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Béa's (BFA) Progress: Week 3

M&M Ninja

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Prior threads:
Week 1
Week 2

Monday

Screaming/Calling

We're having a brilliant start to the week. I moved her cage outside as soon as I could upon getting home from the gym (~7:15am). She did one outburst of continuous screaming that lasted for 45-60 seconds while I was pooping and weighing Cord. Once she paused to take a breath, I waited a few seconds and then went into her room and moved her.

In her first hour, she briefly yelled once, took a 20-minute break, briefly yelled a second time, took a 20-minute break, and is now doing some marathon yelling. Still, it is much better than before.

Her biggest morning yell session took place from 9am-10am, but was still better than before.

Unfortunately, what started as a really peaceful day had a strange turn around 3:30. She started screaming again and wouldn't stop. It was disruptive to my students and myself, so she was relocated to the porch (where she didn't say anything).

New Development!
She bathed in her water dish! As soon as I noticed her trying, I put a casserole dish with water in the bottom of her cage. I tried everything I could to lure her down there, but she wasn't having it. Unlike Cord, she is very cautious with new things. That casserole dish was not passing the smell test.

I didn't want a stinky cage and wet mess for the whole day, so I was hoping she'd hurry up and finish the (completely ineffective and pointless) bath. Removing the bowl didn't turn the switch off, but I eventually had the idea to try my water mister. While she wasn't a fan of it initially, she quickly got in the spirit of the mist bath and clung to the side of the cage with her wings open. I emptied the entire thing, and she still wanted more!

Unfortunately, I was down to 5 minutes before my first student arrived, so I wiped down the bars, changed the paper in record time, and got her wheeled into place.

It was a couple hours after the bath that she started up with unprecedented afternoon screaming. I would have expected her to be relaxed from it, but not so.

Training
She has been happy to come out to the door and occasionally climb to the top. She was not okay with the stick today.

Bird-bird Interactions
We brought Cord out for 5 minutes to see Bea while Bea's cage was in the kitchen and we were preparing dinner. Cord was very curious; Bea mildly curious. Cord landed on the cage at one point, but Bea couldn't see her through the top seed tray and thus, didn't seem to care.

Tuesday

Screaming/Calling

I can't conclude that anything I do is effective in curbing the calling, because no day has yet been the same as any other.

This morning's experiment - I rolled her out to the living room/kitchen. I immediately opened the door and did some touch training. She is always a little 'out there' first thing in the morning. Very stressed, swinging/clinging to the top side walls of the cage. It took a free snack to get her attention and then she was happy to engage for a little while.

This led to her standing on top of the door and us working on some step-up training. Unfortunately, since the door moves a little, she got spooked at some point and flew/glided across the room. This was AWESOME for her to get some air time and, hopefully, to remember the joy of flight.

She slid-landed on tile and couldn't stop, so she slid into the kitchen cabinet. Shortly thereafter, she tried to fly back to the bedrooms, got maybe 5 inches of vertical ascent, glided/slid 15 feet and came to a stop with the help of another wall. It took her 6 minutes to get back to the cage. While she was a little nervous at first, I think she enjoyed walking around the exploring.

So the day began with ① training, ② an impromptu flight, and ③ breakfast served right up at her preferred level to make sure she ate and to reduce stress. The combination of those things resulted in zero screams/calls this morning.

I gave her a pistachio in a foraging toy when I moved her out to the porch. Both birds are out there, and I haven't heard a peep from either one of them.

Training
We're holding steady at 'one foot on hand'. Stick is once again a scary object.

Wednesday/Thursday

Screaming/Calling

It is so bad, it's unbelievable. I imagine some people would say, "Birds are loud. You knew what you signed up for."

Except that my conure is only loud about certain things, and the new bird was never loud during my visits at the park. There were/are loud birds at the park, who scream all the time. She wasn't one of them.

I've tried several things - porch right away, breakfast right away, leave her in the room, etc. I'm leaning toward leaving her in the room so that I don't feel like my attempts are just failing right and left. Why go through the trouble of hauling her big, heavy cage everywhere if she is going to scream no matter where she is? At least if I leave her in the room, I can shut her door and slightly dampen the impact.

