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Curbing alert screaming due to guests

Rebeccasevere

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Hello everyone,

I have had my adopted 15 year old female severe macaw, kinski, for 1 month. She is adjusting nicely and our bond is strong and getting stronger due to working with her for a couple months at the sanctuary prior to bringing her home. She has been so quiet (for a macaw/parrot) and was weirdly quiet even at the rescue when dozens of birds were sounding off and lots of people were coming and going.

Our issue now that she is home is with guests coming over. She screams her piercing macaw alert scream continuously at guests. I try to ignore her and have everyone else ignore her and then leave the room she is in. She will continue to scream even when we all leave unless I cover her cage, then she is pretty quiet again.

I like to have people over a lot. Frequently a group of people for a meal or marathon tv watching or even the odd poetry reading. I want to continue having guests but I don't want kinski to be so stressed out. And I want to figure this out especially for my husband who is trying very hard to accommodate having a parrot he didn't necessarily want and now fears will keep us from having friends over.

It is very hard to approach training her on this. I in no way anticipate her becoming a bird who can be out while guests are over or who will be expected to let guests hold her, but I need her to stop screaming at them and I hate covering her cage.

She is a vibrant, interesting new addition to my life and my friends and family can't help wanting to look at her and talk to her, even after saying to completely ignore her they slip up and react to her screams.

I'm worried I'm reinforcing her screaming by having everyone leave the room, because she wants them to leave!

Should I just leave the room and hope my guests will tough out the screaming a while till she stops and then I come back? Seems like a tall order for my guests and my exasperated but very much trying to meet her needs husband.

I know putting her in a less trafficked room might help, but my nyc apartment doesn't have a ton of options for that, and she may scream just hearing that strangers are in our home. And I don't want her permanently situated in a far corner because her current location in the dining room is ideal for all other times than when guests are over.

Any insight or advice would be much appreciated!
 

Peachfaced

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Would it be possible to have a single guest come over and (when she doesn't scream) and you calmly get the guest over, they give her a treat? (perhaps an almond or something) Even just dropping it on to a flat perch or bowl would work if she doesn't take treats directly through the cage bars. What I'm getting at, is that she will come to find out that when a new person arrives, it's a happy occasion and she gets treated. Once she gets used to this, maybe have a different guest each time give her a morsel?
 

MommyBird

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I would say use a small travel cage or her regular cage to move her to your bedroom while guests are over, and close the door. Do this before anyone arrives.
I have a bird room and they will scream a bit when they hear strangers (and yes several birds so they egg each other on), but then they quiet down.
Only let people go in and visit one at a time at the end of the evening if it isn't too late.
 

MeinRabe

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My bird did this because he was scared and wanted to warn me about the spooky people. I only had a few guests over ever, as I'm not super social, but having them talk to him in a baby voice and give him treats helped. Also acting like he was involved in the conversation helped. I don't know if this is possible with your social situation though.
 

Rebeccasevere

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Would it be possible to have a single guest come over and (when she doesn't scream) and you calmly get the guest over, they give her a treat? (perhaps an almond or something) Even just dropping it on to a flat perch or bowl would work if she doesn't take treats directly through the cage bars.
Thank you for the advice MeinRabe! I tried it the very day you posted, and here's what happened: I had one friend over who was just picking up something and could leave whenever things got too crazy. She talked nicely to kinski and tried to give her a favorite treat, pistachios. Kinski really tried to bite her through the bars so she just dropped the bits in her dry mix bowl. Then we tried having my guest give her pieces of apple because they are bigger. Kinski bit the apple slice furiously trying to get to her fingers so I shut it down-- but my friend remained calm and talked soothingly to Kinski and we sat at the table quietly talking for a few minutes-- so far there hadn't been any screaming, just a sort of hissing breathing sound and lots of lunging. But after about 15 minutes the shrill screaming started and went on for several minutes. When she stopped I tried giving her treats but she wouldn't even take them from me so I dropped them in her bowl. If my guest talked the screaming started again. Then my guest had to leave before she stopped screaming so I'm not sure it was a positive exchange
 

MeinRabe

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Aww, I'm sorry she's still screaming. She sounds more aggressive while my bird was just scared. He never bit anyone and actually really wanted to interact with people, but your bird sounds more like my former Senegal that will tear flesh. He can't be let free with people in the house because he attacks them. Hopefully someone with more experience with this behavior can help you.

Can you and your husband handle him? What do you know about his socialization?
 

Begone

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I think you should try again, but not let anyone interact with your bird, that is way to early.
I think she is both jealous and also afraid of new people.
To cover her cage is not a good option, and also to let new people interact with her.
She likes you, and she consider you a part of her flock, so when new people come to your home you can not abandon her.
If you want this to work she must comes first. Let her be out with you as she use to be (if she is) when your are home alone together.
Only allowed one friend to visit at time and only for short sessions. (and far away from you and her) She will understand that you still is there for her, still loves her, and no matter what friend are coming over she is still Nr 1.
So give her 90% and your friend 10% of your attention.
Later when she realize that everything is still the same no matter if you are alone with her or you have friends for company, then perhaps let your friends interact with her, but that should be her decision. Remember that most parrots are a "one mans bird". My birds accept new people but they will not interact with them at all.

And also, never allowed anyone to go near her cage, that is her own private place that she need to feel safe in.
That she bite through the bars is pretty normal, she is just protecting herself, that doesn't tell that she is aggressive at all.
 

Rebeccasevere

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Can you and your husband handle him? What do you know about his socialization?[/QUOTE]
 

Rebeccasevere

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Thanks again. Yes she doesn't seem scared just pissed

At the bird sanctuary I brought my husband with and tho she liked me better, she got to the point where my husband could have her on his lap, then have her step up, and feed her treats, sort of even pet her a little. Once home she reverted to lunging and generally disliking him. He is trying to work with her and she is taking treats from him but he can't handle her or touch her. She at least doesn't scream at him.
 

Rebeccasevere

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I would say use a small travel cage or her regular cage to move her to your bedroom while guests are over, and close the door. Do this before anyone arrives.

Only let people go in and visit one at a time at the end of the evening if it isn't too late.
I think this is great advice. My apartment is pretty much an open floor plan/ railroad so I couldn't really shut a door, but I can put her in the far corner office area and put up a curtain or a room divider? Maybe that will help. I have a medium sized dog crate for a travel cage and can try that, or just get another smaller cage for that area.
 
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