How to stop an Amazon whistling?

[PaulCollins]

No, not a tunefull whistle, but a single note, repeated every 2 seconds for half an hour. Nothing stops him. He's a yellow crowned amazon, semi tame (no touching allowed but will take food and have conversations with me). He has a girlfriend and is very happy in an aviary with 3 other amazons. The whistling thing happens twice a day with no apparent trigger. It's like a beep from a microwave, half a second long, high pitched, but unlike the microwave which does 5, he does about 100 of them (1 every 2 seconds for half an hour). Any suggestions how to make him stop? I've tried saying "quiet", and shouting "quiet!!!", both make him quiet for about a minute, then he continues. I've tried whistling a tune every time he does it so he does that instead, but he's not interested. He doesn't seem to want attention, although he will go quiet when I go over and talk to him, then starts up when I walk away. I obviously can't talk to him 24 hours a day. TV doesn't work.

 

[SailBoat]

Well, if you want an Amazon that's only form of communication is this single note to increase from that note, you need to teach more.

The age of the Amazon is helpful.
The length of time the Amazon has been with you is helpful
How long the two Amazons have been with each other is helpful
How long the three of them have been together is helpful.
Etc:

 

[PaulCollins]

Well, if you want an Amazon that's only form of communication is this single note to increase from that note, you need to teach more.

The age of the Amazon is helpful.
The length of time the Amazon has been with you is helpful
How long the two Amazons have been with each other is helpful
How long the three of them have been together is helpful.
Etc:

He already knows a lot. He can whistle half the Laurel and Hardy theme tune. He can say a few words. And he has lots of lovely amazon "purring" noises. Unlike two of the others he never ever shrieks. I've never had much luck teaching a parrot anything. They always end up learning something I wasn't trying to teach, just something I happen to say a lot throughout the day.

He's 6, I got him June last year. Two of the others (a proven pair) I've had since July last year, and one other (the girlfriend) since December last year. He whistled before I got any of the others, just Greys were here then, in the same room but a seperate enclosure. They show little interest in each other (the other species that is).

 

[noodles123]

The best thing you can do is to find out what motivates him and then give him that whenever he makes an alternative sound--- it must be IMMEDIATE or he will not make the connection between the noise and the reward.

 

[wrench13]

My Salty has a really obnoxious kinda yell he does when ever my wife goes near the sink/counter top. When he does it, I stage whisper "What?" and that stops him for a bit.
You just have to come up with a sound that he likes or distracts him.

 

[SailBoat]

I'm not sure what your plans are with your Parrots, but historically when Parrots are kept in this kind of environment they tend to shun the Human as they have plenty of other distractions i.e. all the other Parrots.

 

[Flboy]

Teach him the words?

 

[PaulCollins]

The best thing you can do is to find out what motivates him and then give him that whenever he makes an alternative sound--- it must be IMMEDIATE or he will not make the connection between the noise and the reward.

Not sure what you mean. I can't think of any particular thing that motivates him.

My Salty has a really obnoxious kinda yell he does when ever my wife goes near the sink/counter top. When he does it, I stage whisper "What?" and that stops him for a bit.
You just have to come up with a sound that he likes or distracts him.

Birds react strangely. I just used a small desk fan to blow air over a wet/dry bulb thermometer to calibrate my humidistat. One of my greys screeched at me like I was on fire. And that was before I'd turned the fan on. It's not even brightly coloured, it's plain white.

As for distracting, yes I've tried that. He shuts up if I talk to him or whistle a tune, or even just look at him. But it only lasts 10 seconds.

The humidistat is because I've decided to make my house 55% humidity. In winter the heating dries it out, in summer the AC dries it out, it's been sitting around 40% all year, which I don't think is good for the feathers. I've read that 60% causes mould spores, so 55% seems the best. I bought a powerful humidifier and a humidistat to control it, then had to dismantle both and rewire them to make them talk to each other! Why can't people design things properly?

I'm not sure what your plans are with your Parrots, but historically when Parrots are kept in this kind of environment then tend to error the Human as they have plenty of other distractions i.e. all the other Parrots.

What do you mean "error the human"?

Teach him the words?

The words to a tune with one note? Maybe it's this: [ame="https://youtu.be/xqTBlft8gQA"]https://youtu.be/xqTBlft8gQA?t=52[/ame]

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

My grey had an ear piercing one note "beep" that went right to the bone..If I yelled at her to stop she said "naughty girl!" and kept it up It was an attention-getter or just to aggravate me.



Jim

 

[raeleigh26]

Yeah..... Ralph has a single long note.
I ignore it. Any attempts to stop it or distract from it will encourage it instead.
Yelling begets yelling. I don't recommend that.
I have, however, discovered youtube channels that have bird courses..... one will whistle the adams family tune for half an hour. Or pink panther.
Idk if they enjoyed it or hated it, tbh, but they were quiet, and my bfa even fell asleep.

Granted, you've got to be in another room, or have them in the aviary outside, or have your headphones on or you yourself will have the Mario bros theme in your head for eternity.

But, choose your battles wisely lol.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[wrench13]

I am sorry PaulCollins, but this sounds like the set up for a bad joke, and since I can't resist a bad joke:

How to stop an Amazon whistling? Only let him hang out with the ugly female amazons.

How to stop an Amazon whistling? Teach him to play the violin.

How to stop an Amazon whistling? Reduce the heat on the burner.

 

[fiddlejen]

I am sorry PaulCollins, but this sounds like the set up for a bad joke, and since I can't resist a bad joke:


How to stop an Amazon whistling? Teach him to play the violin.

Or give him a Banjo?

 

[HeatherG]

Buy him an accordion!