Conure screams in cage

jethrosgreencheeks · Jun 19, 2018

I have a four month green cheek conure that screams in his cage. He’s usually out whenever I’m home (about 6-8 hours) and I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong. I don’t want to let him out every time he screams because I don’t want to encourage the behaviour but is letting him out for so long not helping? He has toys he loves to play with in his cage so is there anything I can do to make his cage seem good to him?

Jen5200 · Jun 19, 2018

I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong, and I agree with you that letting him out as when he screams might reinforce that particular behaviour. A couple of random thoughts.... is his cage in a main area of the house? My conures are pretty good in cages if they can still see me and I can talk to them as part of the flock while I go about whatever I need to do. They have to be in their cages if I’m running in and out or something is going on that doors are opening a lot. I do tend to talk to them whenever I’m in the house or passing by. While I’m out of the house I turn on the radio or the tv to give them something to listen to/watch that makes the house less “dead quiet”. It makes a difference for mine - I can hear them yelling if I forget to turn it on and I go outside to do yard work. When I go back in and turn it on, things quiet down.

Sunnyclover · Jun 19, 2018

Okay so I have a though. Is the cage too small? My Nanday Conure had the "required" size cage for his species but hated it and screamed his head off (he was about 4 months at the time also) all day when caged. It got so bad he didn't even want to go into the cage to eat so I had to figure out a way to put bowls up top on his cage because it didn't have a play top. He has a really long tail and I could tell it wasn't fitting in the cage very well so we ordered one twice the size. Now he willingly hops into his cage with no fuss and does not mind being in his cage for extended periods of time. I'm not sure if this is the issue but it was 100% why my guy was screaming in his cage. I'm not sure a lot of people think this could be a reason for screaming because the cage is not obviously too small.

GaleriaGila · Jun 19, 2018

I think your conure is... being a conure, yeah. Mine screams the day away, too.
Bigger cage, cage improvements, more toys, more fun healthy snacks... stuff to keep him busy.
Good luck. Keep us posed.

Good for you, for reaching out and being curious!

Sunnyclover · Jun 19, 2018

I guess Finley has RB on that one! He rarely screams for no reason these days.

jethrosgreencheeks · Jun 19, 2018

Sunnyclover said:
Okay so I have a though. Is the cage too small? My Nanday Conure had the "required" size cage for his species but hated it and screamed his head off (he was about 4 months at the time also) all day when caged. It got so bad he didn't even want to go into the cage to eat so I had to figure out a way to put bowls up top on his cage because it didn't have a play top. He has a really long tail and I could tell it wasn't fitting in the cage very well so we ordered one twice the size. Now he willingly hops into his cage with no fuss and does not mind being in his cage for extended periods of time. I'm not sure if this is the issue but it was 100% why my guy was screaming in his cage. I'm not sure a lot of people think this could be a reason for screaming because the cage is not obviously too small.

I don’t think his cage is too small. It’s Product 22(W) X 24(D) X 66(H) inch
with a 0.63 inch bar space. I got a bigger one than the recommended size. But I am a first time bird owner, is that too small?

jethrosgreencheeks · Jun 19, 2018

GaleriaGila said:
I think your conure is... being a conure, yeah. Mine screams the day away, too.
Bigger cage, cage improvements, more toys, more fun healthy snacks... stuff to keep him busy.
Good luck. Keep us posed.
Good for you, for reaching out and being curious!

I think I might try getting him more toys and different perches. His cage is 22(W) X 24(D) X 66(H) and I’m not sure if that’s too small. He doesn’t have too many toys in there now because when I put them all in he was scared but perhaps he is just bored.

MonicaMc · Jun 21, 2018

I honestly don't like cages that size, but eh... could be just me!

My cockatiel is in a cage that's 32x21x35, not counting the stand. This is actually a down-size from the previous cage that I kept her in. When I say down-size, I mean a huge one!

So a larger cage *may* help. Besides a different cage, you could also try encouraging foraging activities and playing with toys by hiding treats and food around the cage!

EllenD · Jun 24, 2018

For a Green Cheek Conure, yeah, your cage is way too small, I agree with Monica...I don't know where you got the "recommended size", but the larger the cage the better. Always buy the largest cage you can afford, and with a Green Cheek who loves to climb and play with a TON of toys, your cage is not at all adequate. And that isn't your fault, for example, Petco sells a table-top cage that is labeled "Conure Cage"...it's the size of a Budgie cage, lol...They also sell a floor-cage that is labeled "Conure Cage", and it's 4-times the size of their table-top "Conure Cage"...so how does that work Petco?

