Hey everyone, I haven't been on much because of school since getting back from my Thanksgiving trip, but I am ready to pull my hair out over Checkers.
As many of you know, I have been having to handfeed Checkers everyday for about the past week, but the more I handfeed the more demanding he is becoming. I know he is eating everything I put in his bowl, seeds, veggies, and some pellets, plus he is getting a feed from me at night, but all he can do is SCREAM.
I have kept birds for six years now, and have never had a screamer (even my cockatoo doesn't do that!) but Checkers screams his head off any time I am in the room and not holding him.
It has gotten so bad, that if I want to spend time where he is I have to cover him, and he is slowly but surely teaching my other birds to yell as well. (They can not see him, but he is in my entry way and they can hear him, so Chico especially has been answering him back).
I don't know what to do! He has only been here for three weeks on Friday, and surely I could not have taught him in that timeframe to yell like he is dying for attention, could I? I mean, yes, when he first started yelling and begging I was very concerned until I figured out what was wrong, but now the issue is fixed. But anytime I walk into the entryway he goes off. But if my boyfriend walks by, or I peek in on him without him knowing he is contentedly preening or playing.
What do I need to do? I feel like everynight when I handfeed him I am just reinforcing the begging/screaming bloody murder behavior.
As many of you know, I have been having to handfeed Checkers everyday for about the past week, but the more I handfeed the more demanding he is becoming. I know he is eating everything I put in his bowl, seeds, veggies, and some pellets, plus he is getting a feed from me at night, but all he can do is SCREAM.
I have kept birds for six years now, and have never had a screamer (even my cockatoo doesn't do that!) but Checkers screams his head off any time I am in the room and not holding him.
It has gotten so bad, that if I want to spend time where he is I have to cover him, and he is slowly but surely teaching my other birds to yell as well. (They can not see him, but he is in my entry way and they can hear him, so Chico especially has been answering him back).
I don't know what to do! He has only been here for three weeks on Friday, and surely I could not have taught him in that timeframe to yell like he is dying for attention, could I? I mean, yes, when he first started yelling and begging I was very concerned until I figured out what was wrong, but now the issue is fixed. But anytime I walk into the entryway he goes off. But if my boyfriend walks by, or I peek in on him without him knowing he is contentedly preening or playing.
What do I need to do? I feel like everynight when I handfeed him I am just reinforcing the begging/screaming bloody murder behavior.