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Sudden Change of Behavior in Conure

BlackNarcissus

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Hi everyone,

So I've had my maroon bellied conure (Cypress) for 3 years now (got him when he was 6 mo). He's always been pretty talkative, but has never really been much of a screamer.

Situation:
After moving into a new apartment 4 months ago, he was still behaving very well. I have two cockatiels in a separate cage that is next to him. He typically comes out for an hour in the morning (wakes up around 7:45-8AM), and two hours at night when I get home from work (goes to bed around 6:30PM). I try to do training with him when he is out to keep him mentally active. He is currently set up in the living room in my one bedroom apartment, which connects to the bedroom via sliding doors. His cage is fully covered at night. I leave for work at 8:30 and typically get back around 5. I have been leaving music, or the TV on while I am gone, so the apartment is not dead silent.

About 3 weeks ago, one of my cockatiels was transferred into a home-oxygen tank while undergoing treatment for a tumor pressing on his lungs. This is when the conure started acting up a bit more frequently, getting more noisy and using flock calls more frequently whenever I left the room. When the cockatiel died is when I believe his behavior started getting really bad. He now screams non-stop for 10-20 minute periods, with short breaks in between, if any. If I leave the room, he screams. If I walk away from his cage (even staying in the same room), he screams. If I leave the room WITH him, and leave the cockatiel in the other room, he screams.

The sound is a VERY piercing, staccato chain of high pitch screams. I have tried doing what I normally do with my parents Cockatoo, and ignore when he is screaming and then reward him when he is quiet or talking at a normal level. This used to work with him, but no longer works anymore. I also tried talking back to him when he starts what used to be his normal talking, as a type of positive reinforcement and confirmation that I was still there, but the moment he hears me he instantly swaps into loud screaming again. The cockatiel who was cage mates with the one that died had a brief period of mourning, but has not been acting up in the same way that the conure has (even though the conure and cockatiel were never out together, and the conure always got hissed at when he was climbing on their cage...).

He is also waking up earlier than he was previously, and will scream non-stop until I come in to wake him up.

I make sure that both their cages are clean, fresh water in the morning and afternoon, diet is about 30% seed, 40% pellet (mix of roudybush and zupreem), 30% fresh food. His cage is the Prevue Wrought Iron 24" x 24" x 57", and has a variety of foraging toys (caitec puzzles), wooden block toys, and shredding toys.

Really not sure what to do at this point... I am in a 1 bedroom apartment on the first floor. My landlord lives upstairs and let me have the pets because I told him previously that they do not make much noise (which was true at the time). I'm worried about losing the apartment because of the constant noise - it is loud enough that I can hear the conure when I am outside in the driveway. I don't want to get kicked out of my apartment, but I also really don't want to put him up for adoption. Last resort would be to get a companion for him, but I am concerned about entering a situation where BOTH are screaming!

Any advice is greatly appreciated!! Thanks-
 

Tara81

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I’m so sorry for the loss of your cockatiel. It sounds like he is in mourning, and now things are different that your tiel is gone. I think some extra attention, new toys may help a little. Are his toys being rotated every two weeks?

I think I’ve read before that a conure needs four hours of outside cage time, and more direct attention then a cockatiel while out. Maybe you could increase your time with him by an hour? I hope it works out, and someone with experience can help with better suggestions.
 

Ripshod

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I agree with @Tara81, he could do with a little more time with you.
One other thing a sudden change of behaviour could indicate is a hormonal bird. It's hard at this time to tell exactly what the cause of this change is, or if it could be a combination.
With a little patience he'll get over it.
 
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Tara81

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Maybe letting him forage for his food more and giving his brain some more stimulation while in the cage as well to help keep his brain occupied
 

BlackNarcissus

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Thanks for the tips everyone! My best guess that he is hormonal, as he started regurgitating for all his handsome toys last week. He is still screaming loudly whenever I leave the room, but stops after 5 min or so if I stay quiet. I've been keeping him up later than his normal bed time and that seems to be helping- whether it's from the additional time out-of-cage, or adjusted sleep schedule, I haven't figured out yet!
 

Monica

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Are you refilling the foraging toys daily? Is he spending longer hours foraging than he does eating from a bowel?
 

Tara81

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He is still screaming loudly whenever I leave the room, but stops after 5 min or so if I stay quiet.
This is quite normal. My tiel does this all the time as a single bird. If i go to the bathroom she continues whenever she hears me moving in the bathroom. I call out sometimes to let her know im safe;P I have budgies but due to health issues with the budgies, they have to be seperated from the tiel.
 
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