Not only the size of the cage, but also, as already mentioned wisely by Jen, is the LOCATION OF HIS CAGE...Where do you have his cage located? If the situation is that he's screaming while inside his cage when you're home, and his cage is in a different room than where the "action" is in your home (i.e. the room where the people who live in your home spend most of their time when they are home, usually a living room, family room, den, etc.), then that's at least 50% of the problem. Any time your bird is inside of his cage but he cannot see the people who are at home at the same time, this is going to result in screaming. If he can hear you but not SEE you or the others who are home, he's going to go nuts. He wants to be where the people are...and what you'll find, if this is the situation, is that if you move his cage to main room of your house where the people spend their time, and he's simply inside of his cage and in the same room as the people are while they're simply watching TV, playing video games, reading, eating/cooking, etc., your bird will most-likely play happily and silently inside his cage, simply because he's "with his people/family". You don't have to always be directly-interacting with him, but he must always be with his people when they are home, that's just how Conures work...a lot of people find this out because they put their bird's main-cage in their bedroom or a spare-room (often calling it "the bird room" or "bird's room"), thinking that the bird should have it's own room, or be located in their own bedroom because it's "their bird" and not the rest of their family's bird, however, this is exactly what happens, especially with a clingy bird like a Conure...

jethrosgreencheeks · Jun 24, 2018

EllenD said:
For a Green Cheek Conure, yeah, your cage is way too small, I agree with Monica...I don't know where you got the "recommended size", but the larger the cage the better. Always buy the largest cage you can afford, and with a Green Cheek who loves to climb and play with a TON of toys, your cage is not at all adequate. And that isn't your fault, for example, Petco sells a table-top cage that is labeled "Conure Cage"...it's the size of a Budgie cage, lol...They also sell a floor-cage that is labeled "Conure Cage", and it's 4-times the size of their table-top "Conure Cage"...so how does that work Petco?

Not only the size of the cage, but also, as already mentioned wisely by Jen, is the LOCATION OF HIS CAGE...Where do you have his cage located? If the situation is that he's screaming while inside his cage when you're home, and his cage is in a different room than where the "action" is in your home (i.e. the room where the people who live in your home spend most of their time when they are home, usually a living room, family room, den, etc.), then that's at least 50% of the problem. Any time your bird is inside of his cage but he cannot see the people who are at home at the same time, this is going to result in screaming. If he can hear you but not SEE you or the others who are home, he's going to go nuts. He wants to be where the people are...and what you'll find, if this is the situation, is that if you move his cage to main room of your house where the people spend their time, and he's simply inside of his cage and in the same room as the people are while they're simply watching TV, playing video games, reading, eating/cooking, etc., your bird will most-likely play happily and silently inside his cage, simply because he's "with his people/family". You don't have to always be directly-interacting with him, but he must always be with his people when they are home, that's just how Conures work...a lot of people find this out because they put their bird's main-cage in their bedroom or a spare-room (often calling it "the bird room" or "bird's room"), thinking that the bird should have it's own room, or be located in their own bedroom because it's "their bird" and not the rest of their family's bird, however, this is exactly what happens, especially with a clingy bird like a Conure...

I moved his cage to our family room and gave him toys and the screaming has stopped. Thank you for letting me know my cage is too small. Can you recommend a specific cage for him? I did in fact follow a Petsmart employee’s advise. They suggest one for me and I got a bigger one. He doesn’t spend too much time in his cage but I don’t want him to be unhappy while he’s in there.
This is what he has now: https://prevuepet.com/product/93/select-bird-cage--black-3153blk#info

Jen5200 · Jun 24, 2018

So glad to hear that he’s stopped screaming - conures do like to be with their people

. Not sure where you are located - but there’s lots of cage options out there. I’ve ordered all of mine online, since pet stores have a pretty limited selection and often don’t carry the larger cages. I’ve bought through Amazon, Birds Comfort, & King’s Cages - but I know that there are many others out there. I have three conures, and they tend to appreciate width rather than height in their cage. Mine almost never use the bottom half of their cages, and make lots of miles back and forth across the top half. The minimum size I’d go (just my personal preference) is what Monica mentioned above (32w x 21d x 35h). I have one cage that size and my cockatiel currently lives in it. My conures are flighted and active little monsters so theirs are bigger. I should also mention that I work full time and my birds have to be caged during the day while I’m at work, so I try to make sure they have lots of room to roam in their cages.

EllenD · Jun 24, 2018

Jen5200 said:
So glad to hear that he’s stopped screaming - conures do like to be with their people . Not sure where you are located - but there’s lots of cage options out there. I’ve ordered all of mine online, since pet stores have a pretty limited selection and often don’t carry the larger cages. I’ve bought through Amazon, Birds Comfort, & King’s Cages - but I know that there are many others out there. I have three conures, and they tend to appreciate width rather than height in their cage. Mine almost never use the bottom half of their cages, and make lots of miles back and forth across the top half. The minimum size I’d go (just my personal preference) is what Monica mentioned above (32w x 21d x 35h). I have one cage that size and my cockatiel currently lives in it. My conures are flighted and active little monsters so theirs are bigger. I should also mention that I work full time and my birds have to be caged during the day while I’m at work, so I try to make sure they have lots of room to roam in their cages.

I agree with the above as the very minimum for a Green Cheek...you're much, much, much better off ordering a cage online than buying one in a pet shop, as not only will you have a huge selection, but generally you save a fortune.

Amazon is a great place, a lot of members here buy their cages there...The other place is looking on Craigslist of a pre-owned one, you can get a lot of cage on Craigslist for $100 or less...Stay away from the small, table-top type cages that you see labeled for Budgies, Cockatiels, etc. And yes, they tend to like a nice, wide cage...but again, buy the largest you can afford and have room for.

Conure screams in cage

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