I wish she could exercise in a more intense way, because I tend to believe exercise helps everything. Her climbing around the cage is better than being a perch potato, but the stress climbing seems to feed the stress.

The only thing I haven't tried is the two birds together. I suppose I'll try that in a week or so.

To be honest - for others who might be going through the same thing (or considering it), this morning screaming is having a huge impact on my well-being and is very hard to deal with. If you're sensitive to noise or have a short fuse, I'm beginning to question the wisdom of a rescue parrot. I thought I was adopting a quiet individual. Wrong.

Training
We've had a few stick touches again. Her hand touches are going well. She's also doing better going to perches on command. We tell her to "Go to your perch" and tap the perch; she's getting pretty reliable about following directions.

Early stick training:

Bird-Bird interactions
We brought Cord out to the kitchen during the human dinner prep and fed the two birds their dinners at the same time. Both ate well, and the interaction (at a distance) was fine. Cord flew to the top of Bea's cage a few times; Bea didn't seem to care at all.

Friday

Screaming/Calling

We left Bea's cage in the main room last night, so she was already out there in the morning. Before she could get fully committed to being a disturber of the peace, I brought Cord out for poop/weigh time. Immediately afterward, I did some touch training with both birds - one at a time and Bea in her cage.

Training
The Model/Rival technique definitely works. Both birds were highly motivated. The only problem with working with Bea in the morning is that she is wayyyy worked up. So clicking and reinforcing her physical behaviors (e.g. touching) while she is amped up and nearly pissed off is reinforcing that emotional state as well. After two successful foot-to-hand requests, she gave me a quick nip. I wasn't hurt or surprised, and my suspicion was confirmed. She's really not mentally there. She's 'out to lunch'.

A high point in our day/week/relationship!!!! - We got a secure, confident step-up, twice! Each time, I immediately stepped her backward onto the perch she had left. (Both were from inside the cage, and I only moved her an inch or so away from the perch.) She is certainly clumsier than my conure, but she understands what is being asked. In fact, based on the number of times I've heard her say 'Step up!' I'd say she was regularly told that cue before she went to live at the rescue.

These step-ups happened in the evening after Cord went to bed.

Cage
We have a new awesome crepe myrtle branch that we're going to put in the cage this weekend. It's been near her cage all week, so it's time to make the transition. She's going to be upset about it for a couple of days, but she'll be so glad to have the new perching surfaces once she gets over it.


Saturday/Sunday

Screaming/Calling

This has not improved. She started up earlier than normal on both weekend days. I'm not surprised, given that we're home on the weekend, rather than at the gym. Saturday, she screamed without stopping from 6:30-7:30am. She then went to intermittent noise making until she was quiet for long enough that we felt it was okay to put her outside. No noise from the porch.

Sunday, she started at 6:15 and hadn't stopped when we left to hike around 7:15. She started up again when we got back around 9:15 and continued even after rolling her onto the porch (which we did during a short interlude of silence).

Interestingly, after rolling her out on Sunday (and listening to her scream for 15 minutes), I went out with the dog to throw the frisbee. Once the dog decided she was done, I went over to socialize with the birds. Bea immediately shoved her foot through the cage to do her 'pet/grasp me please' routine. I don't know if it was because I chatted to Cord first or if because she's feeling tormented and lonely. Or maybe my occasional touches are keeping her hormonally amped up and contributing to the screams. Now there's a thought.

So do I stop allowing her to grasp my hand (and perhaps contribute to her loneliness during this transition) or do I continue to allow her to grasp my hand (and perhaps contribute to her screaming)? What a conundrum.

Training
My husband thinks I sometimes pursue her too much. That might be the case. I sometimes offer my hand/fist and she backs away. I then immediately back away. She then immediately advances and lifts a foot. So while I agree she might be reacting to my advance (by backing away), she then, right away, demonstrates the desire to continue interacting.

This, along with the screaming, seems to indicate she feels a lot of doubt and confusion.

Cage
During the screaming fit on Saturday, I advanced the perch several feet toward her cage and ended the night with it touching it.

