confused getting mixed advice

[melissatx]

Two days ago my AG Dougall who is 4months old started this high pitched shrill noise. It sounds like a callback but he does it over and over and over and over.

so I started by saying "too loud"once, then when he continues I bring out his cage, wait, cover and put it in front wait, next step to cover on 3 sides,wait next cover the whole thing.

this works but the moment I uncover he starts it up again.


if he is out of his cage am I supposed to put him up each time?


when he is quiet I praise him and pay attention to him. but then he starts back up. The noise is loud and I am exhausted with this.

I know you all like lots of info so you can help determine what the problem is so. 4 months old, diet consists of chop, pellets, very little seed. big cage and is never left alone because he is in my bedroom/office. He might be out of my sight a total of 1 hour.

please please help I am so tired of this screeching!!

the other problem I have is he keeps flying off his playstand I guess its when he is bored??? there is nothing in the room that would scare him. I havent changed anything since I got him and no pets come in this room. his wings are clipped (came to me that way) but he can still fly across the room. I dont want him to fly around the room

 

[melissatx]

forgot to add, I have been reading and some say ignore and cover, others say pay attention to him but if he screams and I pay attention to distract him isnt that seems like I am rewarding him for screeching???

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi Melissa and welcome.

I guess Dougall is not in the least bit interested in his toys? My instinct is to say that you maybe are spending too much time together. If you get a routine going that may help, he will know where he is then? If they spend 24/7 with you, he will continue to expect it.

If you can give him some attention and then say give him his breakfast and then leave him to it, plenty of toys, foragers to seek treats. At coffee time go see him and lunch etc.

What happens when you have to leave the house? Do a spoof run, stand out of sight, close the front door etc and see what he does? Is he quiet or shouting his head off?

You could just try some verbal reassurance in the first instance. Pick a phrase and continue to use it as reassurance.

http://www.africangreys.com/articles/other/bringbaby.htm

 

[Billdore]

My Timneh is constantly wanting my attention and sounds more like a cockatoo than an African Grey. When she being really loud I speak to her in a whisper so she has to she has to be quiet to hear me. I also don't really pay any attention to her when she goes nuts. I don't want to reward her behavior with my presence which is what she wants. Not sure if it will help in the long run but hopefully being so young Dougall will calm down and start whistling to youninstead. Timneh and I are almost always in contact in the house.

 

[carolflan]

Two days ago my AG Dougall who is 4months old started this high pitched shrill noise. It sounds like a callback but he does it over and over and over and over.

so I started by saying "too loud"once, then when he continues I bring out his cage, wait, cover and put it in front wait, next step to cover on 3 sides,wait next cover the whole thing.

this works but the moment I uncover he starts it up again.


if he is out of his cage am I supposed to put him up each time?


when he is quiet I praise him and pay attention to him. but then he starts back up. The noise is loud and I am exhausted with this.

I know you all like lots of info so you can help determine what the problem is so. 4 months old, diet consists of chop, pellets, very little seed. big cage and is never left alone because he is in my bedroom/office. He might be out of my sight a total of 1 hour.

please please help I am so tired of this screeching!!

the other problem I have is he keeps flying off his playstand I guess its when he is bored??? there is nothing in the room that would scare him. I havent changed anything since I got him and no pets come in this room. his wings are clipped (came to me that way) but he can still fly across the room. I dont want him to fly around the room

Perhaps if u didn't want a pet that flys u shouldn't have bought a bird with wings! How would u enjoy sitting in a cage then taken out and expected to sit all day on a stand? At 4 months he's probably crying for a feed! As he's still a baby ! Or some parental response if some kind!

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[melissatx]

perhaps I dont want my bird to fly into things and get hurt, he has food constantly and eats it. perhaps if you dont have anything helpful to say then perhaps dont comment at all

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

Agree with carolflan. If you don't want a pet that flies, don't get a bird!!! First, a bird with clipped wings is more likely to hit things than flighted birds. This is because clipped birds can still fly, as in your case, but not with the precision and control that experienced fliers have. If you let your bird's feathers regrow, you can help to strengthen his flight so he'll become a better flier and stop running into things. My birds NEVER crash into things, except my conure, who is partally clipped and can still fly, but not very well. My cockatiel is an ace flier and knows that the kitchen is where we spend a lot of time, so today I was upstairs with him and heard someone in the kitchen and zoomed down the stairs to find them. And then I heard "what's Ducky doing over here?" and knew he had found them. If you want a bird that flies well indoors then you have to recall train them, work on flight training often, never leave doors open even if your bird is inside the cage, install screens on your windows but it's all worth it because that's what birds do best... fly! And you will be rewarded with a happier and healthier bird. If you do decide to clip wings, though, understand that birds are designed for flight and you can never ground them completely. A "proper" clip trims the first 4-7 feathers, depending on the size of the bird. But clipped birds are more susceptible to accidents like hitting things, getting stepped on, not being able to get away from other pets, and getting crushed by doors because they aren't able to turn around quickly. And really, I wouldn't be happy if I was handicapped and had to stay in the same two places (cage and playstand) 24/7!

