The squawking continues....

[kristy_peaches]

So I posted a while ago about how my Meyers parrot does not stop squawking! You wonderful people suggested we move her to a centralized area of the house and that’s what we did. Things were better for a bit but now every time we step of of the living room, she’s squawking again.

Whether I just close the door to use the washroom or just step around the corner to get a bite in the kitchen.

How do we wean her off of this behaviour? It’s to the point where we can’t wait to leave the house to get away from the noise.

Help again!! Xgcc:

 

[noodles123]

How much time and interaction does she get out of the cage each day? Is there a reason you can't leave her out when you are home?

 

[kristy_peaches]

She’s a destroyer of all things so we can’t leave her outside her cage with curtains and leather couches around. Even if she’s out of the cage she flips out if we leave the room, even for a second.

We will have her out, cuddle and give her attention and the second she’s back in her cage, the squawking is back. I’m going insane. Literally crying right now because the noise is never ending.

 

[noodles123]

Do you literally cuddle her (as in stroking/hugging/petting)? I can't remember if I talked to you about hormones. Does she have access to any shadowy spaces in or near her cage?

I bet there is a solution. Try to breathe---I know it's hard though!

 

[Sunnyclover]

Your bird is just contact calling you because you're out of their line of sight. It's extremely common and not an easy thing for them to stop doing because it's an instinct. She's calling you back to her because she thinks you might be lost. My solution to this is that I take my birds with me from room to room. Most of my birds are clipped which keeps them from destroying my house but mostly for their safety. I have a spot in each room where I can sit my birds that is bird safe like a perch or a pillow or a play stand. The contact calls... it's just what birds do and it's because they care about you so you don't get lost. Also, birds are LOUD and even if the type of parrot you got is supposed to be quiet that really depends on the individual birds personality. Please try to find a way to live in harmony with your avian companion even if they squawk when you leave the room it's just a bird thing and nothing she's doing wrong.

 

[noodles123]

If she is quiet for 15 minutes when you are away but in the same house (and then screams after 15 minutes), that is good. If she is screaming the second you leave, that is a problem that can be curtailed.

 

[ChristaNL]

As always: what you reward will grow stronger...
so if screaming non-stop will get you back in the room...that is what she will do!


Sunny will contactcall (5x times a fullthroated wraaaaaa per call ) almost nonstop when she hears me talking to people outside my house, but is quiet when I am away / I checked with the neighbours and even birdsitting friends. It is bloody annoying, but it is in the DNA for her to do that.
If I do not respond (after a while) it dies off a bit, but I have to time my re-entry in the house in between the wraawraawraawraawraa's because if it looks like I am appearing when she calls (reward the calling) ... it gets worse!


She used to yell when she could see but not reach me ( me on the balcony) but like the other in-house calls I only respond to words/ soft whistles not the WRAAAAAAA!
So she starts using 'hello!' more now.


But it is a battle!!!
Timing is everything

 

[YSGC]

You and I know our homes are free from the dangers of the wild like hawks flying overhead and ground predators hunting for a meal.
Since parrots are intelligent you might assume they know they are safe in our homes.
But while humans live in homes that we make safe, parrots have evolved in the wild for zillions of years.
That's why fear of being caught and killed happens at the instinct level for a parrot, not the rational thinking level.
IOW a parrot in a home doesn't know it is safe from predators. (dogs and cats excepted)

A flock animals' survival depends on the flock's many eyes looking out for danger.
Being caught alone must be terrifying.

I thought carefully about our house's floor plan with 2 things in mind.
Which rooms the humans spend most of their time?
What cage location offers maximum view of humans for the longest period of time?

From his cage Pico can see into the 3 rooms we spend the most time in.
It's awkward for us to walk around the cage there, but the noise reduction is worth it.

Of course consider the other cage-location factors.
To name a few, don't put it ...
In full sun, or in a very dark location
Next to a blind door where someone in stocking feet will quietly and suddenly walk through, startling the bird
In or next to the kitchen with its higher concentration of cooking fumes

While extreme, some people in certain houses might actually consider modifying a wall by opening up a window between rooms so the bird can see its humans in the next room.

