Ekkie Screaming Problem

[GabeB]

Hey everyone! I have a question about my boy Echo's screaming. He is 8 months old and he screams constantly and loudly. I have no idea if this is normal for his age and how to teach him not to scream as much. I know screaming is part of owning a bird, but it is constant. I feed him organic pellets and fresh foods every day and he has a lot of toys in the cage. I get him out every day but lately, he has seemed a bit more stubborn. Thank you so much for any help.

 

[chris-md]

Grab some ear plugs and settle in, it’s gonna be a long few months for you.

This is a very well known stage in Ekkie development; approach one year old (give or take) they can get LOUD. You can’t really stop it, but it will eventually pass.

Pack your patience.

In the meantime, make sure you aren’t exacerbating the situation and cementing behaviors. Do NOT come running and suddenly appear when the bird screams. No reactions to screaming at all...period. No rewards, no talking, no sudden flurry of excitement if you happen to be in line of sight (excited reaction is itself a reward). Don’t let him out of the cage as a response to screaming.

Your task: endure without making it worse. This is a time where you cannot correct the behavior, but positive reinforcement of the bad behavior can entrench it for life once this stage has passed. THIS TOO SHALL PASS. Could be a few months, be ready. YOU WILL HAVE YOUR SWEET BABY BACK AFTER A WHILE!!!

Also make sure you reward quiet behavior. Have snacks at the ready when birdy is being quiet.

Engage the mind to distract the bird: training! Train targeting, train recalled flight (flying to you on command), train the wave and train turning in circles. These distractions are incompatible with screaming, and can wear out the bird to where his just too darn tired to scream.

 

[GabeB]

Thank you for the help! They definitely have one of the most piercing screams I've heard. Even worse than my umbrella cockatoo lol. I'll make sure to ignore his screaming and reward him when he is quiet.

 

[chris-md]

No problem! I’d call their scream one of the ugliest (apparently you’ve never been acquainted with a sun conure). I always liken it to a noisemaker.

My boy also has a really loud Ekkie growl that can pierce your soul. Haven’t heard one come even remotely close to how loud this growl can be when he’s REALLY upset at something.

 

[ALRAINBOW]

My pair are now 8 months old , they make much more noise , little screams mostly mutterings it's cute to me. My parrots were much more noisey and my cocktoos too. But the cocktoos at dawn n dusk was a loud scream like a fog horn hahaha.