Caique screech worrying me

[Cinus]

Hello everyone!

My black-headed caique is female and around 5 months old, and one month ago he started doing a different sounding screech which has me worried that she's unhappy or she's some kind of sick.

Basically, she acts normal and has been playful and energetic as usual, doing it's typical singing and whistling. However, sometimes during the day, most noticeable during the afternoon, when I get home from work I release her from her cage to spend the remaining of the day with me and once she's on my shoulder she starts making this weird screeching sound... She just stays nex to me doing it and it sounds angry or something and it worries me because she can go for half an hour doing it and it sounds like she is really forcing it, sometimes you can even hear some type of "echoing" or dual tone from inside her (I think one of the videos captures it well) making me think it might be hurting herself somehow. The videos are linked below:

Example 1

Example 2

Eventually she stops doing it and returns to her "normal" self, but until then those 30 minutes or longer get me worried a lot

If someone experienced with these lovely, yet crazy, parrots could give me any type of information on this behaviour or at least help me getting less worried, if that's the case, I would be very thankful!
Thanks in advance!

 

[April]

@Irishj9 and @Laurie maybe able to help.

 

[finchly]

Oh that’s cute! I wouldn’t call it screeching (disclaimer: I only listen to a little, as hubby’s asleep). It sounds like a happy bird to me.
I have a pair of bh caiques.

 

[Irishj9]

The wing flapping (though its quite fast) is the clue ( example 1)

It says FEED ME

Baby may be eating on its own, but they love comfort feeding for a long time after they reach self reliance

Keep some nuts or small pieces of fruit or cake handy for baby

and yes, that is nothing like the SCREECHING you will yet hear lol

Teach baby your flock call - ie to whistle. I have one that says "Im a lil burdie!

If you respond EVERY SINGLE TIME he whistles, he will quickly drop other sounds

 

[Cinus]

The wing flapping (though its quite fast) is the clue ( example 1)

It says FEED ME

Baby may be eating on its own, but they love comfort feeding for a long time after they reach self reliance

Keep some nuts or small pieces of fruit or cake handy for baby

and yes, that is nothing like the SCREECHING you will yet hear lol

Teach baby your flock call - ie to whistle. I have one that says "Im a lil burdie!

If you respond EVERY SINGLE TIME he whistles, he will quickly drop other sounds

Thank you for your advice! I think it comes from the fact that I’ve cut sunflower seeds and also the amount of fruit I was giving her as it looked (still looks) like she used to eat pretty much only the sunflower seeds and fruit instead of the other seeds from the seed mix and her pellets. When I’m at work my father makes her company all day as he is retired and changes the food/water bowl regularly and let’s her out quite a bit but she seems to ONLY do this when I set her free and she comes to my shoulder. When he lets her out from her cage she behaves normally, which is strange I guess… Could you give me any more information on the food/diet topic that might help? I’m trying to learn the most possible in order to be the best bird parent she can have!
Also, regarding the flock calls, do you have any recommendations on where to learn/how to train it?
Thanks once again!

 

[Irishj9]

........Could you give me any more information on the food/diet topic that might help? I’m trying to learn the most possible in order to be the best bird parent she can have!
Also, regarding the flock calls, do you have any recommendations on where to learn/how to train it?

The diet of a wild parrot is hugely varied, so you are best to err on the side of too much variety. All mine are flying, and that burns so much energy that they are allowed to eat as much as they want.
I wouldn't worry too much about fruit as long as it's not the only thing you're feeding. Most caique owners leave the fruit till later in the day though, The birds are hungry in the morning and will eat less sweet food then.

Mine have a high-quality pellet in the cage most of the time. This consists of cold pressed vegetables and seeds. Thats the basic diet. On top of that goes scrambled egg, sometimes on toast (wholewheat), peanut butter squares, plain biscuits, etc., they also love corn (even more than fruit) which they get almost every day. Many caique owners create a hugely colourful vegetable mix which they chop up finely in a blender and freeze, to save time.

They are flock eaters, so they will demand whatever you're eating. But No chocolate, no fizzy drinks, no avocado, no coffee. Throw away the sunflower seeds and forget you ever heard about them.

For the flock call, just pick a whistle you like and repeat it in front of him when you're chatting or just doing what you do around the house. He will start repeating it back to you after a couple of weeks. Then you reward that call with attention. He learns that THAT IS MY NEW FLOCK CALL, and will use it to get your attention. It won't completely stop all screaming, Parrots scream morning and evening to call the flock together, or if they see a sudden threat (a bird in the window, a cat in a tree).

If you play music they will sing (scream) along, enthusiastically also

 

[Irishj9]

scrambled egg time!

 

[Cinus]

........Could you give me any more information on the food/diet topic that might help? I’m trying to learn the most possible in order to be the best bird parent she can have!
Also, regarding the flock calls, do you have any recommendations on where to learn/how to train it?

The diet of a wild parrot is hugely varied, so you are best to err on the side of too much variety. All mine are flying, and that burns so much energy that they are allowed to eat as much as they want.
I wouldn't worry too much about fruit as long as it's not the only thing you're feeding. Most caique owners leave the fruit till later in the day though, The birds are hungry in the morning and will eat less sweet food then.

Mine have a high-quality pellet in the cage most of the time. This consists of cold pressed vegetables and seeds. Thats the basic diet. On top of that goes scrambled egg, sometimes on toast (wholewheat), peanut butter squares, plain biscuits, etc., they also love corn (even more than fruit) which they get almost every day. Many caique owners create a hugely colourful vegetable mix which they chop up finely in a blender and freeze, to save time.

They are flock eaters, so they will demand whatever you're eating. But No chocolate, no fizzy drinks, no avocado, no coffee. Throw away the sunflower seeds and forget you ever heard about them.

For the flock call, just pick a whistle you like and repeat it in front of him when you're chatting or just doing what you do around the house. He will start repeating it back to you after a couple of weeks. Then you reward that call with attention. He learns that THAT IS MY NEW FLOCK CALL, and will use it to get your attention. It won't completely stop all screaming, Parrots scream morning and evening to call the flock together, or if they see a sudden threat (a bird in the window, a cat in a tree).

If you play music they will sing (scream) along, enthusiastically also

Thank you so much for your advice!

The day after you commented I did as you said, and fed her when she was screeching in my ear in the noon and it seem to dim her volume a bit. Surprisingly, since that day she has not done it anymore, even tho I am not feeding her, seems like she is getting used to it/growing up!

Regarding the diet, I've started introducing veggies in the morning and pellets only with a little bit of seed (no sunflower) as it is the time which she is hungry the most and she is now eating peas, broccoli, corn and other vegetables daily! With fruit as well, that is, after the veggies are eaten/thrown into the bottom of the cage .

Also, sorry for taking long to answer. Usually, when I have the time, I get home from work and then I choose to spend all my time with her for about 3 hours until she goes to bed and ONLY AFTER I get time for myself. At that point I'm basically tired to do anything besides relaxing and since English isn't my native language, I get lazy.

 

[Cinus]

View attachment 416678

scrambled egg time!

Right befored bedtime, with papaya blood on her cheeks