Loud squawking won't stop

[JanMarie]

HELP!!!!!! Loud squawking won't stop

Hi I'm new to the Ekkie world. I have a 13 year old rehomed eclectus and I have searched on the internet with no success on how to get them to stop squawking. Even if he is with us if one of us walks out of the room this brain melting squawk starts and he won't quit until we are back with him. We seem to reinforce this to by coming back into the room as he squawks again and again.
Please let me know what I can do it is driving us nuts...not to mention when we do put him in his cage because we need him in a safe spot he squawks repeatedly as such a volume I just can't believe it comes out of him...other than that he is a very very sweet boy. But I need help before I loose my mind. When he is quiet in his cage I will go get him and give him a treat but this method has not changed a thing.

PS I have an CAG who is very quiet.

 

[labell]

If you cover his cage briefly does he stop? How long is constant? I know that seems like an odd question but an eclectus call is so piercing it can feel longer than it really is. Males do tend to be a little louder than the girls imo.

Does he have foraging toys, things to occupy him when you aren't able to give him one on one attention. Is he getting enough sleep? Mine will get loud if I keep them up past their bed time.

Do you know very much about his past? Is there something that could be frightening him? Contact calls and alarm calls are very different, alarm calls can make your ears bleed, do you know which one he is making? Contact calls are loud but mine will do it for my attention or when they are playing hard but it doesn't last long, less than 5 mins and maybe once or twice a day. Alarm calls are piercing shrieks, very high pitched and short in duration.

I dehydrate lots of veggies and fruit and if the kids are extremely jazzed up I offer them the dried treats, it's the fastest way to get them silent if we are watching a movie or trying to take a nap. Eclectus love their food, I use kale or zucchini chips and their faces go in the bowl! Just some things to try.

 

[JanMarie]

Hi Labell, thank you for responding! The scream is not the piercing sound (he does that too but not much), it's sort of like an angry goose honk that is worse than the piercing shriek. He has tons of foraging toys, he loves those and tear apart toys and preening toys. He goes to bed at 7pm every night and is up at 7 am ish. I only know that an elderly lady had him. He is not fond of veggies but I offer them every morning. He gets sprouts everyday as well and TOPS pellets as a snack. He does love to eat but was raised on a parrot mix called Tropimix which I will still give a little bit to him. This loud goose honk is done when he sees my husband who he loves and he does the honk over and over until my husband comes to get him. We don't mean to reinforce this but sometimes it's unavoidable. Any suggestions you have are welcome!

 

[labell]

You could try a time out (short duration) by covering his cage. Or some people have had success by coming up with a word or a sound that is more pleasant. When your husband leaves the room and he contact calls your husband could wolf whistle or say a word that lets him know he is still there. The bird does need to understand that this sound is coming from your husband so doing it in front of him first helps. The idea is for the bird to start making that more pleasant noise back instead of the scream.
I don't really have this issue with mine because while they are bonded to me if I leave the room they can still hear and see each other.
Eclectus are never going to be as quiet as your Grey typically but he can learn that he is not being abandoned when someone leaves the room. How long have you had him? Do he and your CAG hang out together?
Was his previous home his only home before you? Did the woman have other birds?
One thing I think really helps at my house is I have some kind of stand in almost every room in my house so I do tend to take them into the room I am in for them to hang out. I don't need to entertain them or touch them so much as they just like to be where I am. I can work or watch TV and as long as they are in the same room they will play or eat contently. Does he entertain himself if he is in the same room as your husband or does he have to be on him?

Is he clipped? Can he or will he fly? Another thing that might help is doing some recall training or other types of training to wear him out. Again short fun frequent sessions are best.

 

[JanMarie]

Hi Labell, We have had him 4 months, he only had one owner before us and elderly lady with no other birds. Our CAG Dolly and Oliver do not get along. Oliver will fly to her cage play top (only time he will fly, he is unclipped) and will PUSH her off her cage! He bulldozed her right over the edge. He will attack her if he can. I do have a stand and take him everywhere when I am home during the day, my husband isn't even in the door with his coat off and Oliver starts that horrible grinding honk/squawk! Tony will go get him when he quiets down for a moment and has him with him until he has to do something that doesn't include Oliver, then he's back on his stand. How do you do recall training? I want to try that! He needs wearing out...I mean he needs exercise. Thanks! Jan

 

[labell]

Recall training is where you train him to fly to you on command, it would probably work better to start with your husband since he already wants to be with him. Have him stand a little ways away from the stand and call him with or without a treat, hand out for him to land on, then go further and further away. I use "Fly to me" but any command will do as long as it stays the same each time.