What are your birds screaming and sleeping habits like?

[ikethedeviant]

As someone who is completely new to the world of birds and has allowed a teeny little green cheek to dominate my world in a short 6 days, I'd like to ask what all your birds are like. It would be nice to know your struggles, funny stories, etc. to get a better idea of typical (if there is such a thing) conure behavior. Zeppoli is awesome, and I think I really lucked out with him because he's just such a good bird, not troublesome at all. (He repeatedly drew blood when I would visit him at the pet store and I was sure he would be trouble, but once home, he was a completely different bird) I do have a couple of questions though, and I'd just like to thank everyone in advance for your help, this forum has been a lifesaver.

First of all, I'm concerned most about my eventual change in schedule. I'm a college student so my schedule changes every semester and I'm worried about the effect that will have on him. I also don't know what to do with him at the moment because I'm on summer break so I'm home all the time and naturally I want him out with me all the time, but I don't want him to get so used to having me around all day every day that he freaks out when my classes start up again and I have to leave everyday. What are your experiences with changes in schedule?

Second, I don't think he's a screamer, but he does have his moments when he squawks for a good half hour. How much screaming is too much? In other words, at what point would screaming be considered a problem? And how to avoid encouraging this behavior? Most people seem to say it's best to ignore it, but does that mean avoid looking at him altogether, like pretend he's not even there? Any other methods? So far, leaving the room seems to do the trick, but he starts right up again when I come back. How long should he be ignored? I've also heard other people suggest to answer them, and talk to them to calm them down, since they're trying to call out to their flock. Which I suppose kind of makes sense because he usually has his screaming fits in the early evening, which leads me to my third question: could it be because he's sleepy?

Today, he was persistently squawking in and out of his cage. He wanted to keep coming out; he bites me when he wants to go in his cage to poop or eat, but once he's done in there he wants to come right out. He'll go in, grab a pellet and climb super fast back to the door so I won't have a chance to close it on him ahahah its pretty cute but I want him to eat in peace so I found leaving the cage door open and staying with him while he eats a little keeps him from doing that. But anyhow back to my question. I found that covering him and putting him to bed stopped his screaming immediately, so he was probably just sleepy and being cranky. Zep seems to have a solid sleeping schedule, he's asleep around 9 and wakes up around 10 (probably a result of being raised in a pet store with those hours). Now if I were to put him to bed around 8, which is when he seems to get screamy, would that be too much sleep? Is there such a thing as too much sleep? I'd like to know what your birds sleep patterns are like. Do they ever change? Are they even changeable? When I'm awake at 8 or 9, he can clearly hear me up and about, but he just goes right on sleeping. Which kinda sucks because if I have earlier classes to get to, and he won't get his little butt out of his snuggle hut I won't be able to spend morning time with him sigh...but I think I'll live.

So sorry for the looooong post. Any feedback is as always, appreciated!

 

[aufde]

I've only had my GCC for 2 days now, but so far he never screams. He'll give me a medium level squawk when I leave the room and he'll give one big yell every once in a while (only 4-5 times the last 2 days). He'll also talk quietly back to me when I whistle at him.

One of my friends has a Jenday and says when his bird gets loud, he just whispers back. His bird will bring it way down like "why are we being quiet?" and that usually works for him.

Also, if you know what he wants when he squawks real loud, don't respond right away because he'll learn that squawking gets him what he wants. So let him quiet down then give him his bath, let him out, or whatever he's screaming about.

Hopefully someone can confirm this, because this mostly just from what I've read.

 

[Kern2012]

Ive had my FGCC for about 5 days now and he is about 3 going on 4 months old and I couldnt live with out! Cooper doesnt make alot of noise, the noise he makes you can compare to a purring in a cat.. Little I Love You Squeaks... Cooper goes to bed about 10pm he gets a little nippy when he is ready for bed.. I think that is due to the store hours where we got him... Other then that he is my baby and LOVES to snuggle!!!! Congrads on your new baby and I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do!!!!!

 

[thebirdnerd]

Congrats on your new addition! I really like the name...Six days isn't a long time so he is probably still getting used to you and his new home...As for the screaming, if he does it when you are in the room, turn your back to him and leave the room. Once he is quiet, return and give him his favorite treat. Persistence is the key. Is he a baby or an older bird?

 

[patch]

Pepper rarely screams, but when he does I just ignore him or leave the room until he's chill. I wait around 10-12 seconds before I go in and address any problems/give him attention. I think he just takes time to scream is all. He also sleeps about 10-11 hours a night. There have been times where I've changed what time he goes to sleep, but I did it over the course of a few days and he didn't have a problem. I've noticed that when I sleep past when I should wake him, he's already up and eating or preening. He's not a morning screecher. He actually prefers to talk quietly in the morning. Thank goodness! I totally lucked out.

