Quaker Behaviour

[Nizzy]

Hi there folks

I’ve had my Quaker parrot for a good 2, nearly 3 years and since I got her she’s been a wee attention seeker, squawking (but not usually very loud) and the usual kinda noises which have never bothered me. I’ve just recently moved to a new home with my partner and she has gotten louder, more frequent squawking and has started this really high pitched piercing screech which cuts right through you. She has also started plucking our hair out which she hasn’t done since she was young.

She’s out her cage whenever anyone is home and is barely in it over the course of a normal week. She is very fond of my partner so I can’t see that being an issue, I’m getting to the end of my tether with this screeching, what can you suggest I try to get her out of the habit?

Thanks
David

 

[Laurasea]

Id say you explained it, new house, and now living with significant other.
Her world is shook up. She could have some jealousy, as she sees you two spending more time together.
I think you can get her past this with more attention, and with you, not just out if the cage. But don't reward screaming with attention, rather use the attention to prevent screaming.
Quakers are very smart, and emotional. Just moving to a new house is enough to upset them. Give some tours of the new digs to her. So she knows where everything is, and where you go when out of sight. Give her time to adjust. Kids moving to a new place act out to.
For example, one of my quakers freaks just with adding a new perch. And when she first came home with me she screamed for a month.

 

[Nizzy]

Thank you for the reply

How long should I wait after she’s been screaming to give her attention?

 

[GaleriaGila]

I've heard recommendations ranging from 15 - 30 seconds at first, and then STRETCHINNNNNNG that out...
I think the important thing is to start where you need to, with the focus on the stretch.

Oh, and welcome! I'm glad you found us.

 

[Laurasea]

I would work first to prevent screaming. Mornings are an important time to the flock. They want to reafirm bonds, make sure everyone made it through the night alive. So first thing uncover her when you get up, lots of talking to her, and if you can share breakfast together, mine have their veggies and chop and steal from my plate in the morning. If you need to get up a half hour earlier to spend time with her first thing then do. Then set up some simple forage stuff for her, and give her a paper back book to shred , you can stuff it through the bars, or stuffed by a perch. Then when you get home greet her, get her out and spend at least a half hour talking to her, take her through the house while you do chores. Then set her up at her play are or cage top with her food and veggies while you do other stuff. I have a hanging hopped over my breakfast bar they hang out in while I cook. If you need some quiet time give her a bath or mist her, if she likes baths, because I'm gauranteed a good half hour or more after a bath of quiet time ! Then I give some plain popcorn I hide or stuff it in one of those rubber dog balls that have holes in them, hooked by a zip tie so it hangs down and swings, keeps them busy for a good amount of time. Them some snuggle cuddles while I watch TV then off to bed. My flock gets up at f530 and in bed by 530.
Is your girl getting good uninterrupted sleep of st least ten hours??? That is really important.
Any screaming in my house just gets zup attention. When my new girl screamed for hours, I just went about my day and pretended not to hear it. At first it takes awhile. After she stopped screaming for about five minutes I would go and take her out and talk to her, and tell her what a good quiet girl she was. But sh also got a lit of attention and time out of the cage.
Good luck!!!!

 

[Laurasea]

This is just one of my many hanging hoops, attached to ceiling with a screw, and hung with fishing line. This toy has millit woven in it, abd you can see Neptune has a piece in his foot. And I'm going to attach my hanging dog ball picture. It has millit in it to, but I put in shredded paper, or popsicle sticks, or pop corn for him to tease out. Busy parrots are quiet parrots!

 

[Nizzy]

Thank you very much for all your suggestions and advice, I’ll definitely start trying everything you’ve said and see how she likes it. She loves bath times too!

 

[EllenD]

Laura covered everything, it's a new home and a new person, and this is going to take time at HER PACE, not your pace. So while her screaming is annoying, instead of getting frustrated or upset about it, you need to try to be empathetic to why she is screaming and then try to help her through this transition period. Parrots are "flock" animals, and though you say "she's fine with your partner", what you have to realize is that her flock used to be just you and her (their "flock" is comprised of everyone that lives in their home and that's it, so outside people may be fine, but they are not "flock-mates", even if they come over quite often and they see them quite often, they still aren't members of the flock...It's all about time, patience, and as Laura already said, you must use only Positive-Reinforcement to reward good behavior (treats, verbal praise), but you can NEVER use any "negative-reinforcement", or punishment, with any parrot, it doesn't work and it only serves to lose their trust...Instead, when they display unwanted behaviors, like screaming, you simply ignore them and deprive them of your attention completely until they stop screaming and then come right over to them and love them...

The only other thing I can add is that if you have her cage located in a room of the new house that is not the "main room" of the house, or the room where her other flock-mates spend most of their time when they are home (usually the living room, family room, den, etc.), but rather in some other back-room or spare bedroom you're calling "the bird room", then I highly suggest you move her cage to the main-room of your home, simply so that she is able to be among her flock (and her new flock-mate) while you are at home...Doesn't mean you have to be constantly giving her direct-attention while you're at home, but just allowing her to always be in the same room with you guys while you watch TV, talk, read, play video games, eat meals, etc., will allow her to feel at-ease in the new house, and it is just a matter of letting her be with her flock while she knows one or more of them is at home, and so she can see them...This will stop all screaming that she is doing when she's in her cage but not in the same room with you (she can hear that flock-mates are home but she can't see them and isn't with them), and she will be way more apt to entertain herself in her cage and on play-stands with her toys just being among her flock...And it will also help her to accept your partner as a flock-member, because right now even though she already knows her well and likes her, this is a totally different situation and she has yet to accept her into the flock...And as Laura said, there is most-definitely some jealousy at play too, especially if she knows that you and your partner are on the couch watching a movie and she's in her cage in another room...That's a big no-no right now when you're wanting her to welcome a new member into the flock...

 

[Nizzy]

Thank you very much for all your posts!

Recently she has calmed down a lot and is back to how she was when we were at mum and dad’s. However, she has now plucked feathers from the top left of her breast (and nowhere else) she lets new feathers come in for a while then ends up bursting them and pulling them out but they all seem to clot very quickly and she won’t let any new ones grow in. She doesn’t seem unhappy and is out her cage most of the day as my partner is in. She’s barely even left alone now. I had called an avian vet and she suggested just monitoring for a few weeks then if nothing has changed to take her in. What can I do in the mean time to try to get her to stop pulling the blood feathers? I just feel so helpless that I can’t help her.