 

[LordTriggs]

yes I do have to question why you got a bird if you don't want a flying pet. I mean, it's kind of what birds are known for. Knowing that he's probably bored of only being in 2 spots all the time.

Also birds are loud. It's another thing they're known for. He'll never be truly silent, his screaming could be anything. Bored, hungry, after attention, doesn't want attention, finds your reaction funny, finds something scary, looking for his previous family or even wants to be covered. You need to find what is setting him off and try to stop it. Or if it's an attention seeking device then you need to get him to change his noise to something you approve. Attention seeking is the the only one I've ever dealt with, very simply, ignore until a noise you approve of is made, only pay attention to that and over time they will change, but it's a slow process and the occasional scream will still come out.

I will add that birds aren't dumb, they don't often fly into walls unless they don't know how to change their direction which clipping does make it hard for them. If he wants to fly across the room let him, it's exercise and fun for them and there's nothing better than your parrot flying to you to say hello and ask for a cuddle.

also just as an FYI in case you weren't aware. He will bite you at some point, Greys don't often bite super hard but they can and have sent people to the hospital for some stitches. It's not a personal thing, not saying you're bad or anything but birds can and do bite for some reason or another and it will not be his fault so you need to be prepared for that.

If you do feel so strongly against flying and want to have a quiet pet who will never take a chomp then you do need to really ask yourself if a bird is right for you. No personal attack here, parrots are very different to people's ideas of pets, they're still wild animals even if bred domestically, their instincts and genetic traits are still very near the surface so they do act on them. My biggest worry for you is that if you're struggling now then what will you do when he hits his hormones and becomes a true monster that screams and bites because he is so frustrated. Don't know if you've ever had children but image once a year for a month or so your pet suddenly becomes a moody angry teenager with an in-built sound system and a pair of scissors on his face. Just ask yourself honestly if you can get through it all and still love him and put his needs first. If you can then by all means go for it you just need to be aware he's as conscious a being as you and he will have his own personality you have to work with

good luck with him!

 

[plumsmum2005]

I am sorry you feel got at, as a community we always come out on the side of the parrot. It is their interests that we hold dear. Please read and think about what has been written here with good intention. Our members do not just attack newbies that come on asking questions, we are not that kind of forum. We have a close knit community of members who care very much about parrots.

Dougall will make noises to communicate with you only until he is approx 18 months old. A bird that is not allowed to fledge suffers in the long term even not being able to fly for the rest of their lives. They just do not develop the skills/brain patterns to be able to do this and as such never have the confidence. I think I would be more than upset if someone had handicapped me as a baby, how about you?

You have a wonderful gift of a dear baby parrot in your life so I ask please think whether he is right for you and vice versa. It should be easier to find him a good home now rather than later. You sound pretty irked by him presently which is not good.

 

[Scott]

A four month old parrot is quite young and developing. Greys are particularly sensitive and intelligent. May I ask approximately how much time you spend daily one-on-one with Dougall? Having him in close proximity is helpful, but they thrive on direct interaction.

Vocalization is what attracts many to birds. The flip side is they can be noisy in ways other than speech. You may reward Dougall's good behavior with treats while disincentivize with short time-outs in his cage.

It can be very difficult to teach a bird to self-entertain. Might try challenging toys to occupy the mind of a grey!

A few threads of interest: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/60435-clicker-target-training.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html (I know this is not the main issue, but good info)

 

[carolflan]

perhaps I dont want my bird to fly into things and get hurt, he has food constantly and eats it. perhaps if you dont have anything helpful to say then perhaps dont comment at all

My bird can fly and doesn't fly into things and hurt herself what a ridiculous statement lol sorry if the truth hurts!

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[Melissa1227]

Thanks for the replies, I started clicker training 2 days ago. Just reading the book first. Dougall spends about 8 hours a day out of his cage and is 2 ft. Away from me so he get kisses and rubs alot.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Is The Op Melissatx and Melissa1227 the one and the same? Confused?

 

[Melissa1227]

I didn't realize I had two of them. Must be when I log in by phone it saved password and computer does it different. Sorry. Either way it doesn't matter. I am leaving. I asked for help but was given suggestions I might want to re home my bird. You all are not encouraging .

