Screaming

[TikiMyn]

Hi,

Our two conures screamed for hours when we brought them home. We have worked with them a lot and they are doing so much better. But, lately we are having trouble again. I am not sure how to solve these, the screaming though for me to handle right now so I might be missing things.
There are three issues really:
1. Screaming when we give our other bird downstairs attention. We cover a side of their cage so they don’t directly see it and that helps a bit. This is the least intrusive problem.
2. Screaming when our other bird makes any noise. This is really stressful and is bringing me close to a complete meltdown. Orion(Illigers macaw) makes the softest noise and immediately Floki starts screaming.
3. When they can’t see us,but do hear us, they scream.I try to be quiet but any noise they can’t see, scream.

to be clear, birds scream. The macaw Ori startles and of course he screams. He vocalises in a lot of pleasant ways, but can do death screams for about an hour a day. I don’t mind, it’s normal. What Floki and Finn do, is not normal. I thought we worked through our issues and was so happy, I really don’t know how to handle this anymore.Because of the constant screaming that went on for months and brought me close to breaking down, I have developed a stress response to their screaming. After a couple screams I feel my blood pressure rise and my heart beat faster and all I want to do is leave the house. My head has been feeling so pressured for over a week, and I am having a lot of depressive thoughts. I am Trying very hard to change my response, but this situation must improve fairly quickly because this is very unhealthy.
We don’t respond to any screaming, except sometimes walking away. Plus we reward good noises. What else can I do?

 

[SumitaSinh]

Following this thread...

 

[Emma&pico]

Following @Pixiebeak i think as good advise on screaming parrots

I hope it gets better do they both set each other off ?

 

[webchirp]

Can you create a separate place for them in another room when you need peace? Robin I tell you I'd loose my mind and rehome Happy and Chya if they didn't have a bird room. I also had to buy ear plugs just when filling bowls because they want to scream at me as I'm sweeping and such at the end of the night. I completely feel you. When those two go off on a screaming fest, I'm like..."thank happy and chya for having to go to bed a little earlier guys". I've had them for over 20 years so they certainly won't be rehomed but oiy they push the limits sometimes.

 

[Xoetix]

Oh jeez, you poor thing!

First - your mental health HAS to come first. If you’re not ok, you can’t take care of the birds (and everything else!) to the best of your ability, not to mention this is way too stressful on you. You gotta put you first. Your health matters.

That being said, are you able to take a couple days in a hotel maybe? Do a little emotional reset? Come back to the situation with a clear mind, I would think would help some.

 

[Pixiebeak]

Im awaiting a kidney study at hospital so may get cut short if they call my name.

For established screaming i have never found ignoring it to solve anything.

As soon as they utter a scream. I interrupt. Redirect. You might thinlk will reinforce screaming, I have not had that be the case with several different parrots of different species.

 

[Xoetix]

Im awaiting a kidney study at hospital so may get cut short if they call my name.

For established screaming i have never found ignoring it to solve anything.

As soon as they utter a scream. I interrupt

Oh no! You ok?

 

[Pixiebeak]

when they start I go over i don't say anything at all. I just offer my hand to step up them move thrm to a new location. Then at new location i ask for a simple trick and reward that and tell them how nice n quiet they are. Then I move them one more time to a new location and give them some busy work. This seems to completely reset the brain away from screaming. Tgen I come back a few times to tell thrm how good and quiet they are.

 

[Pixiebeak]

Oh no! You ok?

Not exactly. but treading water

 

[TikiMyn]

Thank you all!!

Can you create a separate place for them in another room when you need peace? Robin I tell you I'd loose my mind and rehome Happy and Chya if they didn't have a bird room. I also had to buy ear plugs just when filling bowls because they want to scream at me as I'm sweeping and such at the end of the night. I completely feel you. When those two go off on a screaming fest, I'm like..."thank happy and chya for having to go to bed a little earlier guys". I've had them for over 20 years so they certainly won't be rehomed but oiy they push the limits sometimes.

We are thinking of moving them upstairs, temporarily. It is a dilemma though, because we have two bird rooms, in one live the budgies and the other lovebirds without cages so a danger of them landing on the conures cage and them. We can create a play area + cage in our bedroom. We have already an extra cage there for emergencies. It is very nice to hear I am not alone. I love them so much, but sometimes it is just too much and lately it has been a lot is screaming again. I do have earplugs and wireless earbuds to play calming music, but they cut through it pretty well although it does help. The screaming when sweeping is so recognisable!! When I vacuum it’s like hell broke loose. The macaw just looks at them like ????? They won’t be going anywhere either, they are family after all. Even though they can be little, or big, brats

@Xoetix we will stay over at family Friday-Saturday That will be a nice break. I feel so bad leaving them though even though they will be taken care off. It is so weird,when their screaming was practically constant,I found it easier to deal with. Thank you for your kind words

@Pixiebeak I hope your kidney study will go Well and not show anything bad!! Thank you for responding when you must not be feeling so well yourself
I haven’t heard the interrupt before, interesting. I will try it! Do you use a specific word mostly, like hey ‘name’, like a cue or doesn’t it matter?
Will be applying your other advice as well!

Picture to make up for me complaining about them, you would almost think they are all bad but they can be really cute and well behaved as well!

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

Not exactly. but treading water

I hope you feel better

 

[webchirp]

Can you slice off part of the room for them too. They might like watching all the others.

