How To Win The Battle Of Wills?

[usamimi]

We're starting to enter our battle of wills with Kevin.

The nibbling/chewing isn't the major issue. I put her down and ignore her and she seems to do well with that.

The noise making is what's making me pull my hair out. I'm currently on summer break so I am, unusually, home. I try not to notice her too much to get her off her schedule. I feel like paying her an unusual amount of attention will upset her when i go back to it.

She does not love this. so she screams. and screams. and shrieks.

She's just learned to vocalize in the last month or so, so I know it's her attempt to communicate. There are times where I don't know if she's just trying to get attention or if she's just SO HAPPY she can make noise. If I don't acknowledge her she either screams some more or flaps away (she can't fly. she just dive bombs). If she flies off, she goes back in her cage. If she screams at me, I walk away, ignore her and refuse to pay attention to her or take her out when she's doing this.

I'm worried i'm somehow traumatizing the bird by ignoring her when she does this but I don't know how else to handle it.

I'd love any help or even affirmation that i'm at least doing the right things. I know she's testing my limits lately but my limits are starting to wear thin. This is behavior that needs to be nipped in the bud. I acknowledge that she will make noise, birds do, but these are too loud and too blatant to be just noise.

 

[lizardsmells]

Can she see you? I wonder if these aren't contact calls basically saying, "I know you're near by, where are you? Come find me!" Kazi and I whistle back and forth when he wants me to answer him. It can get loud, but a whistle is way, way less annoying than a scream. He also seems, most of the time, to be happy with just knowing I'm near and I hear him. The times he's not happy with it, he just comes and finds me himself

 

[merlinsmom13]

Yes, it depends on the type of scream we're talking about. Merlin has several

1. I'm PO'ed & I want to scream. (I ignore this, hang in there it may take time & eardrums. Merlin has started coming into the room where I am & screaming this scream, just in case I couldn't hear him) lol
2. The somebody-somethings outside. (I usually go to the window & try redirect the screams. He now calls the neighborhood boy "BOY")
3. Contact call (I originally would answer him w/a trilling sound, now he mimics the sound & its the only call I answer)
4. New scream, very shrill (I think of rehoming w/this one.lol I have no idea what it means, but somehow I've reinforced this scream. Praying I'll figure it out. :41:

 

[usamimi]

thanks for the replies. We do whistle back and forth but I think this new one is the same as Merlin's #4. I think she's imitating the local grackle and boy is it earsplitting. I think she may just be doing it because she can. She's quite proud of her ability to vocalize.

I think it's a combo of the "I will scream until you play with me. I know you're home, liar." and "Look Momma, I can make that noise too!"

The ignoring is already starting to pay off but my poor eardrums pray we learn a new noise to take the place of the old one.