Help!!

[lisa1235]

I have a going on 2 year old blue and gold.Actually hes my husbands but he bonded with me.Im not a bird person but love him.He repeats everything i say almost and he ALWAYS wants my attention but the trouble with that is that its driving me nuts.He will scream bloody murder when i leave the room ,when im on the phone,or getting ready for work.This has been going on 8 months now and im about to go insane.Ive tried everything from giving him more toys,extra treats,and trying to calmly talk him down but as soon as i go back to doing anything he goes nuts.I notice when he starts he starts screaming bye-bye as he knows im maybe getting ready to leave.I dont know what to do but it has to stop i cant even think straight..PLEASE HELP!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Welcome to the forum, Lisa.

Sorry to hear you're having McTrouble. How much time does the bird get spend OUTSIDE of his cage? Does he have a playstand/play tree he can exercise on?

Make him DO things, in other words, teach him some tricks. OR you can ask your husband to teach him tricks - it would be a GREAT bonding experience.

 

[Birdman666]

They are attention oriented. This is attention screaming.

When you reward the bird for screaming by giving him attention, or anything else for that matter, then you inadvertently train the bird to scream.

You have, inadvertently trained this bird to scream.

They need structured interaction. Just like a toddler.

This is play time with mommy. Now you have to play on your own.

Screaming protocols:

Cover the cage on three sides. If he doesn't quiet down when that happens, cover all four sides. Wait for the bird to quiet down, then uncover the front and PRAISE AND REWARD THE BIRD FOR BEING QUIET.

If he remains quiet, the cover comes off.

If he continues to scream, cover him again until he quiets down. THEN PRAISE AND REWARD THE BIRD FOR BEING QUIET...

They usually get it fairly quickly if you are consistent.

Covering him alone won't solve the problem, and it will ultimately cause sensory deprivation if you leave him covered too much.

He has to associate quiet with being good...

After awhile, all you will have to do is pull the cover out of the closet and throw it on the floor next to the cage, and ask the bird if you have to cover him...

He'll get it.

Also change the toys around.

Throw in foot toys and shredding paper in a box, to keep him occupied.

Put stuff in the cage for him to explore when he goes back...

Oh, and if he isn't getting enough out time, that is another major source of screaming. 4 hours per day is MINIMUM!

 

[lisa1235]

Thanks, JerseyWendy for responding to my McTrouble..lol..We have a huge mansion cage and he has 3 playtree stands..We let him out in the evening and we leave him out all the way to bedtime that usually gives him 3-4 hours out.My husband plays with him a lot as well as i carry him around and sometimes he falls asleep on me.The weekends hes out a bit more depends on our schedule.We havent taught him any tricks i really dont know how ,maybe i should research?..My husband and i both work so energy is not what either of us have extra of but we try and occupy him with lots of toys and things.I just wish i knew how to get him to stop the screaming at inapprpriate times especially when im trying to schedule appts with clients he says a lot of choice words he shouldnt that i admit he picked up from me when i screamed back at him out of fustration..I really feel bad screaming at him and cursing him i just dunno what else to do?

 

[Birdman666]

Thanks, JerseyWendy for responding to my McTrouble..lol..I just wish i knew how to get him to stop the screaming at inapprpriate times especially when im trying to schedule appts with clients he says a lot of choice words he shouldnt that i admit he picked up from me when i screamed back at him out of fustration..I really feel bad screaming at him and cursing him i just dunno what else to do?

I just gave you the screaming protocols...

Another thing you need to learn to do...

When they are screaming, instead of screaming back at them, which becomes a game of "WHO'S LOUDER." (HOW MUCH FUN IS IT TO PLAY A GAME YOU KNOW YOU'RE GONNA WIN EVERY TIME?!)

Next time, instead of yelling. TALK TO HIM IN A WHISPER. The bird will have to get real quiet and concentrate to hear what you are saying...

Make the game whisper to each other from across the room....

 

[lisa1235]

Birdman666,Thanks so much for suggestions.I will try all!..I just need to know where i can get a cover to fit my cage?..I went to the pet store i brought the cage at and she said she didnt carry them so i went and got the largest california king comforter i could find and when i tried to cover him he climbed all the way to the bottom and scared the crap outta me sayn ''hey!'' ''whatcha doin!''..i left it on a bit but he stayed at the bottom that wasnt covered carrying on til i took it off.I will search for one to fit.Thanks for the tips!!I sooo hope they work!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Both my big macs tell my dogs to "shut up" when they bark. :54: And they didn't pick that up from me telling my dogs to hush. :11:

I know how unnerving it is when a large macaw decides to practice his vocal chords. And boy, I also know what it does to ones sensory nerves. :30: But yelling/screaming back will only make it worse, I promise. Your boy ... sorry, your husband's boy (SMIRK), will make it a game to see who can scream longer and louder. I guarantee you, that big blue & gold bundle of fluff WILL win each and every time.

I also know it's difficult to completely ignore the outbursts, especially if you're on the phone, and not only can't you hear a single word the person on the other end is saying, but you are having a hard time to be heard as well.

Try a King's sheet or blanket for cover.

 

[Birdman666]

Honestly, I bought mine on ebay for the larger macaw cages.

But that was over a decade ago. I assume they still sell them.

Look for the cage distributor for what ever line of cages you are using, and chances are they also sell custom cage covers.

Not only do I not cover cages anymore, I don't even close cage doors.

Mine are kinda spoiled...

 

[Chesphoto]

Birdman gave some great suggestions, I would try them.

