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Soundproofing

SiennaCR

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Sienna Crosby
I live in an apartment and own a pair of lovebirds and from time to time during the day, they will just continue to shriek as loud as they can for like 15 minutes straight, multiple times a day. Not only is it extremely irritating to me and the other people living in my house, but I'm sure the neighbours can hear it too as they are SO loud. It's like having a newborn baby. They also wake everyone up extremely early (5am) as my room gets a lot of sun and the sun is starting to rise really early now, but I've figured out that a thick towel over half of their cage where the sun hits has fixed that problem. I was just wondering if there's a soundproofing solution to my problem that someone has personally tried or heard of? I've seen the Audimute sound absorption sheets while looking but apparently some people have said it hasn't made a difference. My cage isn't too large either (32.85" tall, 14.6" wide, 18.7" long) so maybe something not as big as those audimute sheets because they're huge (90" long I think!). And if I did soundproof their cage, would I still be able to hear them while sitting in my room? Or only the people on the outside wouldn't be able to hear them, but I could? Thanks
 

Destiny

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You can't sound-proof the cage itself. Wrapping the cage in sound absorption sheets is not a safe option for several reasons.

Sound-proofing can be done to the room that the cage is located in to reduce the volume and distance that the noise travels. Sound absorbing materials, like those panels, are attached to the walls/doors/windows to help reduce the amount of sound that can escape the room.

You can also use heavy curtains, thick rugs, pillows, blankets, and upholstered furniture to help reduce sound reflection within the room and deaden sounds. If you have ever been in an empty house, the hard smooth walls and floor will echo and reflect sound much more than the same room after it is filled with sound-dampening furnishings. Look for hard flat surfaces in your room that could reflect sound from your birds. To dampen their sound, you want to add sound-dampening material in those areas - either by rearranging furniture, hanging curtains, or attaching acoustic foam. This should reduce the sound level outside the room, but the birds will still be audible in your apartment.


True sound-proofing is a lot harder to accomplish without major structural changes. For example, if you need a room that prevents all sound from entering or leaving the space, like for a recording studio, you would need to cover the walls, floor, and ceiling with sound-absorbing material, as well as covering any windows and doors. That is probably more than you want to do in an apartment. But you can do a lot to reduce sounds from traveling, simply by changing the layout of the space and adding more sound-dampening material at strategic locations.

You might also consider playing music for your birds. The pleasant sounds act as a kind of "white noise" that reduces the intusiveness of annoying sounds and also might help soothe the birds, so they are vocal less often.

Adding heavy curtains would also reduce sound leaving the room through your windows and also would help your birds sleep later.

At night or in the morning, you can cover the cage to help the birds to sleep longer. But keep in mind that you should not leave the cage covered all day long to reduce noise. That's not a good idea.
 

Zara

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from time to time during the day, they will just continue to shriek as loud as they can for like 15 minutes straight, multiple times a day.
It is like that here for us.
I've just gotten used to it.
As for the neighbours, the lady upstairs asked me for a future chick so I made that happen. The family in front are nice people, I make sure to always gift wine or oil at Christmas as well as a card with a lovely note. I take baked goods or plants I've grown from my own from time to time. I make it a priority to be on good terms with them.

Definitely cover your birds at night. I drop an exterior shutter at night so that I can control when they wake to minimise extremely early morning noise. I also drape cotton bedsheets over all cages. I usually let them sleep 12 hours. 13 when the girls are hormonal.

As a side note, your cage is very small for two lovebirds. I'd recommend something wider.

Welcome to the Avenue :)
 
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Sparkles99

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Welcome! You can get padding for under rugs that's soundproof and there are panels you could add to the walls & ceiling.
 

Gigibirds

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Yeah like @Sparkles99 said you can get these soundproof panels that you put on the wall and ceiling. I don’t think they would help you but they should help your neighbors! Also you could just put on a pair of headphones while they’re screaming..... and getting them a bigger cage will make them happier, and they might change their vocalizations a bit. (Less screaming, more chirping - hopefully!)
 

TheBirds

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I agree with the above :) A bigger cage would also = more room for enriching activities, toys, foraging opportunities, etc. I find my birds are quietest when they're busy .. but if they're being REALLY annoying, I'll temporarily cover the offender's cage (this really applies only to Lyric who MUST HAVE MY ATTENTION 110% OF THE TIME). But I always make sure they have food, water, a foraging activity, time out to stretch their wings and socialize with one another, or will switch-out toys if they're being obnoxious before resorting to covering their cage. (They also KNOW the evening routine and get really rowdy if they feel like I've forgotten their nighttime treat, perhaps your two are also anticipating something when they vocalize?). Try focusing on stimulating them a bit more mentally and physically and see if that helps reduce the noise first!

I feel your pain though, these little guys can be awfully loud when they want to :cautious:
 

Aalin Galy

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Aalin Galyna
I live in an apartment and own a pair of lovebirds and from time to time during the day, they will just continue to shriek as loud as they can for like 15 minutes straight, multiple times a day. Not only is it extremely irritating to me and the other people living in my house, but I'm sure the neighbours can hear it too as they are SO loud. It's like having a newborn baby. They also wake everyone up extremely early (5am) as my room gets a lot of sun and the sun is starting to rise really early now, but I've figured out that a thick towel over half of their cage where the sun hits has fixed that problem. I was just wondering if there's a soundproofing solution to my problem that someone has personally tried or heard of? I've seen the Audimute sound absorption sheets while looking but apparently some people have said it hasn't made a difference. My cage isn't too large either (32.85" tall, 14.6" wide, 18.7" long) so maybe something not as big as those audimute sheets because they're huge (90" long I think!). And if I did soundproof their cage, would I still be able to hear them while sitting in my room? Or only the people on the outside wouldn't be able to hear them, but I could? Thanks
You can switch to an acrylic bird cage, it comes with Plexiglas walls, where the gaps between the bars of the cages are very small. They have gaps just for ventilation, so it diminishes the sound transfer to a great extent. Otherwise, you have to opt for acoustic panel materials. But before choosing one, you need to understand whether it causes any allergy or other issues for your parrot.
 

tka

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This member hasn't logged into the forum since August 2021 so is unlikely to see your reply.
 
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