Squawking!!!!!

Huss

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Sep 18, 2011
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Male eclectus
Little help or advice please. Our little boy who we've had for just over 5 weeks now doesn't stop squawking when his in his cage. He is 14 weeks old now and such a sweetheart. Steps up
When asked to. Flys to me on command but when his in his cage he just won't stop squawking. We try to ignore it but as soon as he sees me he just starts and doesn't stop
Until I leave the room. Around my wife and kids he is quiet only when he spots me or hears my voice he just starts. I still hand feed him twice a day. And he sits on my lap. Sometimes he will just keep squawking or sometimes he will start then fall asleep on my lap lol??? Is this an age thing??? What can we do???
 

Robyn

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Sep 9, 2009
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We got Jack when he was 14 weeks old and he was squawking mainly because he wanted to be fed. Im just wondering , you being the feeder if he is after food or possibly attention ?
I would say at 14 weeks ld that they arent really demanding of attention at that age.
From our experience with Jack at 14 weeks old, he was squawking, we found he stopped when we fed him more.
We were making up a mix from the breeder with some baby food , so we had to boil the kettle . He associated the kettle with food , so even when we made a coffee it would set him off. Even if he was tucked away in his bed , which is practically another room , we would have the kettle on for a late night coffee and the sqawking would start. We were very lucky that it stopped once we fed him more and nce he started talking , the squawking disappeared and he became a real chatterbox.
Wondering if its because you feed him , he is seeking you out and trying to get your attention ?? Only a thought.
 
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Huss

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Sep 18, 2011
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I think its more for attention than anything else. I only feed him twice a day but he has his fruits and veggies during the day. How old do they need to be before they start talking???
 

Auggie's Dad

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Huss,

Many people (half-rightly) advise ignoring attention-screaming. They are half right in that you should ignore such noise. It's hard, but it must be done. You don't want to teach him that screaming gets attention.

But this is only half right because you also need to teach him HOW to get attention. There are two similar ways of doing it - one simpler to explain, the other simpler to do.

Essentially you want to reward him with attention when he is quiet (catch him being good). The simple to explain method is to wait for him to be quiet for just a couple of seconds, then give him attention. Gradually up the requirement so he must be quiet in his cage for a couple of minutes before you get him out - then several minutes - etc.

The more effective way is to teach an alternate behavior other than screaming. A particular whistle or new 'contact call' works well - or even a bell or particular toy that makes a distinctive noise. If you teach him that a certain (reasonably pleasant) sound gets attention he'll start to do that rather than scream.

In the first stages of this though, you'll have to devote some time and effort: every time he makes the chosen 'good' sound you need to reward him with attention. Once he starts to 'get it' you can move to a variable reinforcement schedule (you only need to give him attention some of the times he makes the good sound). But make sure you never give him attention when he screams or makes the unacceptable noises.

Ignoring screaming is the first step - but so many people stop there. Without the seconds step it can be a long, grueling, often ineffective process. The second step is a bit more involved, but it works - and it works far faster than most people expect.
 

Robyn

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Jack started talking at about roughly 6 months, just saying hello. I talk to him all the time, so his vocabulary is quite big. He says things at just the right moment and some people wouldnt even believe that he is saying what Im telling them he is saying. He says well over 100 words.
You will be amazed at what they come out with if you speak to them all the time. He was sqawking as a baby and when he started talking, it replaced the sqawking totally, we were very lucky that Jack was never a screamer.
But unfortunately our new parrot is a screamer and I was out tonight and when I got home I found his cage missing. I asked my daughter where was he ?
She had videtaped his screams which was non stop, he was wanting to be let out. I had told her that whilst I was out she really needed to ignore him , but didnt realise how much he did. She took his massive 3 level cage with him in it and plonked him in the yard, near our back door and left him there, it was night time but he was put at the door where he could see the light inside.. She said he stopped then, but wasnt bringing him back in.
So Im working on this screaming boy. Unfortunately he is 2 yrs old and already a talker, so I have no idea what went on in his previous home for him to scream. I know part of the reason but cant do anything till he has his flight feathers.
 
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Pedro

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Dec 15, 2010
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Huss the screaming will pass & is only a baby thing, although it's also a learned behavior. Tell me if i am wrong here. When you got your bird 5 weeks ago I bet you were so excited to have him he got held & cuddled quiet a bit, now he has worked out how he can get your attention, he calls. He isn't actually screaming as such, that noise is his natural baby call. He is wanting to know where his Dad is. Or he is not happy for some reason. I don't believe in ignoring them at all IMO that only makes them louder. I always ask my babies what's up with you, as soon as they hear my voice they usually go quite but never nerver run to see what is wrong. You may even have to get someone else in the house to do the feeding for awhile so he doesn't depend on you to much.

Just for now. You may have to rethink the location of his cage, Drop down to 1 feed a day, usually late afternoon. Always feed him his fruit & veg in the cage. Don't feed at a routine time. Put him to bed at a reasonable time & cover the cage with a blanket. All my birds are put to bed by nightfall. Have a think about how your bird would be treated in the wild by his parents. You need to get a little tough with him.

Here is what i do. Chicks are taken from the nest anywhere from 3 to 5 weeks. From this very early when they make their cute baby calls i always acknowledge them & answer. Once inside i feed them, talk to them, give them a quick cuddle & then back in the box. I more or less do the same thing as they get older. Once they start to fly they have time out of the cage. Nothing is ever routine with me. They get feed any time. Handled & out of cage time is when i really have the time to spend with them. I have 2 males that are roughly 12 months old now. I don't handle those 2 from one day to the next & when I do go & bring them inside to the stand they just step up no problems for me. Over the years i have worked out what & what not to do to have a well behaved young eclectus.
 

caliopi

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We had the same problem with Puffin when we first brought him home and he was 12 weeks old. I found that as soon as he started to talk the squawking stopped and he spent most of the time practising his new words and he is now 2 1/2 and the only time he makes a lot of noise is in the morning when I go upstairs to get ready for work and he takes it upon himself to wake my daughter up by calling her name over and over and louder and louder until she finally gets up and calls out " it's ok Puffin I am up" and he then replies with "Ok" and stops! This is ok during the week but she is not too happy about this routine on the weekends when she is trying to sleep in!
 

theocnoob

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Nov 5, 2011
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My Senegal was like this from when I got him (4mths) to about 7mths. Then it stopped completely. I think it may be an age and insecurity issue. "Mom I'm alone and it's dark" like a human child.
 

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