Help With A Whistle!

Am hoping to get some advice for a common problem.

My adopted Grey loves attention when he is cooped up in his cage. He makes all kinds of pops and whistles when I am not in the room. He is communicating with me and I do respond.
However, when I am sitting next to him in my chair and he is in his cage, besides the normal pops, whistles and talks, he makes a very high pitched whistle that literally hurts my ears. I can take every other noise he makes at any volume but this one whistle is ear splitting.

I do not respond to it since I know that any response will encourage it. I have tried to leave the room when he does it as an association process but this hasn't worked.
All these "noises" he makes is for attention BUT this one is a "deal-breaker". And he does it a lot.

Is there any way to discourage this ONE whistle?

Find out what he likes-- food, attention, a toy etc. Wait until he does a different sound and present the reward each time. If he wants attention and squeaks, leave the room when he does it and return when he makes a preferred sound. With consistency, he will realize that he gets more attention from the other sounds.

You have to figure out why he is making that sound and associate the reward (whatever he wants) with a new/preferred sound-- AKA a tolerable means for meeting the same need. Also, make sure that you know that the function of the behavior is truly attention and not something sensory like boredom, because that solution is quite different.

I thinkl I know what you mean and is it rather strange he does that when he is close to you.
In my (still limited experience) all greys can make this sound - it's their inborn (?) contact-call.
I use it on verry rare occasions when someone is "missing" and all the other calls fail to get a response.


Maybe it means he is accepting you as 'flock'?
How long has he been with you?
I only heard mine do this regularly when they just moved in and were not "at home" yet - so it will probably go away on its own once the birds settle.


Funny enough (now I think about it) it resurfaced after I did a major moving around of the furniture (greys always seem a bit autistic about that- no offense meant!- in that it takes them relatively long to get used to something new / I have the same problem myself, so I do not mind).


Appie used to immitate a train with the brakes on (another painfully loud piercing noise) when sitting as close to my earcanal as possible. I just let her know I did not enjoy that (she doesn't care what I think, but if it gets her being moved away... she is willing to reconsider ...a bit )


so new bird settling in?
or bird enjoying himself with loud noises to startle you /make you cringe?

noodles123 said:

Find out what he likes-- food, attention, a toy etc. Wait until he does a different sound and present the reward each time. If he wants attention and squeaks, leave the room when he does it and return when he makes a preferred sound. With consistency, he will realize that he gets more attention from the other sounds.

Click to expand...

This. This. This.


This is exactly how you do it. If he makes other noises, reward the hell out of those, and walk away when he makes the annoying sound. STAY away until he makes a better sound, then come running with treats.

Clicker training would be a very Useful and beneficial here. (sound - click - treat)

noodles123 said:

Find out what he likes-- food, attention, a toy etc. Wait until he does a different sound and present the reward each time. If he wants attention and squeaks, leave the room when he does it and return when he makes a preferred sound. With consistency, he will realize that he gets more attention from the other sounds.

Click to expand...

Have been doing this to some degree. When he makes THAT sound I ignore it for a couple of times; after about the 3rd time, I leave the room. I have been giving him some treats when he makes a "great" sound but haven't been consistent enough.

noodles123 said:

You have to figure out why he is making that sound and associate the reward (whatever he wants) with a new/preferred sound-- AKA a tolerable means for meeting the same need. Also, make sure that you know that the function of the behavior is truly attention and not something sensory like boredom, because that solution is quite different.

Click to expand...

He mainly does this when I sit in my chair after about 10'. He makes all kinds of pops/whistles/talks and I believe he just wants out of his cage. I cannot do this since he climbs to the ground which causes problems. Am putting Plexiglas up this weekend on bottom 1/4 of his cage.
He also does it when I leave the room; BUT he makes other sounds as well.

ChristaNL said:

Maybe it means he is accepting you as 'flock'?
How long has he been with you?
I only heard mine do this regularly when they just moved in and were not "at home" yet - so it will probably go away on its own once the birds settle.

Appie used to imitate a train with the brakes on (another painfully loud piercing noise) when sitting as close to my ear canal as possible.

so new bird settling in?
or bird enjoying himself with loud noises to startle you /make you cringe?

Click to expand...

Been with me for a month.
My guy does a LOUD truck backing up.

chris-md said:

noodles123 said:

Find out what he likes-- food, attention, a toy etc. Wait until he does a different sound and present the reward each time. If he wants attention and squeaks, leave the room when he does it and return when he makes a preferred sound. With consistency, he will realize that he gets more attention from the other sounds.

Click to expand...

This. This. This.


This is exactly how you do it. If he makes other noises, reward the hell out of those, and walk away when he makes the annoying sound. STAY away until he makes a better sound, then come running with treats.

Clicker training would be a very Useful and beneficial here. (sound - click - treat)

Click to expand...

Have been doing clicker training for a few weeks. He does it quite well. This was to help with a behavioral/bonding issue since he chomped me hard (drew blood) on his 2nd day home.

This loud sound I believe he has done for a lonnnng time with his previous owner as (sometimes) when he does it, he yells out "knock it off!" He doesnt do it all the time. Usually after I get home and greet him. After I leave the room he sometimes does it; but it's mainly when I am sitting right next to him.
Right now he is sitting calmly on his favorite perch just relaxing. I walked into the room and he gave me a very sad low cry...melts your heart. I'll go up to him and gently say, "You OK Morgan?" He then will proceed to let out a HUGE mimic belch....yeah, he's fine.

LOL, he sounds like quite the character


sorry no solutions here apart from the distraction, distraction etc.


Japie has this baby-wailing-cry-thingy and indeed in a deep dark voice with tell himself "stop it , now!" - so I am at least owner number three who has to cope with his "I want to be a bagpipe when I grow up"-phase.