Then, when she was out of her mind on Sunday, I leaned it into the open door and later, put it all the way in the cage. She must have noticed it, but it didn't change the sound of her 'song' at all.

After reading more about foot health, we've decided it isn't big enough for her anyway. I believe it was on the I Love Amazon thread where it talks about really big perches for Amazons. This branch is maybe an inch wide at the base and then it forks into two smaller branches. I think I'll use it for Cord's cage instead and find Bea something thicker, even if it doesn't have the cool branching.

We're going to try some different destructible toys this week, namely paper towel and toilet paper tubes. She does forage periodically in her foraging toys (which are also destructible), but she isn't taking anything apart. Maybe she'll scale back the screaming if we can find something for her to really tear apart.

Bird-to-bird interactions
The new routine is that both birds are out during dinner prep. Bea's cage door is closed and Cord eats on the island where we are making dinner.

I don't see a problem with putting Bea's cage in Cord's room, except that it is further away and more difficult for relocating to the porch.

For now, I suppose Bea will continue to be based out of the living room with her days spent on the porch. It works for her screaming, but it is very minimal human contact. After 2-3 hours on the porch, Cord is in my office and gets to see me and come out throughout the day. Bea feels far away, all by herself outside.
 

Clueless

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Hubby gave up a few years ago. We now throw a dark colored sheet over the top of the cage when the screaming gets too loud. Secret can't see us and then it gets quiet.

She has been known to go to the bottom of the cage and look out for us..... but doesn't keep up the screaming from down there.

I honestly don't know why the bird screams but hubby and the kids think it's because I humor her. I have to admit I've rapidly gone to the cage but that's what you do when you live with non-bird people and you want to keep the bird.
 

M&M Ninja

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Hubby gave up a few years ago. We now throw a dark colored sheet over the top of the cage when the screaming gets too loud. Secret can't see us and then it gets quiet.

She has been known to go to the bottom of the cage and look out for us..... but doesn't keep up the screaming from down there.

I honestly don't know why the bird screams but hubby and the kids think it's because I humor her. I have to admit I've rapidly gone to the cage but that's what you do when you live with non-bird people and you want to keep the bird.
Thank you for this. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. Some questions -
  • If you cover Secret, how long do you have to wait to uncover her?
  • Does she then remain quiet for the rest of the morning or is it a cover/uncover/cover/uncover sort of deal?
  • Does she only scream in the morning?
 

Clueless

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Just for a short while....

If we uncover her and she starts up again, we throw the sheet back over the cage.

I'm sure there are folks saying "%$#@" but they don't live with it either.

I just asked hubby and he said she carries on in the evenings too sometimes. (I don't think so but then again, she's my feathered buddy)
 

Clueless

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By the way, she has a big cage so a single size sheet (dark green) leaves the bottom of the cage open and the back of the cage that faces a large windows is also open so plenty of light for her to see, she just can't see her humans....
 

~Drini~

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She may just still be adjusting to a new environment, especially if she was quiet before? My GCC, who had previously been dead silent, suddenly started screaming for weeks and weeks when we moved to another place. In my case, only another bird companion stopped the screams, but perhaps I didn't try enough of the right things.

I would maybe try keeping everything constant (because right now it seems like you're frequently changing things and things are maybe too unpredictable for her) for as long as you can tolerate and see if that helps.
 
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Dartman

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If Puff, the psychotic Jenday, starts screaming too much he gets covered and that usually quiets him down fairly quickly. He loves to watch us, or hide in his happy hut, but I think he's content enough. He just gets wound up and his screaming affects us probably about like Beas affects you. Right now he's preening his beloved hut and making little noises and twanging the bars a bit, the others are quiet.
 

M&M Ninja

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Just for a short while....

If we uncover her and she starts up again, we throw the sheet back over the cage.

I'm sure there are folks saying "%$#@" but they don't live with it either.

I just asked hubby and he said she carries on in the evenings too sometimes. (I don't think so but then again, she's my feathered buddy)
I just tried with my available sheet (light colored and not big enough). She initially reduced her frequency, but ultimately, returned to screaming constantly. I might grab a big, dark one from a thrift store to have on hand.
 