I also allow Pico (with clipped wings) to join us in other rooms.
I have stand perches set up wherever we hang out, even in the bathroom.
Each has a thick rope hanging to the floor Pico uses as an elevator.
Pico is free to walk around the house to join a human whenever we are home.
Obviously my SO and I have trained ourselves to watch were we walk, and have to clean up dropping here and there ... a small price to pay for a more-quiet bird.

 

[RemiBird]

Hm...
Not sure what the next step would be other than finding her a new home.

 

[kristy_peaches]

It’s one thing to contact call, but my husband and I will be sitting in the room and she will squawk mom stop sometimes. There’s no reason for it. I take her out and give her attention, I point her in the direction of her foraging toys and we respond when she says little words and kissing sounds.

She squawks the minute we leave the room. We have tried covering her up when she squawks but there doesn’t seem to be a big change at all.

 

[noodles123]

It’s one thing to contact call, but my husband and I will be sitting in the room and she will squawk mom stop sometimes. There’s no reason for it. I take her out and give her attention, I point her in the direction of her foraging toys and we respond when she says little words and kissing sounds.

She squawks the minute we leave the room. We have tried covering her up when she squawks but there doesn’t seem to be a big change at all.

There is a reason for it-- you just aren't aware of it yet.
Never cover a bird for screaming-- not a good solution and not healthy for the bird.

If you want advice, you have to give more information about the details....

 

[noodles123]

Hm...
Not sure what the next step would be other than finding her a new home.

I disagree strongly with this suggestion. This is a situation where there is solution---it is either behavioral, hormonal or both and it is definitely fixable if the owners would just provide more information in order to get an outside perspective. Birds aren't just broken, screaming machines...(especially when they are young like this and haven't had a million homes). I mean, yes, they scream, but not constantly (without cause). They do it for a reason and that reason is often our fault (whether or not we understand it). A new home is like putting a bandaid on an open artery...The bird will only suffer further if re-homed without figuring this out.

 

[Flynhigh]

Unfortunately if you can't start spending more quality time with your bird it will likely get worse. She needs to learn how to occupy herself for at least short periods and without an older bird in the house to teach this it falls on you. Like others have said if your on the couch the bird should be on a stand near you and have toys on that stand. If she gets needy show her the toys and play with them yourself to get her interested.
Also you should be starting to target train , clicker train and even harness training if you haven't already. The bird needs to feel safe and confident in your home . Is the bird flighted? I understand not wanting to see destructive behaviors or having your things wrecked but this is what they do best. So give her a place close to you and some things of her own to destroy. Talk to her while she's out with you. Interact like you would with your child and show her she is part of the flock not shunned. Remember this is a bird not a dog and their intelligence and attention span is far different. Yes you will have poop to clean and wood chips and other toy parts to clean up after their done.
Parrots are the most self serving creatures we could have for companions and are a lot of work, they don't care how you feel period. I will say this and I don't ever recommend anyone giving up their bird unless they've exhausted every effort to make things right but what I do think is worse is allowing things to get to a point where your at wits end and you can't wait to leave because of the noise and that's where the relationship go's south. The bird is locked up an suffering mental anguish because the flock is gone and it has no one. Your out feeling guilty because you can't take it anymore and life continues a downward spiral of physical , emotional issues for your friend because more education is necessary. Please look at this honestly for you and your fid and if you can't or dont have the time or resources at this point in your life ...find someone that does. Not a shelter or rescue, a real home with experienced bird owners that can help this youngster before the trouble begins. Local bird clubs , your CAV are great places to start asking about the possibilities. We have to look past our own selfishness and do what's right for them and their happiness.
If you do have the resources there are many good trainers that will do inexpensive consultation's via Skype and can provide help and keep you and your buddy together for may years to come.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I had a LOT of issues with Skittles the first few years I had him. It was MOSTLY due to my not setting limits and boundaries.

