Anyone in an apartment with a LOUD bird?

[cosmolove]

I've been freaking out about moving, I've noticed everywhere in the ft. lewis area (washington) either has rent over $1200 or doesn't allow pets.

I've been trying to find a house since Ralphie can be so loud, but has anyone made it work with a loud bird in an apartment. I think I'm going to try for a 1 level apartment complex and I'm going to try to get on an end.

Then if I get noise complaints I was going to try to soundproof the room. Like maybe put eggcartons up on the walls to muffle the noise and adding extra rugs and such to help with the noise.


Any advice?

 

[juliashmulia]

I live in a very well-insulated apartment with thick walls. The only neighbor I share a wall with is hardly ever home, and when he is, he's drunk (not joking; he's an alcoholic). He sings loudly and smashes pots and pans and I can usually hear him from my living room. Since he's so noisy and hardly coherent, I don't think he notices Silas's screams. (Yes, I have the one LOUD Senegal in the world.) Obviously you won't be able to arrange the same setup. I think you should steer clear of complexes and try to get an apartment where you have the top or bottom level of a house, that way you wouldn't be sharing walls with anyone. If you can't swing that, I think your idea about the egg cartons is a good one. Another tip for soundproofing is to have lots of fabric in the apartment. Carpets, thick curtains, etc. They absorb noise. Just Google "soundproofing apartment" for more ideas.

 

[ThBestLaidPlans]

I've lived in an apartment with a sun conure and the world's loudest cockatiel. I've never had a single complaint. Part of it is preventing the problem: Obviously don't let them develop a screaming problem prior to the move, and learn when your bird typically screams and what causes him to do so. I also recommend these, if you can afford it:

Audimute Sound Absorption Sheets | Materials That Absorb Sound | Soundproofing Blankets - Audimute Soundproofing

I believe they also make curtains as well. They really, really help, especially if you place them around your bird's cage (if that's where they normally scream). I also had a lot of luck just talking to my neighbors and asking them to come to me before they go to management. They never needed to, but they really appreciated me volunteering and being upfront with them.

It's also a great idea to have lots of fabric. Because my birds love plush toys we have a lot of stuffed animals in the bird room, and that also really helps. Really, just try to have anything that can dampen sound (plush toys, carpet or rugs, even certain plants, so long as your bird won't eat them).

Edit: Wanted to specify, I've lived with a sun conure and cockatiel in an apartment for 4 years (sun conure) and 1.5 years (cockatiel). I'm pretty used to the apartment-life with loud birds!

 

[cosmolove]

That makes me feel better, I found an apartment complex that "welcomes LARGE dogs" so I feel like people there are going to be more okay with animal noises than just any apartment so I'm going to check them out and see, I'm not 100% sure what to do yet. Ralphie thankfully is only loud around 10am so most people are at work and according to my mom who works from home he really doesn't make much noise at all during the day. He only gets going when my mom's dog gets barking at something outside then its a screaming and barking match between them for like 15 min and its back to silence.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Just make sure you tell the managment that you have birds and they can be noisy like children. Be honest and upfront. And typically the managers will be honest with you.

I have lived in an apartment with a loud amazon and cockatoo. And currently live with close neighbors. And my birds are loud.

If you worried about noise they make those special floor matresses with the triangle lumps. And they're good for sound proofing. But honestly you shouldn't be worried for noise if you were upfront about it in the beginning.

 

[Alan J.]

I can not offer any real advice, but can share Alex's situation, for interest.

Alex, my 18 month old blue and gold macaw has his own apartment.

Elsie and I live in a rented house on a hill overlooking the sea in a town called Mossel Bay on South Africa's east coast. Our landlord was not happy having a macaw in his fully furnished home and fairly long story short, I eventually rented an apartment for Alex next to my work (a shark aquarium and marine research facility).

I told the new landlord that the apartment was for a macaw and he was happy to rent it to me. There are 5 apartments, all on a second floor level and Alex is in the first, so only has one potential neighbor, but this apartment is currently vacant. Bizarrely enough, the previous tenant in number 2, had two of the rooms completely sound proofed and I am currently thinking of renting it as well, because we have just gone into our winter and the light house on the hill behind Alex, sounds a fog horn when the mist is thick, which has just begun for this season and Alex appears to be bothered by the noise. It has been seven days since the horn last sounded, so I am waiting for the next time, to see if the sound proof rooms will dampen it and if so, will rent it and take Alex into one of the rooms on days the horn goes on.

Alex is not terribly loud, but does scream on and off. He has been in the apartment for six months and we have not yet had a complaint fortunately.

 

[Featherhead Lady]

Hye, there! I live in an apt with nanday and hahn macaw that thinks she is a dog. I also studied electronic music production at college so i learned about studios. I put up acoutstic panels all over my apartment because I have no carpet, drapes, and 1 entire side of windows. All the glass and wood make sound increase, echo, and reverb so their squawks are louder and even more distorted.

Birds have a high frequency so you don't need to use extra thick panels or materials. If you did you acoustic panels, 1" thickness is enough. Use eco natural materials, never use foam or fiberglass panels because its hazardous to birds and human. The shaggiest material absorbs sound best.

Soundproofing is impossible in an apartment because it requires adding soundproofing material inside the walls, floor, and 2 paned windows. You can block bleeding sound around the door and windows with weatherstripping all around it. There are soundproof doors and add on systems to block sound on door but are very price.

My panels round out the bird sounds and make it tolerable. I have noticed it has lowered the sound outside my apartment but it is not soundproofing. Birds will always be loud. Sound will bounce off all smooth surfaces. Depending on the size of the room, panels or fabric curtain material can work. Even using ceiling clouds and baffles to stop the sound from traveling but this is for really high ceiling and large spaces.

 

[cosmolove]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far Everything is really helping!

 

[Mizzely]

I live in a quadplex, so my kitchen, birdroom, and bathroom share a wall with the lady next door, and we have an apartment above us. My living room wall is where the hall way and stair case to the 2nd floor and basement are. We have had no complaints; the birds scream but its only during 9am to 9pm, and not constant.

 

[Sadieladie1994]

I am in a first floor apt with 2 dogs (chinese crested and cattle dog) and 3 parrots (scarlet, female ekkie and vasa.) The kids here are louder and I have video taped them along with the noise they make. Mine have gotten a little louder when the kids are screaming. They are fine otherwise. Birds are quiet at night so not as much of a problem as dogs can be.

 

[Featherhead Lady]

Also, i dont place the cages on a wall that is shared with a neighbor. My next place i would like to live in a corner unit so at least one side would have no complaints.

 

[Lyzzi]

I live in an apartment with a macaw and a cockatoo. No complaints!

 

[Akoni]

I've also been in an apartment (full of graduate students) for the past year with no complaints. My neighbors downstairs have a dachsund that yaps constantly, so infrequent caique screaming throughout the day is nothing compared to that! The landlords, however, don't allow babies due to the noise.