 

[dishgal1]

My Gcc is a a year old. Conures like routine. His bedtime is around 8:30 that is when he starts getting nippy. He usually flies to his cage and sits on top until I come in and give him a good night kiss, then he walks right in the cage. He developed this little habit over time. In the beginnning I would put him in the cage around 9:00.....that was a little too late. He usually gets up around 7:00 am. So they need a good 10 - 12 hours sleep. I get up around 6:30- 7:00 so that schedule works .........if you sleep later then you can adjust that schedule according to your lifestyle. Now changing it once it gets started might be a little difficult but not impossible.
If you have to leave for school early you will have to uncover him before you go so he won't be in the dark.
Leaving the cage door open is a great idea. They really like to be out of the cage as much as possible when you are home, just be careful he doesn't fly thru the door to the outside.
When my Forrest gets nippy or loud, I talk softly to him and tell him to "be a good boy", he looks me right in the eye like , "well, okay". They love to be talked to one on one. When I leave the room he sits quietly for my return to the room and then usually flies to my shoulder. He isn't loud at all and I think it is because he has access to me throughout the day when he needs me. It took several months before he would fly to me though .....the total bonding process can take a while.
Basically they love to be with you at all times. Mine is on my shoulder at the computer, he eats with me, he showers with me, etc. They need a lot of attention and it sounds like you will make a great "parront". Also he sounds like a really sweet bird which makes you a lucky guy. These little guys are a life commitment so please don't take it lightly. They become very close to their owner and you will be amazed how much love and devotion they have go give. Far too many people get them on a whim only to give them up when their life gets hectic and these little guys bond deeply with you and it can be extremely hard on them.
Good luck with you new fid baby.

 

[Bobioden]

My GCC rarely screams. He might squawk a couple times a day. Never long and not too loud either.

Maxx takes a few naps a day in his Happy Hut. He climbs in there around 8p to go to bed for the night. I cover his cage some time after that, and he sleeps until around 7a. I never hear a peep out of him after he climbs into his hut. He does say Nite,Nite as I am covering his cage. This is something we started from his very first day here, and it took him a month or so to learn it.

 

[ZoeS]

Sometimes birds just like to yell, for fun. Mine do it periodically when they are playing in top of the cupboards, all of a sudden the noise just starts up and lasts for a few minutes. Sometimes I join in. We can't expect them to be quiet all the time and you don't have to discourage the behaviour if it's not problem behaviour. Since he is screeching when you are there, he's just excited and talkin' to ya.

As for eating, I have a dish of food and water out for my birds when they are out with us. I also have a sleep cage in the bedroom which I can't recommend too much. It adds structure to their lives and gives them a clear of sense of bed time, and I can go on watching tv or something in the living room without bothering them.

If he's sleeping 13 hours, I wonder if those last few hours are really quality sleep. Birds tend to be up and down with the sun. He may just be sitting there quietly because that's what he's used to.

I would try bringing his bedtime back a half hour a day so he is getting 10-12 hours of sleep but is waking up around 7-8 am. Mine sleep from 10pm to 8am so I don't exactly follow my own advice, though.

 

[Largofan]

I've had Hiccup for close to three weeks now and I adore her. She doesn't seem to mind my schedule changing to much so far, but I try to make sure she gets at least half a hour to a hour of snuggle time and then make sure to talk to her. She doesn't make any noise, weather a cheep or just chattering at me, over a loud talking level and I love her for it. My friend Helitorian has a Jenday and a Red factor sun conure, and I don't know how she can still hear.
I also agree about the bedtime thing. Hiccup goes to bed at eight, right after I clean her cage and either wakes up with me at six when I have to work, or a bit later when I don't. I'm just glad she doesn't have any problems with the alarm clock, which was soemthing I really worried about when I first got her. My biggest problem now is, since she's established my room as her territory, when Helitorian brought her birds over for a play date, she picked fights with the much larger Conures, and they're known for that

 

[terry52449]

Parrot species that scream will do so for several reasons. Hunger, water, something bothering her, even when they`re tired and want to sleep. But once they start screaming you must ignore it until they calm down and are quiet for 10 minutes or so. Give the bird praise and a treat maybe. But make sure you try to find out what the bird was screaming about in the first place.
My two U2s would scream every time I leave the office. So when I go to the bathroom I make sure I am going to do something wlse for awhile until they calm down. Now they will scream if they want out of their cage or some attention but they also know I am not coming so they only squawk for a minute or so. The screaming has really subsided quite a bit now but on occasion they will have a bad day.

Before I covered my cockatoos they would make a lot of noise until the TV was off and we went to bed. So I cover my birds for the night at about 8PM and uncover them between 7 & 8 AM. They are as quiet as mice but If I don`t uncover them in the morning by this time they will let me know about it. Some birds like to be up at dawn but cockatoos are late sleepers usually especially if they are covered.

 

[Atwee921]

I've only had Sprite since October but I'll tell you a little about his habits
He hardly ever screams, thank god! And to be honest I think it really adorable when he does! The only time he screams is when I get home, when we dance to music (Yes I dance with him xD ), and usually if I walk up to him and start clapping and jumping he'll start dancing and doing a cute little "scream." He never really screams when I put him in his cage for a time out, he either goes in his happy hut, pouts, and rings his bell (yeah his bell is next to his happy hut so he reaches out and rings the bell while inside of it! LOL) or he just runs up the sides of his cage and hangs upside for attention!!

Sprite is really good about sleeping. He has this happy hut: MP Happy Hut Assorted 6.5" I don't think he has ever slept on a perch! Even when he just arrived home and couldn't figure out how to get inside of the hut, he would go on the bars of his cage behind it so that it rubbed up on his back (SO cute!) I think the day he figured out how to get inside changed his life Haha. I always put Sprite to bed when I go to bed, which is around 9, and he wakes up around 6:20, with me. The cage I got him came with velcro around the top and a blanket to fit it, so I can velcro the blanket around his cage. So I put him in his cage, cover the cage, and then he usually makes some small sounds in bed.Hope I helped Enjoy your conure <3

 

[Autumn]

My birds habit is eat scream poop sleep all hours of the day everyday