With all do respect, I have to disagree with Noodles about the cage covering. It was actually my vet that suggested just that. She told me to put him back in his cage for a timeout and cover him if he persists. Then once he quiets down, let him right back out. I needed to teach him that being out of the cage and being with 'daddy' was a 'privilege' and not something to be abused. I eventually had to get him a timeout cage and I HATED doing it, but it worked wonders. I was putting him in timeouts several times a day for months. He is a COMPLETELY different bird than those first few years. It didn't harm our bond one bit either. In fact, I think it strengthened it. At the same time, I should reiterate this- timeouts should NEVER be more than five minutes. Skittles timeouts were usually 2 or 3minutes. Just til he quieted down.

Skittles has ZERO issues with going into his day cage when I prompt him in. I do this when I have to leave the apt for a little while to run errands etc. He is free flighted, so he is free to follow me wherever I go in the apt, but he doesn't always do that. If I happen to be in the bedroom and he's in the living room and he screeches, I will call back to him and he will fly onto his living room playstand that overlooks the hall and he can see into the bedroom. Sometimes he'll stay on the playstand and other times he'll come into the bedroom. But as long as he knows where I am, he doesn't have to be in the same room in order to be quiet.

At the same time, Skittles gets a LOT, and I do mean a LOT of quality time with me and that I'm sure has a part to it as well. But he has always gotten plenty of attention and thats not gonna change. He does however 'occasionally' "act up" when I'm on the phone. I usually look over to him or 'watch him' while I'm on the phone and he is fine. BUT, if I completely ignore him when I'm on the phone he'll act up. I then put the person on hold, put him in his cage til I'm off the phone.

I had to get rid of some things, make alterations and changes to my apt and my schedule to accommodate him and in order to keep him free-flighted.

I don't know your exact situation. But I think rehoming is jumping the gun quite a bit. The problem/issue should first be definitively identified and then steps should be taken to resolve the issues with serious effort before rehoming should even be in the background of conversation.

It could be hormonal, it could be environmental. It could also be that you may think your bird is getting plenty of quality time and attention and your bird doesn't feel he/she is.

 

[YSGC]

+1 about covered time outs during the day.

Works wonders for Pico and I too.

 

[RemiBird]

Parrots are the most self serving creatures we could have for companions and are a lot of work, they don't care how you feel period. I will say this and I don't ever recommend anyone giving up their bird unless they've exhausted every effort to make things right but what I do think is worse is allowing things to get to a point where your at wits end and you can't wait to leave because of the noise and that's where the relationship go's south. The bird is locked up an suffering mental anguish because the flock is gone and it has no one. Your out feeling guilty because you can't take it anymore and life continues a downward spiral of physical , emotional issues for your friend because more education is necessary. Please look at this honestly for you and your fid and if you can't or dont have the time or resources at this point in your life ...find someone that does. Not a shelter or rescue, a real home with experienced bird owners that can help this youngster before the trouble begins. Local bird clubs , your CAV are great places to start asking about the possibilities. We have to look past our own selfishness and do what's right for them and their happiness.
If you do have the resources there are many good trainers that will do inexpensive consultation's via Skype and can provide help and keep you and your buddy together for may years to come.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Agreed.
I only suggested rehoming because if I remember correctly the owner said she is pregnant and seems overwhelmed with the problem.

 

[noodles123]

The issue I have with "covered" time-outs is that it messes with their light cycles and can trigger hormones etc. It also makes covering seem a bit like a punishment.

I think time-outs can be great when used properly, but I would suggest a time-out space in another room with the door shut (rather than shutting off the lights -so-to-speak). If it worked for you guys, I am glad.

I just have read bad things about covering cages during the day.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

The issue I have with "covered" time-outs is that it messes with their light cycles and can trigger hormones etc. It also makes covering seem a bit like a punishment.

I think time-outs can be great when used properly, but I would suggest a time-out space in another room with the door shut (rather than shutting off the lights -so-to-speak). If it worked for you guys, I am glad.

I just have read bad things about covering cages during the day.

