4 year old Yellow-Naped Amazon ~ need help/info regarding almost unbearable NOISE!

[kathluvsandy]

Hi all!
So my husband and I had been thinking about getting a talking parrot for many years and did a lot of research on various species, decided on a yellow-naped amazon. (He is of the sub-species Amazona A. Parvipes if that is relevant.) We went into this lifelong commitment knowing how involved and tedious and high maintenance these extremely intelligent creatures are and the level of attention and commitment they require. What we were NOT prepared for was exactly how loud they are. We read 3 books about them and researched like crazy online before adopting our new feathered family member, and still that did not even come close to preparing us for how loud our bird is. When people said they talked a lot and sometimes cawed/screamed, we didn't imagine anything CLOSE to the amount we endure. We have had him for 3 years now, bought him when he was 13 months old, so he's 4. We noticed very quickly that he/she (we don't know which sex he/she is) always wants to be with us, so I've purchased and built perches and play areas for literally every room of our house and both our front and back patios so he can be with us at all times, but he still just SCREAMS and makes wretched noises in between the nonstop talking. We don't mind the talking and whistling, that part is an absolute hoot and we enjoy watching our little goofball. But why is he screaming bloody murder even when he's right with us? Is this normal? How much is "normal" amounts of loudness from Amazons in terms of the screaming part? Is there anything we can do better? He has toys GALORE, we drop about $100 bucks a month on toys. I hand make him bowls of healthy veggie mix treats w/recipes I've found online for him to forage through. We hold him a lot, take him on walks with our dogs and even on bike rides in a safe parrot basket. I don't understand why he screams at us when we are constantly bending over backwards for him? He dictates our lives. We can't even listen to music or watch TV because he screams over the noise, ANY noise, even the sound of our dishwasher, clothes washer/dryer, vacuum, anytime anyone is mowing their lawn, doing loud yardwork, when it rains, if I'm talking on the phone, EVERYTHING you can think of that is a noise gets him riled up and he tries to be louder than it. Is there any way to curb this behavior? I don't mind the constant jabbering, its the screaming and cawing we wish to curb. Our neighbors are complaining because you can hear him from across the street he's so loud. I worry about my sanity every day, and knowing that we are going to have him for life (I could NEVER abandon him) literally I worry he's going to tear apart my marriage if the screaming doesn't get better. If anyone has any solution or tips or advice we would greatly appreciate it. Also, we heard recently from someone who has an African Grey (another talker) that his bird quieted down after about 5-7 years of age. Is that true with Amazons as well? Do they quiet down with age? HELP!!
(Side note, don't know if this is relevant but he is the only bird we have.)

Thank you, Kathryn and Bing the parrot
(nicknamed GODZILLA because he's green and a little monster!)

 

[Birdman666]

Screaming protocols are posted, and a screaming amazon is almost as loud as a screaming too...

None of mine, including my 8 foster zons were ever screamers, except for the occasional "alarm" call. So my guess is that you have an attention screamer on your hands...

He screams to get what he wants would be my guess...

http://www.parrotforums.com/training/48649-screaming-behavior-mods.html

 

[labell]

My Yellow Nape has two cages, the smaller of the two is in the living room with the door open all the time and butted up to a very nice java tree stand where she spends most of the day. Her larger much more spacious cage is in our spare bedroom, this is where she goes to sleep as well as where she goes when she is having screaming fits! If it is just the occasional shouts for joy in between talking that is fine but when she goes on screaming jags (usually about 5pm when my husband comes home) then off to hang out in her larger cage she goes. I shut the door and leave her in there until she gets it out of her system which she has the times now shorter and shorter because she understands and would rather be in the heart of our home and around us.

They are very smart and catch on quick. I have found that if I am animated, loud she will match my volume so I just put her in the bedroom for a bit and she is fine.

 

[Snabb133]

That is exactly what Kiki does every day. She will scream whenever she hears anything that you just mentioned. Especially if you try to watch TV or Listen to music. She will definitely ruin that. What I have found though is to just completely ignore her when she is screaming. I know that might be hard, or impossible for some to go through. But in the end he will understand that whenever he screams, he gets no attention. But whenever hes quiet, he will get attention. Then it also depends on your environment if it's very quiet or very loud most of the days then the Parrot will try to make a difference. Which might mean tinnitus for us humans unfortunately, depending on how loud your bird is, and how sensitive your ears are.

I'm a member of the Swedish parrot club, and we meet every month, like 100 people from different cities, and from my experience most of the men/women who own macaws/cockatoos AND even amazons for a very long time as pets have bad hearing, or Tinnitus. Hopefully none of that will happen to me though.

I dont know about amazons getting quieter as they age, But I think some do, because many older Amazons tend to be perch potatoes and therefore are much more quiet than a young hyped and happy Amazon, like mine is.

I hope everything goes well for you though. I know how it feels like, but with patience, it CAN be fixed.

 

[henpecked]

Welcome to the forum. i have parvipes myself. Several of them and a hen i took from a wild nest in 1970. She's my life long partner. I have lots of zons ,many are wild caught birds who do love their jungle scream. i would say that how they act/behave as juveniles is pretty much how they'll be as adults. They all have their own personalities. IMO, your issues araise from the fact that the bird is the flock leader. it's natural for them to test the situation (your home) to see if the "big bird" is leading the flock. Any zon is fine with being a flock member so long as there's a strong leader. When the bird is calling the shots ,chaos is the result. take more charge of his life. be the strong ,confident and outgoing leader she needs.Don't be too available, learn to tell her "no".It's easy to have them wrap you around their claw when they're young birds and new to the home. Win small battles at first, how long the "pets" last, When she can have a treat, etc. The loud screaming is because it works for her. It gets the desired results, Attention from you. Reward appropriate behavior. Another trick,, is there someone she doesn't like. When she screams send the "bad guy" to stand by her cage. before long she;ll stop screaming because it doesn't bring attention from you, only the "bad guy". join in the forum and learn about life with a YNA, it's a hell of a ride but so worth it. My companion of 45 yrs is a rock in my life.

 

[Birdman666]

My nape was actually a super quiet bird...

Of course, he had my red lored to hang out with... and that kept both of them occupied most of the day. Put those two out on a perch, or a playstand, or a tree in the yard, they'll be content all day.