Chaucer is screaming!!! My ears are bleeding!!!

[bicmeister]

So I've only had him for about a week and a half, and he's starting to step up and no longer beaks me, but he has started to vocalize very loudly when I am near him. They come in 15-20 second intervals, but he stops when I leave the room. How do I get him to quiet down when I'm with him? Help please

 

[bicmeister]

Also, when my bf is in the room with him alone, he doesn't scream so much at the bf. Does he not like me? or is he just overly excited to see me??

 

[KeetsandTiels]

Hmm... I am not sure... I have a friend who has a bird that shrieks when she LEAVES, but I've never heard of them shrieking when the person comes in the room. Maybe you could try ignoring him when he screams, then go over to him when he is quiet. Maybe then he will learn that he will not get attention if he is too loud?

 

[Saemma]

Is it really that loud? Can't remember ever hearing an eclectus scream before. Video please?

My solution would simply be Hearing Protection.

 

[sodakat]

Depending on the tone of the "scream" he could be begging as he knows you are the food source. Can you record it?

 

[birdlvr466]

http://forums.avianavenue.com/behavior-byway/45399-weve-tried-its-not-working-4.html
You might find some good information in this thread.

 

[Chicobo]

Depending on the tone of the "scream" he could be begging as he knows you are the food source. Can you record it?

You know I bet that is what it is, though I don't have much experience with Eclectus. When I was at Todd Marcus, one of the teeny baby Eclectus boys made this sort of ear-splittingly loud begging "graaaawp grawpgrawp!" noise every time anyone walked near him. Does your b/f handle him a lot? Does he feed him, or do you? Or is it split?

I can't identify the differences between what sounds mean for you, but I'd say Kathy probably can, And it was sort of...um, grating, the noise the little guy at the bird store made. Much more annoying than other Ekkie noises I've heard.

Good luck with him!!

 

[jsrcksaaf]

maybe he just isnt used to the new place. if you don't already, try covering him up at night (starting at dusk) and let him out early in the morning to potty and play some on his own. Make sure he has plenty of fun toys too!

 

[suncoast]

Is he a baby? Was he forced weaned? Is he eating? What is he eating, what are you feeding? Are you weighing him so that you know he's at a healthy weight and not starving? The reason I ask is because my little goffin girl was rehomed to me because she was crying because she wasn't weaned and wasn't getting enough to eat.

Ginger

 

[sodakat]

Does he sound anything like this? I found a couple year old recording of one of my babies begging from his mom. He is 5 1/2 months old here so is not quite as serious as Chaucer would be at 4 months. You need to crank up the volume because I was standing quite a ways back in order not to let him see me. The basic sound is what I'm curious about so if it is close, he's probably begging for food, regardless if his dish is full. This fellow who is begging from his mom can definitely eat on his own, but he begged from mom until he was 10 months old!

 

[JLcribber]

Try whispering to him and have a conversation up close.

 

[Irishj9]

OK hes recently arrived. hes starting to step up. He cries when you leave the room.

Hes getting attached to you and he is still insecure in his new home.

I had a similar issue with Fingers and his breeder gave me the clue I needed.He said he hand rears his birds but does not socialise with them. Maybe the birdie needs to feel loved and minded. Maybe he just needs to feel secure in his new home and hates being alone. You are his source of food water and attention, and he feels uneasy when you disappear. Parrots are prey animals. OMG what just happened to my flock? They're GONE and I'm all ALONE!

I bring Cha Cha round with me when I do my household chores. She is totally happy. She doesnt need special attention. She just wants to feel included in the flock activity.

On the screaming :Each time you chat to him make the same low contact whistle. He will learn it is your signal, and will use it to call you. When he DOES use it, come running and make a HUUUUGE FUSS. He will learn what works and what doesnt and quickly discard what doesnt.



Hope this helps!

 

[Mrcrowley]

I am not sure but maybe he just wants you a cry for attention from you BECAUSE of new place and he associates you with it. Toys something to keep his mind busy might help..

 

[bicmeister]

He doesn't scream when I leave the room or when I am not with him. He screams when I am with him.

Kathy, I think he is begging for food. I did reweigh him in the morning and he is about the same as when the vet weighed him. He is eating, but I do think he wants food and me. He does sound a lot like that video...I will try to get a video recording.