Don't yell at the bird. He wants attention and with you yelling at him, he is getting a reaction, so he wins.

I play is the "where do loud birds go?" game. When Skittles starts screaming, I ask her where do loud birds go, and then move her away from everyone, put her in a room and close the door. After she quiets down, I bring her back out. If she acts up again, I again all her where loud birds go?

She learned within a week that if she wants to be with the family, she can't scream. She rarely yells anymore.

 

[Birdman666]

birdman have some great suggestions, i would try them.

Don't yell at the bird. He wants attention and with you telling at him, he is getting a reaction, so he wins.

I play is the "where do loud birds go?" game. When skittles starts screaming, i ask her where do loud bird go, and the move her away from everyone, put her in a room and close the door. After she quiets down, i bring her back out. If she acts up again, i again all her where loud birds go?

She learned within a week that if she wants to be with the family, she can't scream. She rarely yells anymore.

EXACTLY! same concept but without the cover. This works really well, too....

The trick is to reward the bird for being quiet... And ignore the bird when the bird is screaming...

As you probably know, macaws simply cannot stand being ignored... That is your disciplining weapon of choice.

 

[lisa1235]

JerseyGirl,I know screaming at him is not working other than than adding selective words i hope dont pop out when the in-laws are over:11:..Thanks for sharing i just needed to get a plan to deal with this and am glad i found this site..will post progress..even a tiny bit will be like heaven!

 

[Birdman666]

Both my big macs tell my dogs to "shut up" when they bark. :54: And they didn't pick that up from me telling my dogs to hush. :11:

My CAG scolds the other birds by name, in my voice, when they are being too loud! I don't even have to do it anymore! "Sweepea, that's tooooo loud!"

My CAG and my red lored both scold my teenage daughter (by name) when she is attitudinous as well...

It's actually pretty funny!

 

[lisa1235]

Im going to give them a shot, Birdman666..All this time i've been playing the screaming game..Its bad when i get to work and my throat hurts from screaming..I am looking on ebay but have to wait for my husband to get home to get the measurements of the cage.Buckys really interactive with us so i know he wont like to be covered but if he assocates it with bad behavior then he may stop the screaming..I cant wait to give it a try!..Thanks agian!

 

[Birdman666]

Well my 38 year old BFA picked up a colorful phrase that she learned IN CONTEXT. It's something people said to each other when they were mad, and/or didn't want to do something. So, she learned to say it when she was mad, and didn't want to do something...

The funniest example was when a friend of mine tried to step her up off my shoulder, and she didn't want to go...

She looked at the finger, looked my friend in the eye, and said LOUD AND CLEAR: "F--- You!"

My friend said, "Excuse me?"

My bird repeated "F--- You!" pushed her finger away with her beak, and did the amazon eye pinning, tail flairing, hunched over posture...

In other words, you've been warned. :11:

 

[Birdman666]

Im going to give them a shot, Birdman666..All this time i've been playing the screaming game..Its bad when i get to work and my throat hurts from screaming..I am looking on ebay but have to wait for my husband to get home to get the measurements of the cage.Buckys really interactive with us so i know he wont like to be covered but if he assocates it with bad behavior then he may stop the screaming..I cant wait to give it a try!..Thanks agian!

You will lose that game every single time... but they will look forward to playing it again with you.

The whisper game is quite entertaining actually...

 

[_LB]

I know this is a post about how to get the bird to STOP screaming. However, one other point is it's good for him to have some healthy, loud vocalizations during the day. It just needs to be at your instigation, not his. And to be more of a game rather than the desperate attention call-turned game it is now.

 

[Kiwibird]

I also have to agree with bird man and Chesphoto's methods. Either one will quickly teach a bird that hollering is NOT the way to get attention. Kiwi was a screamer when we adopted him. It didn't take long for him to figure out when he made "good" noises, he got a positive response and when he made ear-splitting screams, he got covered for 3 minutes (or until he quieted down). Lots of people tell us "oh, he's so quiet, my uncle so and so has a parrot and he screams all the time". Parrots have the brain of a toddler, so it helps to treat them just like you would a toddler- reinforce positive behaviors with rewards, and discourage negative behaviors with "time outs". Contrary to popular belief, they don't actually like screaming (it feels just as bad for them as it would for you to scream for 5 minutes straight), however, they will go to whatever lengths it takes to get YOUR attention. Be ever diligent to only give them attention for the behaviors you want them to continue....

 

[Kissed82]

I have not laughed so hard in a while. This thread is great fun if you take the screaming Mac out of it.... My Mac only screams once or twice a day and its normally with waking up and me coming home from dropping kids at school. I go crazy with my Macs constant "bahhhhhh Bahhhhhhh" every second of everyday...

Anyways, do you know anyone who can sew? Im sure it would cost TONS less if you make a cage cover than if you buy one. Then maybe you can have it made with a front flap to make the training a little easier on you with opening and closing a cover. Fabric store and a little thread might do wonders!

Good Luck!

everyone else, thanks for the laugh. I love reading what these crazy birds say and do!

 

[NightProwess]

@birdman666
Oh my gosh, this had me laughing so hard.

 

[Mattroma]

Both my big macs tell my dogs to "shut up" when they bark. :54: And they didn't pick that up from me telling my dogs to hush. :11:

My CAG scolds the other birds by name, in my voice, when they are being too loud! I don't even have to do it anymore! "Sweepea, that's tooooo loud!"

My CAG and my red lored both scold my teenage daughter (by name) when she is attitudinous as well...

It's actually pretty funny!

I bet your daughter loves that.