Macaw screams when hearing men's voices

Lindylou277 said:

Any one have this problem when the bird hears unfamiliar (to the bird) male voices in the house? It's a real problem. Any suggestion re remedy?

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JerseyWendy said:

Lindylou277 said:

Any one have this problem when the bird hears unfamiliar (to the bird) male voices in the house? It's a real problem. Any suggestion re remedy?

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Sounds like Coqui is the ultimate home alert system. Kidding, of course.

I'd suggest you have a MALE figure sit calmly next to her cage and read something to her, or just talk to her. NO eye contact, just talking and/or reading out loud. Not loud as in "I can't hear you loud", but you know what I mean, I hope.

Perhaps she had really bad experiences with men???

It will take time for her to get over her fear and/or anxiousness, but I'm quite sure it can be done.

Staying calm when she sounds off is important. Don't run over to her cage and try and reassure her when she's going off. Ignore her screaming - if possible.

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grey782163 said:

It could be one of two things. Coqui could be frightened by the sound of men, or it could be that Coqui is excited by the sound of men. In either case, I think non confrontational and non physical interaction with different men would be a good idea. I like the idea posted above of having a man read or talk to the bird without making eye contact. It lends itself to both scenarios. I would start with the man across the room and slowly (over several sessions) move closer. You might not even need a man to start with if you have a library card, check out an e-book narrated by a man and play that for Coqui. BTW is he/she named after the Puerto Rican tree frog?

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Lindylou277 said:

Her scream is a far cry from the gentle sound of the real coqui!

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