I have about a 2 year old pineapple green cheek and she is driving me nuts with her noise level. I have had her close to a year now and she has gotten louder in the past few months. I have read a ton of stuff online and try to follow all of the advice. Change her toys frequently, feed her good food/fresh food, she is out of her cage all day while I am at work and I move her back into main area so that she can see me when I am home, even on lunch breaks. On weekends she is out of her cage frequently and is in main area of room. I do not encourage her annoying screaming/squawking-I wouldn't say it is on the level of screaming but sometimes gets close. I don't yell at her when she does it but have started to get up and leave the room and won't come back until she is quiet. I give her whistles that I would prefer her to use which she does use quite a bit. She used to only be obnoxious sometimes when no one was in sight or in the morning when she wants to be uncovered. Now it is to the point where I can be sitting in the same room and she is still making these annoying squawks. I feel like she likes me more now than in the beginning and she just constantly wants attention. She is driving my absolutely crazy-pretty much all day long unless I am holding her or sitting next to her she is being obnoxious. Advice please????
Conure driving me nuts with noise
- Thread starter CydneyN
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plumsmum2005
New member
Have you tried putting on the TV or radio? Has she toys and things to do to keep her busy? Toys that are not used are just ornaments and I have several of those LOL. Try and find out what floats her boat in terms of being busy, will she forage for treats?
Perhaps try and get her to realise that her noise is not required and one suggestion is to stand by her cover in the morning but not take it off until she is quiet. If you stand completely still and quiet she will hopefully quieten down for you to praise and treat and importantly take her cover off and say good morning.
Good things come to a good girl, especially treats.
Perhaps try and get her to realise that her noise is not required and one suggestion is to stand by her cover in the morning but not take it off until she is quiet. If you stand completely still and quiet she will hopefully quieten down for you to praise and treat and importantly take her cover off and say good morning.
Good things come to a good girl, especially treats.
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Well, I am probaby a bad example, but I can at least commiserate.
I believe I followed most reasonable and often-offered suggestions, but the Rickeybird's noise level never changed much. Many consider Patagonians to be the loudest conure. He is definitely TRYING.
The main piece of advice I don't even attempt is to wing-clip. Free flight makes time-out an impossibility. So he pretty much terrorizes the place in general. If it's any consolation, I barely register the noise anymore after all these years.
When I had my first hearing test a little while ago, I worried about loss in my right ear (where the bird sits, usually), but it was FINE!
I believe I followed most reasonable and often-offered suggestions, but the Rickeybird's noise level never changed much. Many consider Patagonians to be the loudest conure. He is definitely TRYING.
The main piece of advice I don't even attempt is to wing-clip. Free flight makes time-out an impossibility. So he pretty much terrorizes the place in general. If it's any consolation, I barely register the noise anymore after all these years.
When I had my first hearing test a little while ago, I worried about loss in my right ear (where the bird sits, usually), but it was FINE!
plumsmum2005
New member
Gail as you may remember I am familiar with the Patagonian Conure and also the noise they can make. Firmly believe that if they are kept occupied, fed well and correctly, given enough time/affection then they can and do quieten down. My friends LPC is a monster at home but she doesnt keep to a routine and is very ad-hoc in her approach. He comes to me and has a routine, enough to do/play, time and attention and is as good as gold. We get later wake ups but do ensure he is covered and the curtains are drawn.
I would certainly advise folks to try all that. I *THINK* I have...
He's fully flighted, has a great diet, is the focus of my attention for hours daily and on my shoulder as I paint. He yells and sings the Booty song right into my ear. He has a very regular routine, a great diet. He has more toys than ever and makes more "toys" out of my clothes, drapes and dishes. He does get quiet when eating, but even with beak on toy he yells, apparently at the toy... who knows? Videos of wild colonies shows them screeching seemingly nonstop, but maybe the vids are taken selectively.
Maybe I'm just doomed. Fortunately it doesn't bother mme much!
I wonder if there's a gender difference. Not that I'd do it, but do you suppose that clipping would help??
P.S.
He is quiet during his afternoon naptime, has always done that, all his life... oh, it's a wonnnnnderful time of day. Not really --- I miss him.
He's fully flighted, has a great diet, is the focus of my attention for hours daily and on my shoulder as I paint. He yells and sings the Booty song right into my ear. He has a very regular routine, a great diet. He has more toys than ever and makes more "toys" out of my clothes, drapes and dishes. He does get quiet when eating, but even with beak on toy he yells, apparently at the toy... who knows? Videos of wild colonies shows them screeching seemingly nonstop, but maybe the vids are taken selectively.