M&M Ninja

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She may just still be adjusting to a new environment, especially if she was quiet before? My GCC, who had previously been dead silent, suddenly started screaming for weeks and weeks when we moved to another place. In my case, only another bird companion stopped the screams, but perhaps I didn't try enough of the right things.

I would maybe try keeping everything constant (because right now it seems like you're frequently changing things and things are maybe too unpredictable for her) for as long as you can tolerate and see if that helps.
We moved her into the bird room last night when it was bed time. Since it is my office as well, it's pretty unbearable trying to work here this morning, even with earplugs. I'm so tense! The other bird is here, too, and has no effect on her. Bea makes Cord scream, however, which makes the entire situation even more frustrating.

I would like to keep things constant, but I can't have her screaming when I have students in the house. It's distracting and stressful. So she has to go to the porch...but then I can't leave her out there overnight because of predators.

Honestly, I've begun to wonder if she has to go back. I don't want to give up on her yet, but she won't settle and is ruining my mornings (which is the start of my day and has the potential to really impact my day).

She hardly made a sound at the rescue...is it possible she isn't happy here?
 

MommyBird

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I would maybe try keeping everything constant (because right now it seems like you're frequently changing things and things are maybe too unpredictable for her) for as long as you can tolerate and see if that helps.
I would like to keep things constant, but I can't have her screaming when I have students in the house.
Reading the entries I was exhausted by all the changing routines. If I were Bea I would be completely unsettled, not know what to expect from anything, and screaming also.
You are absolutely NOT going at Bea's pace. Slow down, calm down, and back off! She hasn't even been there a month.
You need to let her figure out where she is and then find out who she is. You, a stranger, are pushing her to do things that are changing constantly and she can't figure anything out.
You need to let her show you who she is after she feels safe. She does not with so much constant pushing and changing.
 
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Clueless

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Part of the issue could be your stress.

Parrot's really do seem to mimic our stress level. When I'm stressed, so is Secret. I honestly have to make an effort at times to just calm myself down. A brisk walk through my neighborhood (humming Mr. Rodgers theme song), etc.
 

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Part of the issue could be your stress.

Parrot's really do seem to mimic our stress level. When I'm stressed, so is Secret. I honestly have to make an effort at times to just calm myself down. A brisk walk through my neighborhood (humming Mr. Rodgers theme song), etc.
yes I agree. I just came back to edit and add that Bea is also reacting to your emotional "vibes" They definitely do that.
 

Dartman

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Lurch would get mad if he could tell I was upset so I tried calming down and talking nice and he would calm down and be in a better less aggressive mood too. They really do mirror what is going on around them.
 

M&M Ninja

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Reading the entries I was exhausted by all the changing routines. If I were Bea I would be completely unsettled, not know what to expect from anything, and screaming also.
You are absolutely NOT going at Bea's pace. Slow down, calm down, and back off! She hasn't even been there a month.
You need to let her figure out where she is and then find out who she is. You, a stranger, are pushing her to do things that are changing constantly and she can't figure anything out.
You need to let her show you who she is after she feels safe. She does not with so much constant pushing and changing.
Thank you for your comment. Everything we have done has been in response to Bea; a defensive action, not an offensive action. She turns into happy, content bird on the porch. So wouldn't it make sense to move her to the porch?

My husband has proposed just letting her cage stay out there, but I don't think it has good enough protection from predators. It would, however, accomplish the 'let her figure out where she is'.

Are there other ways you feel I am constantly pushing and changing?
 

M&M Ninja

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Lurch would get mad if he could tell I was upset so I tried calming down and talking nice and he would calm down and be in a better less aggressive mood too. They really do mirror what is going on around them.
I have found this to be the case also. Regarding Bea's screaming, we usually offer her a brief, gentle 'good morning'. Then after a few minutes, she begins the scream-athon and will keep at it for 1-3 hours.

We've tried her in different areas of the house, thinking she was reacting to the energy of a certain location (e.g. too close to the big window with all the birds outside, or too far away from people and too quiet). The only reliable place to place her for scream control is the front porch. Once there, she calms down and turns into a present being.
 

Clueless

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My husband has proposed just letting her cage stay out there, but I don't think it has good enough protection from predators. It would, however, accomplish the 'let her figure out where she is'.

