to the 'why' and he may start looking for other ways of getting rid of that energy (gnawing on feathers, headbanging, cagebarchewing etc.etc.).
So try "flapping in place"? Targettraining over longer distances etc. etc.

 

[Shine]

I dont use earplugs, but if I want to watch tv and Fidget is up, I have to use bluetooth to keep him from screaming. When he just starts screaming for fun, I just ignore him or leave the room.

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

I agree that clipped birds don’t really have a way to get their energy out, so that might be a reason for the screaming. Exercise may be his one need that isn’t being met. Have you considered letting him be flighted?

I also suggest cutting down on the fruits — they have a lot of sugar and he doesn’t need that much energy if he’s not burning it off. Pellets, whole grains, and lots of veggies are much better options for diet. Fruits should be used as occasional treats and not given every day. Switching him to a non-fruit flavored pellet (unless you use ZuPreem Natural, not the FruitBlend) would also be a good idea.

 

[Sunnyclover]

I have 4 conures and weirdly they are (apparently) really quiet and don't usually start screaming and keep screaming. In fact they never do that. To be fair none of my birds talk or say words so I think it's a double edge sword in that respect. I have never punished for screaming but I have also never accidentally encouraged it either. if they are screaming for no reason (or mostly no reason) I have and do ignore it and it usually stops in a few minutes and then I'll go over and say "good boy/girl" ect. I have a theory on why they don't talk...Ollie, the flock leader has never even hinted at wanting or being able to talk and I think the other ones follow his no talking rule when at home. Finley will occasionally try to talk when in the car or not at home i.e. not around Ollie. Thanks Ollie...

 

[YSGC]

Our Zupreem is not the sweet rainbow-colored kind, just the basic brown kind.
Since Pico's wings are clipped we'll cut back on the fruit.

While researching the pros and cons of wing clipping I noticed it's a polarizing controversy.
It seems to generate passion and intransigence rivaling that of abortion, politics, and religion.
I'm sure this forum doesn't care to host WW III so I'll just leave it at: I am not considering letting Pico's wing feathers grow out.

Thanks all for the suggestions.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Patagonian roosters are among the great recreational screamers of the parrot world, so I just groan and bear it. I daren't wear earplugs lest I have to hear and reply to the sounds of serial killers sneaking around on our creaky floors, or Sasquatch sniffing at the window sills, or Martian crafts hovering over the porch.

Yeah, the Rb and I watch a lot of movies.

 

[EllenD]

No, but I'm considering it seriously now...Not because of the Conure, or the Senegal, or even due to the Quaker who by-far the loudest bird in the house...Nor due to the 8 Budgies in the Aviary...nope, none of the parrots bother me at all with their constant talking/chirping/singing/screaming...IT'S THE DAMN DOVE THAT MAKES ME WANT TO RUPTURE BOTH MY EARDRUMS WITH A BALLPOINT PEN!!! The "Cooing"!!! God help me the Cooing! It's like having a Rooster living inside of my house, except he does it all the time, all day and all night long, not just at sun-up! Every time he wakes-up at night he Coos for a good 15 minutes minium...And then every minute of every hour of every day. He coos at me, he coos at the other birds, he coos at the dogs, he coos at his food bowls, he coos at his own feet, he coos at the TV, he coos at my socks laying on the floor....He coos at his own shadow...He just Coos!!!

 

[noodles123]

No, but I'm considering it seriously now...Not because of the Conure, or the Senegal, or even due to the Quaker who by-far the loudest bird in the house...Nor due to the 8 Budgies in the Aviary...nope, none of the parrots bother me at all with their constant talking/chirping/singing/screaming...IT'S THE DAMN DOVE THAT MAKES ME WANT TO RUPTURE BOTH MY EARDRUMS WITH A BALLPOINT PEN!!! The "Cooing"!!! God help me the Cooing! It's like having a Rooster living inside of my house, except he does it all the time, all day and all night long, not just at sun-up! Every time he wakes-up at night he Coos for a good 15 minutes minium...And then every minute of every hour of every day. He coos at me, he coos at the other birds, he coos at the dogs, he coos at his food bowls, he coos at his own feet, he coos at the TV, he coos at my socks laying on the floor....He coos at his own shadow...He just Coos!!!

LOLLLL - We had a pair of doves in my biology classes 2 years in a row...1.) Yes, the cooing....2) The mating...
I don't think I remember anything I was supposed to have learned lol.

 

[EllenD]

No, but I'm considering it seriously now...Not because of the Conure, or the Senegal, or even due to the Quaker who by-far the loudest bird in the house...Nor due to the 8 Budgies in the Aviary...nope, none of the parrots bother me at all with their constant talking/chirping/singing/screaming...IT'S THE DAMN DOVE THAT MAKES ME WANT TO RUPTURE BOTH MY EARDRUMS WITH A BALLPOINT PEN!!! The "Cooing"!!! God help me the Cooing! It's like having a Rooster living inside of my house, except he does it all the time, all day and all night long, not just at sun-up! Every time he wakes-up at night he Coos for a good 15 minutes minium...And then every minute of every hour of every day. He coos at me, he coos at the other birds, he coos at the dogs, he coos at his food bowls, he coos at his own feet, he coos at the TV, he coos at my socks laying on the floor....He coos at his own shadow...He just Coos!!!

LOLLLL - We had a pair of doves in my biology classes 2 years in a row...1.) Yes, the cooing....2) The mating...
I don't think I remember anything I was supposed to have learned lol.

Oh good god, Dylan is not EVER getting a female Dove, then there would be TWO DOVES COOING all day and all night, and then they'd also be mating 24/7, which would probably make the Cooing louder!!! Nope, Dylan is dying a virgin....Sorry bout your life buddy but no female for you!

 

[YSGC]

Ellen, FWIW I think of a dove's cooing as the most pleasant and soothing "song" of any bird.
I wish my conure, Pico, only cooed.

But I guess anything could get on one's nerves if it's relentless enough.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Ya know, I'm so surprised about the cooing! Then again, I guess that if I had chocolate milkshakes all day long, I'd reach a point of saturation, pun and all.

 

[noodles123]

Ya know, I'm so surprised about the cooing! Then again, I guess that if I had chocolate milkshakes all day long, I'd reach a point of saturation, pun and all.

Yeah--- I thought that too....until we had 4 hour blocks with cooing every second x2 LOL....It grates on me now more than it used to when I have doves outside LOL.

 

[rdc]

Yes, I do.