 

[Melissa1227]

And carol flan it was not a ridiculous statement my bird has flown into at least 10 things and landed nicely once. I didn't want him to get hurt. Again if u can't say anything nice don't reply at all

 

[plumsmum2005]

I am sorry that you have taken umbrage at the replies given. I am sure that the members here would still be amicable to helping you through this, myself included if I can? Would be pleased to see one of you stay, up to you?

I hope only one of you leaves and one of you stays LOL

FYI

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No member shall have more than one account. If you forgot your password, you can have it reset. If you are having difficulties logging in, you can always contact Admin without being logged into your account. Members who are caught with multiple accounts will have their posting privileges removed. If a spouse, child, and/or significant other signs up, they will naturally share the same IP address. I would recommend they use their current member as a referrer. Please keep in mind that once you’ve created a user name, neither you nor the mods can change it. This is a Parrot forum, and we are a child friendly forum, therefore we ask you refrain from choosing sexually explicituser names. Members who choose questionable/explicit user names are subject to have their posting privileges removed.

 

[carolflan]

And carol flan it was not a ridiculous statement my bird has flown into at least 10 things and landed nicely once. I didn't want him to get hurt. Again if u can't say anything nice don't reply at all

He is flying into things hurting himself BECAUSE his wings are clipped! If he had proper use of his wings he wouldn't bump into anything and be able to land safely. .. I'm sorry u are offended by any suggestions of help given ..

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[carolflan]

I didn't realize I had two of them. Must be when I log in by phone it saved password and computer does it different. Sorry. Either way it doesn't matter. I am leaving. I asked for help but was given suggestions I might want to re home my bird. You all are not encouraging .

I'm sorry u are leaving but I'm sure we all have the best interests of your bird at the forefront of any suggestions given

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[carolflan]

Thanks for the replies, I started clicker training 2 days ago. Just reading the book first. Dougall spends about 8 hours a day out of his cage and is 2 ft. Away from me so he get kisses and rubs alot.

Do u seriously expect him to sit for around 8 hours a day and never ever leave his playstand? That would be impossible my cockatoo can't sit still for 8 seconds ..

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[Anansi]

Okay, okay. Let's rein this in a little. I think we can all agree that most people, whether newbies or parrot rearing veterans, come to this forum out of love for their birds, yes? Most come with the best of intentions, whether looking for answers or for a sense of community with others who share their love for birds.

No one comes to get insulted.

I understand the passion many of you have expressed for keeping your birds flighted. I share that passion, as my household is a flighted household. (Well, the birds of the household, anyway. My boys often believe they are flighted, but that's a whole other story...) But the thing is, not everyone is going to see things the same way that you do. And blasting them for seeing things differently is the surest way to keep them from considering things from a different perspective.

I don't doubt that everyone here was acting in what they felt were the best interests of the bird. But chasing a member away hardly accomplishes anything for said bird. Know what I mean?

Whether or not to clip is a rather hotly debated topic amongst parronts. While I am firmly in the flighted camp, there are others who have very compelling reasons to refrain from allowing their birds to be fully flighted. For example, there is a member of this forum who I hold in very high esteem, who decided one day that she wanted to start working on flight training her bird. This bird had been clipped all it's life, and so had never gotten the chance to fledge. She reached out to me for some advice on how to go about this. I gave her my thoughts on how to do it, and then she got to work. Unfortunately, one day something startled her fully flighted bird, and he took off. Such was his panic that he flew headfirst into a wall and knocked himself out for several minutes.

Thankfully, he recovered. But it could have had a very different ending. Can you blame her for deciding to clip him the very next day? I certainly couldn't. It doesn't change the fact that I will always keep birds in my house flighted. But I can definitely understand why someone might clip their bird's wings out of fear of that bird being hurt.

We don't all have to agree with one another on every issue, but while a part of this community we should always respect one another.

Melissa, I truly hope you haven't gone away just yet. As Plumsmum pointed out, we will have to sort out which of your usernames will be the one you keep. (We'll discuss that via pm) But I do hope you decide to stay. I think you'll find that we are generally a positive and encouraging lot. And those times that we fall short of that ideal can usually be chalked up to an exuberance born of love for our feathered companions rather than out of any vitriolic intent.

As for the screaming, considering that your grey is only 4 months it's quite possible that he was weaned a little too early and is calling out for comfort feeds. You might want to try prepping some warm and mushy foods and feeding this to him between meals. See if this makes a difference.

As for the flying, expecting him to stay in one place is a bit unrealistic. As a bird, his instinct is to fly. (Normally he'd have just finished fledging, which is an extremely important phase for bird development.) What you can do, however, is manage that flight. If you get a few training perches that you can place around the room at different places, he will be naturally inclined to go to them rather than places you'd prefer he didn't. If you include target training and make a game of it, you may find that you have opened a whole new world of fun and interaction for you and Dougall.

Please keep us updated on your progress with Dougall. We're all rooting for you.