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Screaming Ringneck

BirdMum

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Hi guys!

First up! Frankie and Blueberry (my budgie) are booked for the avian vet today! So I will be taking any questions and concerns to her. Frankie is also getting a nail trim (thank God, they're like needles at this point)

But! Frankie has a nasty habit of SCREAMING. For absolutely no reason at all it seems. Well, I'm sure there's a reason, but the way he screams is the same way he screams when he's in pain! So imagine how I feel when I take him out each morning, give him his breakfast and heading to my room to get ready or get dressed, and I hear him screaming like he's caught somewhere and hurting! My anxiety spikes so much, I can't take it much longer. Yes, he screeches like normal Ringnecks do which can be frustrating, but it's the painful screams that get to me most. He doesn't seem to be injured at all, he's perfectly fine, he just screams like he's broken a toe!

He has a huge perch tree my father and I built with toys hanging from each branch but he rarely pays attention to them, even new ones he barely acknowledges. He spends most of his time sitting on top of the curtain railing, facing the wall, growling at it or screaming at it.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, please help me understand why he's behaving this way. I give him everything I think he could need or want but he keeps screaming and I feel bad like there's something he's needing that he can't ask for that I'm neglecting.

Thank you all in advance :heart2: :heart2:
 

BirdMum

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I wanted to add that he does this regardless of whether he is alone or with someone, so I don't think it's for attention exactly? This is why I'm so confused.
 

Mantis64

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Hi guys!

First up! Frankie and Blueberry (my budgie) are booked for the avian vet today! So I will be taking any questions and concerns to her. Frankie is also getting a nail trim (thank God, they're like needles at this point)

But! Frankie has a nasty habit of SCREAMING. For absolutely no reason at all it seems. Well, I'm sure there's a reason, but the way he screams is the same way he screams when he's in pain! So imagine how I feel when I take him out each morning, give him his breakfast and heading to my room to get ready or get dressed, and I hear him screaming like he's caught somewhere and hurting! My anxiety spikes so much, I can't take it much longer. Yes, he screeches like normal Ringnecks do which can be frustrating, but it's the painful screams that get to me most. He doesn't seem to be injured at all, he's perfectly fine, he just screams like he's broken a toe!

He has a huge perch tree my father and I built with toys hanging from each branch but he rarely pays attention to them, even new ones he barely acknowledges. He spends most of his time sitting on top of the curtain railing, facing the wall, growling at it or screaming at it.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, please help me understand why he's behaving this way. I give him everything I think he could need or want but he keeps screaming and I feel bad like there's something he's needing that he can't ask for that I'm neglecting.

Thank you all in advance :heart2: :heart2:
Indian ringnecks tend to be loud and screamed it's just thier nature one good thing to do is get the largest cage possible my ringneck was in a small cage and would scream a lot. Since getting a larger cage he has been much quieter. Also get him lots of toys to keep him occupied both in and out the cage. Maybe he just wants you to be around him a lot when you are with him does he scream.
 

fashionfobie

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Does he expression other body language during the screams? For example does he bob his head from side to side or possible shrug his shoulders?
 

BirdMum

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@Mantis64 thanks for the reply! He does have a large cage, but like I mentioned he spends all day out in the house! He has a large perch tree with toys all over it that I built with my father but he still a lot of the time prefers the curtain railing:rolleyes:

@fashionfobie thank you, too! No, he doesn't do those things at all! Sometimes he will bob his head up and down to try and intimidate Blueberry (or us, sometimes when he wants to eat our food) but that's about it.


Update on the vet trip!

Both are completely healthy! :yah: Both had their droppings examined too and all good! Blueberry had a crop flush done to check for any nasties in his crop and again all good! Frankie was still within average weight but in the higher end so we're cutting down ways for him to get access to fruits he usually helps himself to during the day.

Also, turns out Blueberry is most likely a boy! With his colour mutation and crossing of breeds, it's hard to get an exact reading of the age and gender just by looking like they do for other budgies but the vet guessed Blueberry was a baby male budgie. (We were trying to guess his age/gender in another thread)

Enjoy the picture of Blueberry being an absolute busy body and watching the entirety of Frankie's appointment like this :laughing2:
 

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fashionfobie

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If you can try recording his "scream" maybe it is just a normal IRN chirp ! They do have bold voices so it is possible it just seems really screamy but maybe it is a normal chirp. I think an audio of it will answer all our questions :)

I am glad the vet visit went great. Fresh beans /peas could be great alternatives for Frankie's excess fruit. Snow peas, long beans, sugar snaps etc! They are all very popular with my plummie. It might be a good snack with low sugar to help Frankie get back on track.
 

olivierr1

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Is it more of a growl or a high pitches squawk?
If it's more growling I would be more concerned than if its a squawk, they can be noise boggers!
The high pitched screaming is usually perfectly normal, mine does it when he sees a bird, car, or just because he can. The growling however is only whenever he's protesting something, like going to bed.

An audio clip would indeed be good!
 

Fuzzy

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Yay for healthy babies!!

Just going to throw some thoughts out re the screaming...

... and heading to my room to get ready or get dressed, and I hear him screaming...
If you are walking away from him/going out of the room and he starts screaming, it might be a contact call?
Or you might be reinforcing it, if you go back into the room to see what he's screaming at... ie. he is getting your attention for screaming.