Maybe I'm just doomed. Fortunately it doesn't bother mme much!
I wonder if there's a gender difference. Not that I'd do it, but do you suppose that clipping would help??
P.S.
He is quiet during his afternoon naptime, has always done that, all his life... oh, it's a wonnnnnderful time of day. Not really --- I miss him.
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plumsmum2005
New member
No Gail don't think it would. Just be grateful that RB is long lived, healthy albeit a little vocal ha ha.
My friends is male too. Toys got a right bashing as he was constantly beaking them so only toys made with chains and not string materials were any good. Do help in keeping him quiet and occupied though.
Does RB try to make a burrow under paper?
My friends is male too. Toys got a right bashing as he was constantly beaking them so only toys made with chains and not string materials were any good. Do help in keeping him quiet and occupied though.
Does RB try to make a burrow under paper?
EllenD
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I am going to try to answer your question without sounding abrasive or judgemental, as I understand where you're coming from, though without knowing your history with owning birds (Is this your first bird? First conure?) I'm not sure how much of this "issue" you're having is actually the bird acting out of character or just you not knowing how loud conures in general can be.
Conures in general are loud birds as a whole whether you're doing everything correctly or not, it's just how they are. That being said, green cheek Conures do tend to be the quietest conures, where as Gail stated Patagonian conures, Sun conures, and Jenday conures tend to be the loudest, no matter what you do. I've owned several birds throughout my life, but the only conures I've ever owned were both green cheeks. My first was a female cinnamon turquoise who passed away suddenly from a freak accident at about 9 months old. I now have a male, yellow-sided green cheek conure, and he is almost a year old now. He is definitely louder than my female was, and from day one it was evident that he was going to be a louder bird. I wasn't surprised about that as male birds do tend to be more vocal in general than female birds (there are always exceptions). I have heard horror stories about sun conures and Patagonian conures and the constant screaming, and as far as relating that to your male green cheek, because you said he was "not really screaming, but almost", that's a definite indication that your green cheek is not at the level of the typical sun conure or Patagonian conure because you would know 100% that he was screaming and would state as much, lol. There's not gray area with a screaming sun conure or Patagonian conure. So based on this info I'm going to guess that your green cheek isn't screaming and though I hate to say it, probably is not out of character in his noise level for a male green cheek.
I totally agree with your statement that the older your bird gets the more attached he is to you, that's typically how bonding with a pet bird goes, especially a green cheek conure, also known as a "Velcro Bird". They didn't get that nickname for nothing, it's very accurate, and the older he gets the more attached he will be to you, wanting to be with you 24/7 except when he's sleeping. That's how green cheeks are, and most people want this when they decide to get a green cheek. If someone asks me what type of bird they should get I first ask them what they are looking for in a pet bird. If they tell me they want a clingy, cuddly bird that will bond closely with them and be their best friend, the first species I recommend is a green cheek conure. They are definitely not independent birds, and are not at all happy being alone, no matter how many toys they have or what diet they're on. They want to be with their person all the time, and will let their person know when they aren't happy.
Just the same as the bird gets more attached to you the older they get, I've also found this to be true with their noises. My green cheek has absolutely gotten louder as he has aged. He hardly made a peep when I first got him at 12 weeks old, and now at a year he's constantly singing, talking to himself, talking to me, talking to my other birds, squawking, and yes, occasionally screaming, especially when I leave the room or first thing in the morning before I get up to greet him. It sounds like you're doing everything correctly, good diet, ample out of cage time every day, ample time with you every day, lots of toys and different toys often, so that's all good. And not wanting to encourage his noise is key, like you already stated you certainly don't want to uncover his cage while he's squawking for you, and you don't want to walk back into the room if he starts screaming when you leave. So you seem to understand how they think I'm trying to get what they want when they want it.
Have you had him to his avian vet recently for a well-birdy checkup? I only ask because I want to cover all the bases, and sometimes there is an underlying physical cause to elevated noise levels from birds.
You may also be dealing with hormones, this is also a common cause for them to be very, very vocal. Getting him on a SOLAR SCHEDULE may help your problem greatly if hormones are playing a part in the problem. Make sure his cage is near a window and that he can see the natural sunrise and sunset. Uncover him at sunrise, and put him to bed and cover him when the sun starts to set, which is much earlier this time of year, depending on where you live. He needs to get 12-14 hours of sleep every night to get his hormones in check, so if he gets up at 7 then he needs to be in his cage covered between 5-7 in the evening.
