Pablo is Screeeeaming!

My Quaker, Pablo, screams a lot! how can I stop this?
Thanks.

Hello and Welcome!

We'd like to help, but first you'll need to give us a little more information. All we know about Pablo is, he's a beautiful blue quaker and you'd like him to stop screaming. How old is Pablo? How long have you had him? When does he scream? How long does he scream, once he starts? What is happening around him before he starts to scream? How long ago did his screaming start? Does he scream at the same time every day?

Hi Allee
Thanks for responding. Pablo is 9 years old. We have had him since he was 2 months old.He is an only-parrot.He screams a lot but mostly for attention or when he feels threatened. He squawks in the morning when we get up., when we are watching tv, when we're on the phone, when we have people over to the house and sometimes he stands on the highest perch in his cage and screams at the top of him lungs for no apparent reason. I hope this helps. He is completely attached to me. He bites other people and does not like my husband.

Thanks for your advice.

Pablo is very handsome, he looks so innocent! All birds are different and apparently you have one of the louder quakers. If he's always been a noisy bird there may not be much you can do to change the behavior.

Most parrots flock call morning and evening, it's normal. Quakers love to be a part of everything their family is doing, if they feel left out they will let you know. Sometimes they enjoy the sound of their own voices so much they want everyone around them to feel the joy too.

If Pablo has developed the habit of chronic screaming for no obvious reason there are a few things you can try. You can rearrange the interior of his cage, change his perches, toys, food dishes around. You can move his cage to a new location. You can give him something new, foraging toys or shreddable toys, versions he hasn't had before. These changes will give him something new to think about and hopefully keep him occupied. My quakers love animated cartoons, especially the noisy ones with lots of music.

The next part is a little tougher. When Pablo starts yelling, how does everyone react? Do you approach him and try to calm him or talk him out of his rant? Quakers see human drama as highly entertaining. If they can merely let out a loud screech and cause their favorite human to show up, they will see it as a reward and continue to repeat it. You will need to be consistent and let everyone know Pablo's screaming is to be rewarded with silence. If he can see you, quietly walk out of his sight. After he's been quiet from five to ten minutes, approach him and reward him for good behavior. If he is out of his cage when he screams, put him in his cage for a time out. Time outs should only last from five to ten minutes, after he's been quiet for a specified time, open his door and reward him. You have to be consistent to get positive results. Quakers can become cage territorial and very possessive of their favorite people. Socialization with other family members or friends will help to curb his obsessiveness.

Some people cover their parrots cages to stop chronic screaming. I'm not sure how well this method would work with quakers. If you use this method, again, you must be consistent, I wouldn't leave the cage covered for more than ten minute intervals.

Pablo may be experiencing a rise in hormone levels, a lot of parrots are. Good luck and remember to be patient.