What is 'normal' morning screaming?

[M&M Ninja]

Can people please describe for me what is the 'normal' morning screaming (calling, hollering, etc) their bird engages in?

I've read in several places that a healthy, well-adjusted, no-baggage bird will scream in the morning, when you come back after having been gone, and right before bed. We are having trouble with the first, understand and allow the second (it only lasts a few seconds), and she doesn't do the third.

'In the morning' is vague to me so I'm not sure what to allow. While covered, she screams briefly when I grind coffee around 6:00am. Then back to silence. Once uncovered around 7am, she is quiet and plays by herself. Then, around the time of us making breakfast (usually between 8-9am), she starts screaming. It can sometimes go on for awhile. Scream scream scream...pause for 30 seconds....scream....pause for 1 minute...scream scream scream. You get the picture.

Is this the normal, morning screaming? Should we just ignore her?

Edit: Our confusion comes not from the definition of morning, but whether or not this is the screaming allocated to the morning time or if she is asking to come out. We randomize whether or not she gets to come out around breakfast time, and we don't want to let her out if she is screaming. I hope that makes sense.

 

[JLcribber]

The flock is all over there together eating breakfast. I am locked in this cage. Sometimes I'm allowed to participate. Sometimes not (confusion. stress). What would your reaction be?

Screaming has nothing to do with time. It's situational. If it looks that way it's because situations pop up at the same time.

 

[M&M Ninja]

Hey John, thanks for responding. Is this 'normal morning screaming' thing a myth? My husband thinks it is oft-repeated 'wisdom' that may not have roots in fact.

Do you randomize your day/behavior? We have certain routines in place (mainly just her meal times), but out of cage time is sort of randomized so that a future routine disruption doesn't cause too much upset (needing to be boarded, someone else taking care of her, etc).

Also, for clarity - We are all together. She is literally 2 feet from me when she does this.

 

[Mizzely]

Yes Ripley will scream and fuss the entire time I'm in the kitchen prepping breakfast for everyone. Doesn't matter if it's 6am or 9am. "Morning" is the first congregation of the flock to eat together!

 

[M&M Ninja]

Hmmmm, so it could be that we are making breakfast? I'll try to feed her first tomorrow and see if that prevents le screaming.

 

[JLcribber]

Birds are creatures of habit. The more consistent and routine things are, the smoother things run. Little or no stress. Things happen when and how they should. The world is good.

but out of cage time is sort of randomized so that a future routine disruption doesn't cause too much upset (needing to be boarded, someone else taking care of her, etc).

Meanwhile you create stress every day for something that will be a very random short event. It's easier to just let them deal with the latter IMO.

 

[camelotshadow]

My birds eat first then I have coffee & mostly a piece of toast. I take care of them before myself & they don't scream...

 

[JLcribber]

Hmmmm, so it could be that we are making breakfast? I'll try to feed her first tomorrow and see if that prevents le screaming.

Doubt it.

The flock is all over there together eating breakfast. I am locked in this cage. Sometimes I'm allowed to participate. Sometimes not (confusion. stress). What would your reaction be?

Participation is the secret word.

 

[M&M Ninja]

Thanks for the input everyone. The other reason for our randomized mornings is that we - the humans - have a sort of ABAB schedule. On "A" days, she can come out; on "B" days, she cannot. I might try a new "B" day routine and see if that helps. I'll let y'all know how it unfolds.

 

[camelotshadow]

Screaming might be wanting to come out...She knows sometimes she does so she is screaming to come out...You might have taken her out after a scream & she got the idea if I scream I can come out...They catch on fast & they don;t give up...Never take her out after a scream fest. Only when she is quiet can she come out...

Rio will take a few bites of his food but I notice he does not settle down at his bowl fully til I have sat down & I am eating my breakfast...They do like to be part of the flock...

 

[PufF]

Also I have seen some threads about how birds scream in morning to make sure that the flock is still alive and well.Also I do think that she wants to participate.Small distance to you yes,to her probably not.Also the feeling to be so far yet so close to doing something is indeed frusrating.
I once was in a project where I was making something but it just wouldn’t work.In the end I realised that one of the switches had a broken wire so was open and broke the whole circuit.The time spent to realise that,though a mere ten or so minutes,was stressful indeed.
And for Umbrella,normal morning screaming is the alarm clock noise at 7am.Birds are indeed creatures of habit,I think she picked that up in her second home when the owner supposedly had an alarm clock beside her cage (which was also the bedroom ) which rang every morning to get the owner up for work.She do that for a few moments and when she sees that I have woken up,she would resume to her normal screeches for a few minutes or so,as if to congratulate herself,waking me every time.

 

[M&M Ninja]

Update (sorta):
We've played around with her breakfast times. I fed her upon uncovering her...next day at the same time we all sat down to eat...and today, at some point in between. I'm leaning toward screaming = her wanting to come out. And she does it even if she had some out-of-cage time already that day. We have never let her out in the middle of a screaming fit (or even immediately after), so I think she is just testing her boundaries. Saying I WANT MORE and crossing her fingers that we'll let her out.