Tone and pitch

[BirbDex]

To clarify i am not looking to get an African gray anytime soon but a African gray is one of my favorites and maybe in my future when I have land an actual house and a better mental health state with more experience on birds i might consider this as an option.
So I'm wanting to know what about the African gray have you wanted to scream over? And what about an African gray do you absolutely adore and love?
But most importantly, I want to know from people's personal experiences not just videos how loud they are. I want to know what their "pitch" sounds like how bad it can become. When it's loud how often during a day does that high pitch occur?
I understand this varies bird to bird but i'd like to get everyone's personalized experiences to make my own conclusion for my long-term future decision.

 

[Mizzely]

This may help with at least part of your question:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about African greys

The attributes listed in this thread are the experiences of each individual and your experiences may differ with your individual bird. I've decided to initiate TMS's idea and start this thread. Please feel free to share anything you think would be valuable for anyone reading this thread...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[redindiaink]

I would sit and listen to Max thinking if I could bear the sound of that I could handle anything, except those videos can't do the real thing justice, even with really good speakers. After two hours at the shelter (mostly screaming 'toos) our ears were ringing on the drive home. Sounding an air horn off next to your ear (don't do that you'll damage your hearing!) is a better close approximation of a screaming cockatoo than watching Max's antics.

There are a couple locations that were fostering greys. Beeps and bops, whistles and some electronic sounds could be heard from the open windows when we drove up. Compared to the birds I've have/had or volunteering at a bird shelter, the sounds greys made were a pleasant melody, except for one traumatized grey who would let a primal scream if you looked at her for too long.

Of the obnoxious sounds Ms T (CAG) lets out a beep that is truly ear piercing and makes me wince. She sounds off when she wants to hang out with her partner whose in his own cage. The TAG I have sounds like her wild cousins, but also likes to whistle. She's learned the beep from Ms T and will happily join in. Apart from that beep, which sounds a lot like a microwave or coffee maker beep set to obnoxious, I find the greys calming and really enjoy listening to them.

And the thing about the noise isn't so much that it can be noisy, but it can feel inescapable. When visiting/volunteering at a shelter, or watching videos, those sounds aren't directed at you. I interpret Ms T's beep to, "I want to be with B. Let me out" Or when B says, "goodnight" it starts to take on a tone and urgency if I ignore him in the beginning. Their sounds starts to have meaning beyond being mere noiseness.

I love my birds, but sometimes I want a vacation from them.

 

[tka]

African Greys are superb mimics and will imitate anything that gets them the most attention. So, think of the most irritating sound in your house - the microwave beep, the low battery alert on the smoke alarm, an alarm on your phone, a timer - and imagine a grey cheerfully letting that off whenever they want a fun and exciting response from you.

 

[flyzipper]

And the thing about the noise isn't so much that it can be noisy, but it can feel inescapable.

This. I was about to suggest volunteering to experience things in real life, but this is the essence of it, I think. Caring for a crying or frustrated toddler might be a better test; you can't always walk away.

My guys are noisy in the morning when they wake up, or when they want something but I haven't yet figured out what, or when they hear something that excites them. They're chill in the afternoon after their lunch, and after dinner as twilight descends. Between those extremes, it varies. An aspect of coping is to fit your day, as much as you're able, into their rhythm, rather than swimming against it. Having a steady routine is helpful overall.

Understanding how to reinforce calm behaviours, redirecting noisy behaviours without rewarding them, etc., are essential skills to develop as well. So too, is learning which noises can safely be tuned out and which require attention.

Lastly, everyone's tolerance is different. To me, my birds are mostly peaceful (within my tolerance), but my Dad would describe the exact same birds in the very same situations, differently (they'd exceed his tolerance)... and actually, if my Dad were to visit, I'd probably worry about noises that don't cause concern when I'm solo (my tolerance might shift toward his for the duration of a visit).

I suggest that people go into bird ownership with the expectation that the bird will be noisy, and you'll need mechanisms to cope with it and manage it (personal, structural, tactical). If they're not noisy, your exceeded expectations will be a relief, but at least you were prepared.

Sorry for the ramble, but stopping to think about the many aspects of "noise" was interesting to me. I appreciate your post as a trigger to that.

(no mention of pitch or tone from me because I don't have African Grey's)

 

[redindiaink]

Caring for a crying or frustrated toddler might be a better test; you can't always walk away.

In my teens I babysat. The last child had separation anxiety and cried for hours despite everything I did to try and console her. I never babysat again. I've never had children in part because I put myself in my friends shoes that day. When people with kids hear my story they tell me it'll be different because it will be my child. I think a lot of the questions people are trying to have answered vicariously; I honestly don't know if that's always possible. And because birds are seen as pets it makes it easier to just get rid of the "problem" rather than puzzle through to find a solution.

BirbDex's bit about pitch and tone had me thinking about misophonia, or the stress of being exposed to loud noise can have over time. I think we sometimes fail to appreciate how sound affects others.