Yelling to get what he wants :/

[TesslaCoil]

Hey! Background info; I am a first time bird owner! My cockatiel Mumble will be 1 year old in May, I’ve had him for almost 8 months. He sleeps through the night very well. His cage dimensions are 16.5x22.5x31” and filled with a variety of perches and toys, a hammock, and a puzzle toy. I only work 30h a week, and when I am home, he is out of his cage. He is flighted.
Ok so, in the past several months, he’s gotten into the habit of screaming when he wants out of his cage. This happens when I am leaving for work, and when I just get home (only times when he has to be in his cage). He didn’t start doing this until several months into owning him and unfortunately I didn’t realize until recently that giving any sort of reaction, no matter how small (or even whistling a tune he likes at him) is bad because it’s attention for yelling. I have started ignoring him when he yells, and rewarding when he uses a softer voice, and not letting him out until he quiets down, but is there anything else I should be doing?
He seems to hate his cage and I’m not sure he 100% understands how to play with toys. He has a puzzle in his cage with high-reward treats under moving parts that he’s figuring out, but other than that, he seems to not care about the toys in his cage. Is there anything I can do to get him to not hate being in there when he has to be?

He is a very sweet and opinionated bird and I love him so much and am also lucky to have a roommate that doesn’t mind his noise, but I will get a roommate in the future that probably will mind.

 

[SillyGoose]

What an exciting time !! I also have cockatiels that in the past screamed at me every time i got home or was in the same room as them. Pamela Clark could be an amazing recourse for you ! Parrots and Proximity as well as Dr. Amy Zhao Home - The Budgie Academy - They have many recourses i think you will find helpful. It sounds like you have a good foundation but now you need to start diving in to training your cockatiel on how to play with their toys and engage with their environment when you aren't present. Target training - that sort of thing. CHeck out the links and let me know if you have any immediate questions !

 

[Respect]

It sounds like what you’re doing is good, it will just take a lot of time and consistency. And not all birds know how to play, or are only interested in specific materials! What types of toys do you have in the cage? Small birds seem to really like soft materials like balsa and sola. Foraging toys that you can put treats in are also great, like the puzzle he has. You can try showing him how to play by “playing” with the toys yourself, and/or rewarding him when he interacts with the toys. Good luck

 

[TesslaCoil]

It sounds like what you’re doing is good, it will just take a lot of time and consistency. And not all birds know how to play, or are only interested in specific materials! What types of toys do you have in the cage? Small birds seem to really like soft materials like balsa and sola. Foraging toys that you can put treats in are also great, like the puzzle he has. You can try showing him how to play by “playing” with the toys yourself, and/or rewarding him when he interacts with the toys. Good luck

I place treats in the cupcake papers and in the puzzle toy. I can see that he’s nibbled on pretty much everything, but I’ve only ever seen him play with a toy once. I also have a torn up paper towel roll in there that I think gets the most attention based off how much of it has been chewed

 

[SelvaVerde]

I don't have cockatiels but I've never been a fan of ignoring (I'm more of a redirect person) because often to ignore is the takeaway when people read advice from the so called behaviorists. Often it is something the bird does that "we" don't want so we prefer it (the behavior) just goes away. I'd rather the focus be on what it is we are actually thinking we need to ignore. We should understand that first and then consider whether it's appropriate to ignore it. For example, we know parrots (as a general group) are social animals. Actually HIGHLY social. More so than humans, who want the occasional alone time. For whatever reasons, social attachment is their instinct. It is innate and hard-wired for them to be with a companion (bonded mate) or conspecifics (members of the same species) and in close proximity. That being the case I think it's perfectly understandable, and we should have empathy for a bird that is alone and has been (we can say) forced to bond with humans ( as a sold pet and commodity). We should also understand that toys don't exist in nature. For captive birds they are a substitute for other activities, but will not solve social attachment needs.

" I didn’t realize until recently that giving any sort of reaction, no matter how small (or even whistling a tune he likes at him) is bad because it’s attention for yelling. "

I disagree. Wild animals never let their baby's cry by ignoring them. Whether horse, cat, etc., they come running. And, parrots in the wild contact call constantly. Remember, when your bird is calling he/she is expressing a need that is not being met and likely is associated with elevated stress hormone and anxiety or separation fear. Should we ignore this because we don't like the sound of it?.....of course not. By replying, or coming to your bird, you are NOT reinforcing BAD behavior, you are providing the comfort that is being sought and that naturally happens between social species. Training or "shaping" behavior can make use of ignoring and positive reinforcement. But, the idea of training and behavior modification so often preached doesn't work on genes, it is for learned behaviors and trick training. Social needs are innate (not learned) and when they are not met adverse side effects can result.

As far as playing, birds should normally be curious and playful. If any animal isn't it might be because it's stressed out. Just as with humans, can any of us really have fun when we're worried about something? Not really because we take that anxiety with us wherever we go, until we alleviate it.

 

[SelvaVerde]

" I didn’t realize until recently that giving any sort of reaction, no matter how small (or even whistling a tune he likes at him) is bad because it’s attention for yelling. "

Want to re-emphasize, the bolded part is exactly what I protest against. This is the human perspective and not shared by the bird (i.e. What is yelling and what makes it bad by default?). Assuming that "yelling" deserves no attention makes no sense whatsoever. For example, do we ignore people when they yell for help? After all, this is what your bird is doing. It's in panic mode. He/she did not learn this as it is a behavior that expresses the absence of a stimuli the brain is wired to receive. The goal should be to "turn off" like a switch the panic/anxiety. Not ignore it. We cannot treat our birds like we would a misbehaving class-clown seeking to entertain with their disruptive antics. Thanks for reading, and please, for the sake of your bird(s), don't just believe what you read by people who call themselves behaviorists or consultants.

 

[Jayced!!]

It sounds like what you’re doing is good, it will just take a lot of time and consistency. And not all birds know how to play, or are only interested in specific materials! What types of toys do you have in the cage? Small birds seem to really like soft materials like balsa and sola. Foraging toys that you can put treats in are also great, like the puzzle he has. You can try showing him how to play by “playing” with the toys yourself, and/or rewarding him when he interacts with the toys. Good luck

second this!!