Screaming Behavior Mods

[Hawk]

Flock calling is different from screaming.

Flock calling is just keeping in contact with a flock mate, checking up on them when you can't see them...

A LOT of conure screaming is actually, I can't see you, so I'm gonna check on you...

There's the alert screaming too. When something is spotted outside. I'll come up to the cage or perch in room , depending on where they are and we have many windows in this house so the birds are always able to see outside.

I'll lift my Zon's up and Poppie usually say's "look look, what's that?" and I'll have to explain it to her that it's not going to hurt her and that it's ok. Such as a squirrel in tree, or rabbit or deer in yard. It's a Zoo outside actually so the birds see many types of different animals.

Yesterday they all created ruckus when a couple Turkey buzzards swooped low across the yard. Want to hear some screaming...man I need ear plugs for the " Big bird in sky alert".

 

[Hawk]

I can just imagine your Amazon slapping his face with her wing. XD But how do they stop each other screams??

Actually, she was on a boing over the conure playstand. She beaned him on the head with a foot toy. Then she climbed down onto the conure playstand, got beak to beak with him and intimidated the crap out of him, and did her full on AMAZON BATTLE CRY - full volume - drowned the conure out completely, nearly knocked him off the playstand...

Then she climbed back on her boing, and pulled off another foot toy, and sat there dangling it over his head. The second he let out a peep, she nailed him in the head with it...

And before he recovered ANOTHER foot toy was untied, and was dangling over his head...

That little conure was a great talker, and used language in context. When he saw Sally dangling another bead over his head he quite literally said "Oh $hit!" He moved one way, she repositioned herself with the bead over his head. He moved. She moved. The second he squawked. She nailed him again...

HE SHUT UP, AND WAS QUIET FROM THAT POINT ON!!!

Dammdest thing I ever saw!!!



Same bird used to go BIG BIRD on my ex-wife the minute she raised her voice. WINGS OUT, FULL ON TAIL FLAIR, EYES PINNING, TERRITORIAL INTRUSION NOISES... BACK OFF OR I WILL ATTACK YOU!!!

My ex - to this day - is terrified of that bird!

But she also shuts up around Sally!

Sally is THAT protective of me... She does the amazon "territorial" thing, but I am her territory. (Which is exactly why I'm not taking her this weekend!)

This could also be the secret to why other birds just immediately behaved when they came into my house. THE FLOCK ETTIQUITE AROUND HERE IS ENFORCED BY THE OTHER BIRDS.

"KNOCK IT OFF..." IS A PHRASE EVERYONE KNOWS IN CONTEXT!!!

I'll be darn....another bird telling and quieting another bird...I thought that
only applied to a bird telling another animal to shut up. My Zon Poppie is good at telling the dogs to shut up when the Dogs see something outside and get a barking. She says....." SHUT UP..go lay down...stop it"..... real loud.

 

[Birdman666]

Tusk tells Sweepea "That's too loud" all the time using my voice. (We don't use "shut up.")

He will also use "knock it off" in my voice when he starts something with Sweepea, and is losing the game, to put an end to it before getting his little red tail feathers kicked...

The deal with this one, was the conures were upsetting the household, and Sally doesn't permit ANYONE to upset the household...

Not the kids...

Not my ex wife...

and it was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen a bird do, completely on her own... (NOTHING ELSE WAS WORKING!)

She's a handy bird to have around!

 

[psycmeistr]

Other than his normal before-bedtime and wake-up screams, the only time Moses screams is when I am gone.... and my wife is home.

However, it seems that my wife has been doing (nearly) the right thing all along--whenever Moses starts screaming, she puts his cover on--and when he is quiet, she takes it off, and gives him positive attention. Wash, rinse, repeat-

 

[Schnobs]

Yes, I understand this and I have been doing my job... I've had this fellow 3 weeks, he came to me this way... I just need to know there is hope of breaking this habit of his before my eardrums break... he even does it when he is getting attention, he is slowly learning to play by himself but, from my understanding, the woman who I received him from let him on her shoulder all the time (I imagine in order) to keep him quiet... so teaching him to entertain himself is a real challenge. He just sits on top of his cage and screams... I KNOW not to respond to his screams but it's difficult when he does it ALL THE TIME, and I need to be able to move around in my house, go into my office to work he screams when I am in the office with him, when he is in the living room with us... does anyone have a specific idea I can do... saying "just don't respond" isn't helping.

 

[Birdman666]

Yes. You can modify screaming behaviors, but you have to follow protocols.

ALSO screamers tend to need more structured interaction. Same thing happens a certain way each day, whether you scream or not.

And they need to actually be taught to entertain themselves when it's not their time.

Again, if you're screaming incesantly, that cover is coming out. First it goes on the floor in front of the cage. THEN it covers three sides of the cage. If that still doesn't work... THEN COMPLETELY COVERED AND IGNORED. But the important part is WHEN THE BIRD QUIETS DOWN, the cover gets lifted, and the bird GETS REWARDED FOR BEING QUIET. If he stays quiet, it comes completely off and goes on the floor in front of the cage, and if he still stays quiet, it gets put away.... GOOD BIRD!

YOU MUST, MUST, MUST be consistent with this...

The bird has to associate the cover coming out with the screaming. He needs to know that the screaming will DO THE OPPOSITE of getting him the attention he craves...

AND BEING QUIET WILL GET HIM WHAT HE WANTS!

That's what you reinforce here...

 

[Ginnybird]

I have a six-month old 'zon, and she's developed no screaming habit as yet. She yells hello or jibberish when I leave the room, so I periodically answer hello or hi darlin'. Hopefully that will help her not to progress to screaming.

There's another thing I lately started doing in the hope that it helps prevent any screaming later (and because it's really entertaining)... structured noisy time.

After I get home from work, and after training, dinner and some playtime, there's noisy time. I turn some music loud and get back to my own exercise routine with some dance and even sing some for her benefit. She responds to the emotion and noise and joins in and gets really silly. I think it helps her spend pent-up energy. And then wind-down (she usually wants to eat more) and bedtime.

Time will tell if this all works... but any thoughts from the gallery?

 

[Birdman666]

To me, that's how it's done. If they have that in their structure, then they can get it out of their system in a healthy productive way.

Just like taking the toddlers to the park, and letting them run around and wear themselves out. They behave so much better when you get home.

Don't do it, they run around the house screaming, and being holy terrors....

Same principle applies.

 

[Ginnybird]

Awesome, thank you!

 

[Siobhan]

Covering Rocky when he's screaming doesn't slow him down in the least. If anything, he screams MORE when he's covered.