 

[sodakat]

Youngsters will call for food when they see their hand feeder, just like the parent raised chicks call to their parents. IMO you should not attempt behavior modification if there is ANY chance he is begging for food. In the video I posted Rose did give Sweigh a bit of food after he begged. She did this for months after he was eating on his own because this particular chick needed the reassurance as well as food. He eventually stopped begging from her and was finally weaned in his 10th month, which is quite old for a Solomon Island Eclectus. We expect baby parrots to wean at 3 or 4 months (most species) but I think many of them are like Sweigh was; they can eat on their own at that age but need the reassurance that if they beg they will receive food. You cannot "spoil" him by feeding him when he begs. Instead you will be teaching him that he doesn't need to worry and that you will take care of him. This is the idea behind abundance weaning, which you may wish to read about.

Does he spend the majority of the day alone while you are working? If so, what are you providing in his food dishes for that time period? I have some ideas.

 

[bicmeister]

He is alone when I am away, but I have given him a mp3 player and speaker, subwoofer that plays for him while I'm away. In the morning, I try to spoon feed him oatmeal/mash mix and then I put foraging items such as almonds, dried papaya, pine nuts with the shell in one of those enrichment wood foraging blocks. He usually gets some spray millet hanging, and he also gets a bowl of fresh fruit and vegetables and sprouts. (I usually include pomegranate seeds, fresh corn, snap peas, carrots, jicama, etc.) He also makes this noise when I feed him from a spoon. (My camera is charging right now so I haven't been able to record the sound...will do it asap)

He seems happy (I have heard him play by himself, making little activity courses as he goes around his cage), but I have noticed that when he sees me, he stops whatever he is doing and wants to come out with me. This has only started about 2 days ago. His poop looks normal and his feathers look and feel normal.

 

[sodakat]

No offense to anyone who disagrees with me but I do not think you need to teach a 4 month old parrot to forage. They need to have food readily available and plenty of it. If he is making the sound you are trying to describe while you are feeding him from a spoon, he is definitely begging. This is NORMAL. They often beg while they are wolfing it down and continue as they are getting full. Compared to canines and felines, etc. baby parrots cannot crawl to a teat to eat from their mother; instead they must call out for food to let her know they are hungry. This continues after the fledge the nest when the father bird often assists or even takes over the feeding process on until weaning.

Oatmeal is an iffy food to feed, IMO. The nutrients are okay, but it is such a sticky substance that it can be difficult for them to eat and often is not appealing. You may want to remove the oatmeal from the soft food mixture you are feeding, especially in the dish you leave for him. I know people worry about food spoiling throughout the day, but I have found that cooked brown rice mixed with sprouts and defrosted frozen vegetables, along with some chopped fresh vegetables like celery and peppers and carrots, as well as chopped tart apple will not spoil too easily. Don't include too much rice and make sure the rice kernels are still a bit firm and not boiled to mush.

You can leave two bowls of fresh food for him in his cage while you are at work during the day as well as two separate bowls of dry foods. Chop the almond into small pieces and same with walnuts if you feed that. He is a baby who is learning how to pick up food and keep it in his beak. I am going to suggest you consider an organic pellet that you keep in another separate dish also. Yes, I know the controversy on pellets, but this little fellow needs to eat. I fed Harrisons High Potency for a while and had no problems. I do not think Harrisons Lifetime is quite as good because the first ingredient is corn, rather than sunflower seeds. This is just my personal opinion. You will not want to feed pellets forevever but you know he is a large bird who needs to put on weight.

Speaking of weight, I'm glad you mentioned that he weighed the same in the morning as he did at the vets that one afternoon. This means that the time you weighed him in the evening when he was so much heavier he had LOTS of food in him. This is a good thing. Try not to worry if he is gaining slowly. He will gain weight, I'm sure.

Something else I recommend is keeping his water dish close to one of the food dishes. Eclectus often like to make soup.

Kathy

 

[Bokkapooh]

Sodakat I 100% agree with you. I think foraging toys are for the big birds that are year old birds and older. Smaller birds, probably 6 months. But not around weaning and not right after weaning.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Also, adding a lemon or orange to his mash food will preserve it longer, the acid in the fruit will not let bacteria break it down and spoil it as fast.

 

[sodakat]

Also, adding a lemon or orange to his mash food will preserve it longer, the acid in the fruit will not let bacteria break it down and spoil it as fast.

Good reminder! When I layer my chop in the bowl I store it in in the fridge, I usually put chopped citrus as one of the next to top layers, followed by the frozen peas and corn which will slowly defrost and keep things cool. But, when I serve it, I add the cooked rice and sprouts, then stir.

I've noticed that if food does begin to turn, they generally won't eat it anyway.