Short of trying those suggestions I hate to say you have a male conure and they make a lot of noise. I wish I could let you hear my guy right now as I type this. He's sitting 2 feet away from me playing on his cage top, and he's deafening my left ear...
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Conures in general are loud birds as a whole whether you're doing everything correctly or not, it's just how they are. That being said, green cheek Conures do tend to be the quietest conures, where as Gail stated Patagonian conures, Sun conures, and Jenday conures tend to be the loudest, no matter what you do. I've owned several birds throughout my life, but the only conures I've ever owned were both green cheeks. My first was a female cinnamon turquoise who passed away suddenly from a freak accident at about 9 months old. I now have a male, yellow-sided green cheek conure, and he is almost a year old now. He is definitely louder than my female was, and from day one it was evident that he was going to be a louder bird. I wasn't surprised about that as male birds do tend to be more vocal in general than female birds (there are always exceptions). I have heard horror stories about sun conures and Patagonian conures and the constant screaming, and as far as relating that to your male green cheek, because you said he was "not really screaming, but almost", that's a definite indication that your green cheek is not at the level of the typical sun conure or Patagonian conure because you would know 100% that he was screaming and would state as much, lol. There's not gray area with a screaming sun conure or Patagonian conure. So based on this info I'm going to guess that your green cheek isn't screaming and though I hate to say it, probably is not out of character in his noise level for a male green cheek.
I totally agree with your statement that the older your bird gets the more attached he is to you, that's typically how bonding with a pet bird goes, especially a green cheek conure, also known as a "Velcro Bird". They didn't get that nickname for nothing, it's very accurate, and the older he gets the more attached he will be to you, wanting to be with you 24/7 except when he's sleeping. That's how green cheeks are, and most people want this when they decide to get a green cheek. If someone asks me what type of bird they should get I first ask them what they are looking for in a pet bird. If they tell me they want a clingy, cuddly bird that will bond closely with them and be their best friend, the first species I recommend is a green cheek conure. They are definitely not independent birds, and are not at all happy being alone, no matter how many toys they have or what diet they're on. They want to be with their person all the time, and will let their person know when they aren't happy.
Just the same as the bird gets more attached to you the older they get, I've also found this to be true with their noises. My green cheek has absolutely gotten louder as he has aged. He hardly made a peep when I first got him at 12 weeks old, and now at a year he's constantly singing, talking to himself, talking to me, talking to my other birds, squawking, and yes, occasionally screaming, especially when I leave the room or first thing in the morning before I get up to greet him. It sounds like you're doing everything correctly, good diet, ample out of cage time every day, ample time with you every day, lots of toys and different toys often, so that's all good. And not wanting to encourage his noise is key, like you already stated you certainly don't want to uncover his cage while he's squawking for you, and you don't want to walk back into the room if he starts screaming when you leave. So you seem to understand how they think I'm trying to get what they want when they want it.
Have you had him to his avian vet recently for a well-birdy checkup? I only ask because I want to cover all the bases, and sometimes there is an underlying physical cause to elevated noise levels from birds.
You may also be dealing with hormones, this is also a common cause for them to be very, very vocal. Getting him on a SOLAR SCHEDULE may help your problem greatly if hormones are playing a part in the problem. Make sure his cage is near a window and that he can see the natural sunrise and sunset. Uncover him at sunrise, and put him to bed and cover him when the sun starts to set, which is much earlier this time of year, depending on where you live. He needs to get 12-14 hours of sleep every night to get his hormones in check, so if he gets up at 7 then he needs to be in his cage covered between 5-7 in the evening.
Short of trying those suggestions I hate to say you have a male conure and they make a lot of noise. I wish I could let you hear my guy right now as I type this. He's sitting 2 feet away from me playing on his cage top, and he's deafening my left ear...
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Rb DOES love to burrow, and he keeps an eye out for papers! AND seems to prefer chains and bells and metal things that (what else?) make MORE noise!!!!!!!!
I need to remember not to lower new owners' expectations. It really is important to try the standard remedies and not to become resigned before you've done your best.
Also... do you think that individual conures who are LOUD also tend to be better talkers/singers? Rb is noisy but he does have an amazing repertoire...
