Rebeccasevere
Moving in
- Joined
- 5/16/17
- Messages
- 11
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!
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!