 

[Emma&pico]

Im awaiting a kidney study at hospital so may get cut short if they call my name.

For established screaming i have never found ignoring it to solve anything.

As soon as they utter a scream. I interrupt. Redirect. You might thinlk will reinforce screaming, I have not had that be the case with several different parrots of different species.

Hope your ok

 

[Emma&pico]

Thank you all!!

We are thinking of moving them upstairs, temporarily. It is a dilemma though, because we have two bird rooms, in one live the budgies and the other lovebirds without cages so a danger of them landing on the conures cage and them. We can create a play area + cage in our bedroom. We have already an extra cage there for emergencies. It is very nice to hear I am not alone. I love them so much, but sometimes it is just too much and lately it has been a lot is screaming again. I do have earplugs and wireless earbuds to play calming music, but they cut through it pretty well although it does help. The screaming when sweeping is so recognisable!! When I vacuum it’s like hell broke loose. The macaw just looks at them like ????? They won’t be going anywhere either, they are family after all. Even though they can be little, or big, brats

@Xoetix we will stay over at family Friday-Saturday That will be a nice break. I feel so bad leaving them though even though they will be taken care off. It is so weird,when their screaming was practically constant,I found it easier to deal with. Thank you for your kind words

@Pixiebeak I hope your kidney study will go Well and not show anything bad!! Thank you for responding when you must not be feeling so well yourself
I haven’t heard the interrupt before, interesting. I will try it! Do you use a specific word mostly, like hey ‘name’, like a cue or doesn’t it matter?
Will be applying your other advice as well!

Picture to make up for me complaining about them, you would almost think they are all bad but they can be really cute and well behaved as well!
View attachment 421542

Does foraging toys help ? Or do they not care and like the screaming

my Are noisy in a morning so if I want a lay in a fill up all the foraging toys or zip tie millet finger wraps to their cages keeps them quite for a hr of so

 

[TikiMyn]

Can you slice off part of the room for them too. They might like watching all the others.

Oof, sadly the rooms upstairs are not that large and they have been actively displaying and trying to attack when I have shortly shown them the flock upstairs(one species caged to prevent accidents!) I think it would stress them out, and piss them off seeing me interact with the littles. The littles aren’t always sweet either and would probably go investigate. I will investigate what happens if I bring the conures cages and put a see through cover over their cage to prevent accidents.
I don’t like moving them upstairs, but will do for now I think, perhaps part of the day when they are caged and during dinner and out time downstairs but will figure out what works best for them. They behaved truely fantastically for about 2 weeks before this fall back, hopefully we can work our way up to that again and they can move permanently downstairs again.

 

[TikiMyn]

Does foraging toys help ? Or do they not care and like the screaming

my Are noisy in a morning so if I want a lay in a fill up all the foraging toys or zip tie millet finger wraps to their cages keeps them quite for a hr of so

It is surprisingly hard to get them to play and forage! Foraging I have had little succes, playing we are on are way with chewing cork and sea grass and playing with bells. Obvious foraging like a piece of millet stuck to a toy, doesn’t hold their attention long and anything harder is too hard right now. They do like veggies though and that is kind of foraging so they do get that.

 

[Emma&pico]

It is surprisingly hard to get them to play and forage! Foraging I have had little succes, playing we are on are way with chewing cork and sea grass and playing with bells. Obvious foraging like a piece of millet stuck to a toy, doesn’t hold their attention long and anything harder is too hard right now. They do like veggies though and that is kind of foraging so they do get that.

I hope you find something that suits you all can’t be nice constant screaming well I know it’s not my female cockatiel constantly screamed drove me up wall lovebirds are noisy mango fetched in a kind of high pitched laughing hyena noise that all of them do together at random times especially when I hoovering their room I started saying hey what you going and wolf whistle and the stop well for now

 

[TikiMyn]

@webchirp how much time do you think a conure should spent with his humans? They are doing well with the cage upstairs, but that makes it really hard to divide attention. Downstairs the conures + mini macaw got plenty of ambient attention+time out of cage. The birds upstairs we also spend time with, but less ambient attention cause they don’t need it as much. Dividing time like that worked very well. When spending time with the birds upstairs we open up all rooms and they can fly about and interact with us and each other. I already feel bad about not giving Floki and Finn(conures) enough attention. I feel bad that they are by themselves part of the day, but I do feel a lot better and they seem happier judging from their more relaxed behaviour. Ori(mini macaw) also seems happier because he can chatter without the little gremlins interrupting every second.

 

[webchirp]

I do between 2-3 hours each day.

 

[Emma&pico]

@webchirp how much time do you think a conure should spent with his humans? They are doing well with the cage upstairs, but that makes it really hard to divide attention. Downstairs the conures + mini macaw got plenty of ambient attention+time out of cage. The birds upstairs we also spend time with, but less ambient attention cause they don’t need it as much. Dividing time like that worked very well. When spending time with the birds upstairs we open up all rooms and they can fly about and interact with us and each other. I already feel bad about not giving Floki and Finn(conures) enough attention. I feel bad that they are by themselves part of the day, but I do feel a lot better and they seem happier judging from their more relaxed behaviour. Ori(mini macaw) also seems happier because he can chatter without the little gremlins interrupting every second.

Glad they are doing better upstairs as the screaming got better then ?