I need to remember not to lower new owners' expectations. It really is important to try the standard remedies and not to become resigned before you've done your best.
Also... do you think that individual conures who are LOUD also tend to be better talkers/singers? Rb is noisy but he does have an amazing repertoire...
OOOOOOh, Ellen... sexual maturity... yeah, indeed a good possibility.
I only minimized The Rb's sexihood by keeping him on a natural light schedule. He has his own room so I can do that easily. Then, he's only a sex maniac for 3 months or so in the Fall.
I only minimized The Rb's sexihood by keeping him on a natural light schedule. He has his own room so I can do that easily. Then, he's only a sex maniac for 3 months or so in the Fall.
- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #10
Yes this is the first bird I've had. I wanted to get an African Grey but decided smaller would be easier but this seems definitely not true so far haha. I have only been covering her cage for 12 hours a day but I will start to follow when it actually gets dark so covering it a couple hours earlier at night. She doesn't really play with her toys that much. Some of the ones she can shred, sometimes. And some of the bells. But overall they don't really occupy her. So is there anything else I can try besides the covering earlier that I'm not already doing?
- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #11
Oh and also I will try the radio. I used to leave it on all the time on low for them because I read they do not like the quiet. But then I read if you quiet your house down they will quiet down too so I started leaving it off and it seemed to help at first but now I have no idea.
Hang in there!
Most people recommend limiting it until various behavior problems are addressed. You can use the SEARCH tab to look for keywords... very helpful!
Notdumasilook
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- Jul 28, 2015
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- Blue Fronted Amazon, Cookie..Sun Conure..lil Booger (RIP) Have owned Parakeets, lovebirds, cockatiels, cockatoos, pocket parrot, and quakers.
When my birdies get a lil loud I found I can calm that down easy... I sing "row row your boat" and they get so entertained (trust me I cant sing) they listen intently..... just thought id toss that out there. ... works for me )
Notdum... I will absolutely try that.
I'll try on-key AND off-key.
See? Even after all this time, ya can still get new ideas!
I'll try on-key AND off-key.
See? Even after all this time, ya can still get new ideas!
AmyMyBlueFront
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- Apr 14, 2015
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Amy a Blue Front 'Zon
Jonesy a Goffins 'Too who had to be rehomed :-(
And a Normal Grey Cockatiel named BB who came home with me on 5/20/2016.
I guess I'm a VERY lucky parront! When Amy does get "loud",its 95% in English lol. NEVER any Amazon screaming. And when Beebs is loud, well...who cares lol...its always in twittles and sing-song and warbling..music to my ears 
Then there was The Cockatoo Man..THAT was an entirely different story!
Jim
Then there was The Cockatoo Man..THAT was an entirely different story!
Jim
EllenD
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- Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
EllenD
New member
- Aug 20, 2016
- 3,979
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- Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
As far as using positive reinforcement to reward quietness, basically the best thing you can do is to try and figure out WHY he is screaming? He wants something, but what? If it's attention that he wants and he screams when you leave the room, obviously the best thing to do is to not reenter the room until he becomes quiet. Then when you walk back in you give him what he wants, which in this case would be you paying attention to him or getting out of his cage, etc. If you want to add his favorite treat to the mix you would do it at this point, after he becomes quiet. If he becomes quiet and you then walk back into his room and pay attention to him and give him a treat, and he immediately starts screaming again you need to leave again, and so on. They definitely catch on.
Let me ask you a question that might help me help you: At what times and during what situations does he do this? Only when you're not with him? Only when he must entertain himself? When you're in the room but not paying attention to him? Now keep in mind I'm talking about the screaming and/or horribly loud noise, not normal bird talking, chirping, singing, etc. Keep in mind that they do get loud while they play, while they are alone, while they're with you-they get loud! But screaming at certain times and in certain situations is not normal, which is why I mentioned the hormones, because I'm guessing that's 70+% of his problem...
Also, what is his daily diet?
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Let me ask you a question that might help me help you: At what times and during what situations does he do this? Only when you're not with him? Only when he must entertain himself? When you're in the room but not paying attention to him? Now keep in mind I'm talking about the screaming and/or horribly loud noise, not normal bird talking, chirping, singing, etc. Keep in mind that they do get loud while they play, while they are alone, while they're with you-they get loud! But screaming at certain times and in certain situations is not normal, which is why I mentioned the hormones, because I'm guessing that's 70+% of his problem...
Also, what is his daily diet?
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
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