Are there other ways you feel I am constantly pushing and changing?
please don't put her on the porch.

Predators can, and do, hurt or kill parrots way too easily. Years ago we lost several chickens that were pulled into a fence in their run and left to die. It was horrific.

It does seem like her cage is constantly moved around.

Does she have a travel cage? Secret had a travel cage and we could move her into it and put her in the back bedroom, covered, for total calm if need be. Thankfully, we haven't had to do that.

Secret likes a routine.

I'm going to tag @melissasparrots maybe she has another view about screaming
 

M&M Ninja

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please don't put her on the porch.

Predators can, and do, hurt or kill parrots way too easily. Years ago we lost several chickens that were pulled into a fence in their run and left to die. It was horrific.

It does seem like her cage is constantly moved around.

Does she have a travel cage? Secret had a travel cage and we could move her into it and put her in the back bedroom, covered, for total calm if need be. Thankfully, we haven't had to do that.

Secret likes a routine.

I'm going to tag @melissasparrots maybe she has another view about screaming
Thank you!

I wouldn't leave her on the porch overnight. I don't think he was serious.

Her cage is moved around - daily. I'd have to look back at my notes, but I think we had her in the bedroom for roughly a week and then the main room for the next two weeks. So two locations in the house. During the day, she goes out on the porch. I think there was one occasion where she had to return to the porch a second time during the day because of atypical afternoon screaming.

She isn't stepping up or coming out of the cage yet, and we don't want to force anything, so we can't relocate her to a smaller cage. Maybe I didn't mention that in my weekly log, but that's why her cage is moved. Her cage = her, right now.

Her marathon screaming is also limited to the mornings, so I'm not totally convinced we're 'making her uncomfortable'. After midday, she is content.
 

Clueless

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Secret can be distracted to do whistles and other noises when she's on her verbal calling spree. I always make sure to praise the good noises.
 

melissasparrots

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If you leave, does she quiet down while in the house alone? If you come back from the gym and just don't go in the house for an hour or two, does the screaming start anyway, or is it just in response to you coming home or making noise around the house? I'd be tempted to come home and sit on the front porch very quietly for a couple hours on a weekend just to see what happens.
What was the routine like at the rescue? Was morning time a main feeding time? Is she allowed access to any of her previous diet at all? I'd be tempted to giver her a tablespoon of seed in the morning before the screaming starts to see if that calms her down.
What happens if you leave her in whatever room she is in but open the cage door and walk away before the screaming starts? I've had times where a bird was in a different room and I just opened the cage door, closed the room door and ignored the bird for a couple hours.
I'll be honest, screaming is hard. It seems like whenever I bring a new bird home, the screaming is most problematic for the first 6 months to a year or so. I tend to be somewhat hard core in not giving them whatever they want in response to screaming. I am not an early to rise person. If they start screaming in the morning, I stay in bed. Nothing happens until I get up and they don't get to decide when I get up. They test this sometimes, but for the most part, I can sleep until 10am or later without much if any screaming. The twice a year time change can be challenging. Only my goffin's (who is a rehome but been here for 10 years) does some night screaming for no apparent reason. Her previous owner used to cover her at night and I don't. She lives in a bird room and if she wants to scream, then I just sit quietly with my earbuds plugged in and play on the internet. She can't hear me since I'm not making any noise and usually quiets down after a while. Quiet homes tend to make for quiet parrots. If I'm letting my computer or tv make noise, they I might have some screaming birds.
She sounds like she isn't totally comfortable in her cage. Was she in a large outdoor aviary at the rescue? What does the whole of her cage look like? What about areas nearby? Is her cage near something else that is taller? Sometimes, they will want to get to the taller thing and will be unsettled. Some birds like to be near a window to look out, others do not. Most birds like to have one portion of their cage against a wall or even a corner. Does she sleep on a perch or clinging to the side of the cage?
 

Clueless

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I knew you'd have some thoughts! Thanks @melissasparrots

By the way @M&M Ninja there was a time I had to make hubby turn off a pendulum clock (sometimes even minor things will rattle out feathered friends) unless it's just Secret....
 
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