Does he have any other sounds that you can cue instead? Like a whistle or speech? You could, for example, start him whistling before you begin go out of the room and keep answering him. You could highly reinforce the whistle by rushing back to him every time in the beginning (if you think attention is the reinforcer for the screaming).

He has a huge perch tree my father and I built with toys hanging from each branch but he rarely pays attention to them, even new ones he barely acknowledges. He spends most of his time sitting on top of the curtain railing, facing the wall, growling at it or screaming at it.
Many birds like to be high up as it is safer... easier to spot predators. Sounds like this screaming/growling might be playing? What materials does he like to chew? Maybe try making toys out of favourite materials... or at least easy materials to destroy, to get him going - like balsa wood, etc. If he likes being high up, why not hang a big spring Boing from the ceiling? I'm sure he'll use the perch tree in the future. It took my birds a few years before they would use a large java stand. Now it is in daily use.
 

fashionfobie

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why not hang a big spring Boing from the ceiling?
Make sure the boing is wound well and check daily for damage. IRN seem really prone to ingesting cotton fiber.

These are some great ideas!
 

Mantis64

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Make sure the boing is wound well and check daily for damage. IRN seem really prone to ingesting cotton fiber.

These are some great ideas!
What about natural fibres the one they make the natural toys from my ringneck has this in his cage and chews it all the time. One like this would it be safe or dangerous.
 

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fashionfobie

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What about natural fibres the one they make the natural toys from my ringneck has this in his cage and chews it all the time. One like this would it be safe or dangerous.
That is a safe toy.

This is what happens with dangerous toys, cotton fiber type toys. TRIGGER WARNING:: Graphic images in link that relate to parrots in surgery.
 

Mantis64

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That is a safe toy.

This is what happens with dangerous toys, cotton fiber type toys. TRIGGER WARNING:: Graphic images in link that relate to parrots in surgery.
Is it because they cant digest cotton right. Also what toys do you think Indian ringnecks like the best.
 

fashionfobie

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Is it because they cant digest cotton right. Also what toys do you think Indian ringnecks like the best.
Yep that is correct.

I agree with Roz, there is so much you can do that adds enrichment. Things that are fun to jump on and run about are great ideas!

In terms of chew toys, wood blocks are great for IRN. They have strong beaks. I find my plummie really prefers natural branches and twigs. He will rip the bark off and split them into tiny pieces. When it comes to colourful blocks he likes green better than the others. Granted I think that is just his preference, some birds like different colours more. Though little, Pi, yep goes for the green first! Many of his block toys are now without green blocks since he has pulverized them. All asiatic birds need some decent wood chews or natural branches and twigs . It is for beak health as well as a stress reducer. A healthy bird will chew for a long time, even comparable to the amount of time they spend eating. Just check out some other members birds and the piles of wood chips left in their path.

This is why acrylic toys aren't terrible as the sole toy, because other than being a foraging puzzle birds get no benefit from ripping them to bits!
Our birds want to ensure that we can never rest! :sweep::marievacuums::mariecleans:
 

BirdMum

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Thank you guys again for all the help! He does use his tree perch daily, he just also spends a lot of time on the railings of the curtains! The branches of the perch tree are either wattle or bottle brush I forgot. But it's the one with the spongy exterior bark and hard bark inside.

He doesn't seem very interested in chewing wood at all, we've got different types on the perch tree, he seems to like thick brown cardboard (the kind from moving boxes) he interacts with those toys most, even though it's not too often.

I'll try to attach the audio I got from today, hopefully it works I haven't ever done this before :laughing2:
 

BirdMum

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This is what I'm more "concerned" with. I use the term lightly because I know his growls are probably something bothering him but I can figure out what for the life of me.

The reason I made the post though was this.



I know IRNs are prone to screaming like this but all day long? I don't feel like it's normal and I need help stopping this behaviour
 

fashionfobie

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Awe that sounds like a happy IRN to me. Nothing to worry about :) Awe and he screams in your ear what a nice boy. :hehepink:

My Plummie does that to me too. It is a sign that he likes you and is happy to adventure with you. Possibly even loves you, my plummie can sometimes do a whole courtship display on my shoulder whilst chirping loudly. I try to discourage too much of that however. Foot toys do wonders.

In terms of volume my plummie can also get shrill in my ear canal and I relate to the pain that must cause you. I am not sure what the best way to deal with that is. Personally I try to softly respond. I say "oh are you so happy. you make me happy too" or something of the like.. and I just try and be quiet and whispery and sometimes he starts mumbling in a similar low volume. It doesn't work every time.

Another idea is wear ear plugs when he is very excited and happy to share his world with you.
 
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tka

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I live in an area with feral IRNs and that's a very familiar noise! You often hear them before you see them - they're noisy little parrots. Those sounds are exactly what I hear from feral IRNs just going about their day. I certainly wouldn't describe those sounds as abnormal or distressed.

I don't think you're going to get him to stop but you can try responding with a whisper to see if he'll respond with a quieter chirp or teaching him a whistle or a sound you find less grating. Or invest in some good ear plugs..
 
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