Screaming eclectus

Hi, just after a bit of advice on my eclectus "oli".

He is around 7 months only now we have had him since the 1st of January. He has been a delight until this last week or so. His vocabulary was great for his age he was always playing and rarely squaked just occasionally out of excitement when he knew it was food time.

He has now stopped talking completely his playing is down to a minimum all he does now is uncontrollable constant squarking when we are in the house whether we are present in the room or not and even when he's out, although it's alot softer when he is out.

Do you know what old be causing this? Since he has been like this he as actually got more cuddly and also better behaved, he is doing as he is told alot more and not just to get a treat.

It should not be out of hunger as he gets fed well. He gets a large amount of chop in a morning, I get home 4 out of 5 days for dinner where I give him some fruit then he gets a cooked meal, some fresh made chop of different ingredients or a salad in the evening.

Thanks for reading

Craig

When Jasper decides he's going to scream I tell him "too loud" sternly and leave the room. Normally he'll stop almost immediately and resume to cute noises and talking. I come back and praise him. If he starts again, I repeat.

As someone here said before, screaming birds do not get attention! (It's so hard though..........!)

I have been doing that.. every time he screams I'd leave the room when he's quiet I'd go give him attention, it doesn't seem to be working in the slightest. I thought there may be another reason as he used to talk for hours on end and he's now stopped completely.

It's my understanding that they are generally very vocal at this age, not much you can do about it. Don't come running when he screams, and you won't create an ingrained habit. Otherwise earplugs are your best friends. This too shall pass.

i got lucky with Maxx he lives 8' from the
U2 so he learned quick the scream gets you nothing.
i just wish the U2 would.lol if i deal with around half a dozen screams
a day is pretty normal so i can live with it.

It's probably something you are just going to have to wait out, basically. He is probably just finding his voice. LOOK AT THIS REALLY COOL NOISE I CAN MAKE THAT IS SO MUCH COOLER THAN ALL THOSE OTHER NOISES I MADE BEFORE! Really all you can do is ignore it when he does it, and encourage any other noise he makes that you find appropriate. You can try telling him "no", but I really think no reaction works better in the long run. Like trying to get a really young kid to stop saying f$&% after the first time it makes all the adults laugh. After that, any reaction at all is going to be detrimental. Best of luck.

The screaming will never stop, but at least if you consistently try to ignore/leave the room it WILL help at some point.

They can chill, our boy (19) is quite mild, only screams if there is something weird going on (like carrying big object in front of him). Much quieter than the cockatoo we had.

A little late on this, but there has been some great advice given already. Yes, they do sometimes go through a VERY noisy stage, though it typically happens around the weaning process. If this is indeed the issue, consistency with the methods you've been implementing already will eventually break through. Parrots can be rather stubborn.

Buuuuuuuuuuut, just to rule out anything else, was he weaned when you got him? You said he's 7 months old now. That places him at around 4 months when you got him, right? I ask because ekkies can be notoriously slow to wean, and forced weaning can sometimes result in behavioral difficulties a little later on... like constant screaming for food. Abundance weaning really is best for them. One of my ekkies was weaned in as little as 3 months. Another took 7 months. It all depends on the individual.

Perhaps try feeding comfort type foods and see if they make a difference. You know, the warm and mushy stuff. Like really warm/almost hot oatmeal with some of his favorite and most nutritious chop ingredients mixed in. Or some pureed chop, served thick and warm. Basically, food that would most resemble warm regurgitation like his momma used to make.

If this makes a significant difference to his screaming behavior (remember, some vocalization is normal. Constant and unceasing is not), then chances are the screaming has its roots in a weaning issue.

Let us know how it all turns out.