Agreed. I think what you may be referring to is the common and unfortunate cases of people covering their birds for prolonged periods because they are screaming. I don't agree with doing that as a 'go-to'. The cause of the screaming should always be identified BEFORE its addressed. With Skittles, I didn't want him to associate his 'day cage' with timeouts, so when behavioral problems arised I got him a 'timeout' cage. I would put him in it and put him in another room for a few minutes. I was doing that at LEAST 2 or 3 times a day for the first year or so. I no longer have that timeout cage. When he 'acts up' and doesn't stop I put him in his cage and cover the front. I don't cover the entire cage, just the front, so he does get light.

Sometimes Skittles will go off on a screaming rampage out of the blue and I'd imagine a lot of people (though none on this forum, fortunately) would just resort to caging and covering. My FIRST go to in his screaming cases is WHY is he screaming. THIS method has worked wonders. Parrots can't speak to us in 'human language' so they use calling for communication. Its our responsibility as parronts to address those calls properly. Sometimes Skittles goes off cause he sees something (a bug, for example) or he hears people outside or in the hall etc. MOST (about 99%) of Skittles screaming is a direct result of a cause. Once I deal with the cause, the screaming stops.

Let me give you a few examples of just how incredibly smart the little stinker is- when he wants juice - he flies to to the top of the fridge and 'wags his tongue'. He will screech too, to get my attention. When he wants a bath, he'll fly onto the faucet and 'ruffle his feathers and sneeze' and screech. If he wants a treat, he will fly over to his 'treat bag' and screech. He doesn't go on 'screaming binges' when these happen, they are just screeches to let me know hes trying to tell me something. When he's tired and its his bedtime he will do his 'flock call' which is screeching and this one is persistent. So I just walk into the bedroom and he follows and most of the time 'darts' into his sleep cage. I LOVE how good he is at communicating his needs, but I also love how he will actually be patient while I'm addressing them. He doesn't screech incessantly with one of his needs unless I 'ignore him', which I don't. Once he knows I'm addressing his need, he stops. He does get 'excited' but he doesn't screech while I'm getting his needs addressed. When I come home from an appt or errand, he's excited and screeches. He leans forward in his cage and 'vibrates'. I let him out and he will screech for a minute or two and I let him because I know he's excited to see me. Sometimes he will simmer down on his own and other times I have to say 'okay Skitty, thats enough. Now stop' in a firm voice. He loves my 'sweet birdy voice', but when I speak to him in my loud firm voice, he knows I mean business. The two voice tones are remarkable effective as well. The firm voice means "i better behave or i'll get timeout". I ONLY use that firm voice when hes misbehaving. When he's screeching out of 'alarm' or 'need' I use my birdy voice to reassure him while I deal with the screech. If he's screaming out of alarm, he needs reassurance not discipline.

I have a friend who had a family member with a GCC that was always screaming (likely because they never let her out of her cage or played with her) they just put her in another room and covered her up whenever she would scream. That poor neglected GCC passed away about a year ago. I told my friend that I never wanted to be in the same room as that GCC owners because I'd likely do something that wouldn't be good. Well, wouldn't be good for them.

When I got Peaches, my tiel, she was a year old. I had bought her as a baby for my mom cause she wanted one. My mom named her 'Bobby' cause she thought she was a male tiel. But my mom never let Peaches out of the cage. So Peaches screeched a LOT. Finally, my mom told me to take her cause she couldn't deal with it. I was not in a place to take in another bird so I had a friend of mine take her. He had recently lost his own tiel. He had her for one night and she was screaming and screaming. The neighbors were complaining. So I had to take her. I took her out of the cage that first day and she spent most of it out with me. She was quiet when she was out with me. I forgot to shut the cage door securely after putting Peaches to bed and when I woke up the next morning, she was cuddled beside me on my pillow. She was a sweetheart and all she wanted was some love and attention.

While it amazes me how smart parrots are, it also amazes me how stupid humans can be.

There is a VERY careful balance between using timeouts/cage covering to control the situation and maintain boundaries AND doing timeouts/cage covering as a punishment cause you don't want to be bothered with dealing with the screeching. That I totally get. You have to set limits and maintain boundaries and thats what timeouts with parrots SHOULD be used for.