Conure screams and hearing issues

[Iridal]

I left for a one week business trip and when I came back the bird ruled the roost. Hubs would just get him anytime he screamed to calm him down. I'm much more a stickler for those things, my dogs know what's up.... lol

Maybe I should re-home the husband for a week? :31:

 

[dhraiden]

Congrats on the progress you've made so far, Iridal. I've a gold-capped Mango! He's pretty loud. Especially when he belts off inexplicably and he's-RIGHT-NEXT-TO-YOUR-EAR.

My gf jokes that growing up in a noisy/industrial part of Bklyn, I'm already half-deaf anyway In all seriousness, don't re-home your partner (ha)...just continue your previous paradigm as if it had never been interrupted.

My Mango screams when he hears noises, just in general, when he's bored, etc. He mostly screams when he hears the key in the door and knows we're coming in. Once he's been let out (after pooping), he's quiet. Limited free-flight has alleviated that; he doesn't need to scream to get someone to take him out for stimulation. Take that line of thought to its logical, reasonable conclusion, and I'm sure things will resolve positively for both of you.

 

[Squeekmouse]

Sounds like you're doing the right things and you've got the right balance going. Learning the difference between contact calling, fear alarm, and tantrums is the key of course. Yoda has begun talking this last month, and he's learned that if he calls out "Good Morning!" or "Hi Yoda!" or "I love you!" these result in us coming right away and giving him all kinds of love and attention. Tantrums get him nothing but cage time. Contact calls earn a calm reply and alarm calls get resolved.

It's funny what Skitty's Dad said about conures being the Guard Dogs, Yoda has actually been a REALLY great guard dog for us so far! He screamed out when someone was in our yard, messing with our cable line and another time he screamed out when a racoon was messing with my grill. If he hadn't alerted me, there could have been a disaster on my hands both times. Thank you Yoda!!!!

 

[eagle18]

You have to ignore him when he screams. If he thinks for one moment that shrieking will get him attention, even negative attention, then he will keep on screaming.

With my Umbrella cockatoo, I bought ear plugs to save my hearing and just ignored him. After several months the screaming lessened.

I never ignore him...I look around and ask him "what is it Baby?" So he feels like I care. Sun conures ARE the gaurd dogs of the conure world and take it upon themselves to warn us of potential danger. Ignoring that or getting mad and annoyed about it could damage your bond and flock bonds. My birds always scream for a reason...even if I don't know it instantly I'll realize what had happened or is happening eventually. I have a feeling that's how most birds are and people just don't understand them. Like today, at 6pm I always give them a treat. I was upstairs taking a nap at 6pmish and they both started screaming. At 1st I was like "omg can't a girl get a quick nap in?! Ffs!" Then like 5 mins later I'm like...oh yeah duh.
Just try to identify the reason they're screaming and you will likely fix a lot of it or shorten it. I do know that birds can develop a screaming disorder but that's usually because they have a medical problem, been abused, neglected or had bad behavior reenforced as a baby. Hope this helps!

 

[itzjbean]

I never ignore him...I look around and ask him "what is it Baby?" So he feels like I care. Sun conures ARE the gaurd dogs of the conure world and take it upon themselves to warn us of potential danger. Ignoring that or getting mad and annoyed about it could damage your bond and flock bonds. My birds always scream for a reason...even if I don't know it instantly I'll realize what had happened or is happening eventually. I have a feeling that's how most birds are and people just don't understand them. Like today, at 6pm I always give them a treat. I was upstairs taking a nap at 6pmish and they both started screaming. At 1st I was like "omg can't a girl get a quick nap in?! Ffs!" Then like 5 mins later I'm like...oh yeah duh.
Just try to identify the reason they're screaming and you will likely fix a lot of it or shorten it. I do know that birds can develop a screaming disorder but that's usually because they have a medical problem, been abused, neglected or had bad behavior reenforced as a baby. Hope this helps!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Agreed. Far too often there are bird owners out there in society who immediately resort to discipline tactics when they hear screeching.

Birds use vocalization to communicate to flock mates and its imperative that the reason for the noise is known before action is taken. Its really the only effective way (that I know of anyways).

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I left for a one week business trip and when I came back the bird ruled the roost. Hubs would just get him anytime he screamed to calm him down. I'm much more a stickler for those things, my dogs know what's up.... lol

Maybe I should re-home the husband for a week? :31:

Perhaps a time-out might work as well. lol

 

[Sunnyclover]

I never ignore him...I look around and ask him "what is it Baby?" So he feels like I care. Sun conures ARE the gaurd dogs of the conure world and take it upon themselves to warn us of potential danger. Ignoring that or getting mad and annoyed about it could damage your bond and flock bonds. My birds always scream for a reason...even if I don't know it instantly I'll realize what had happened or is happening eventually. I have a feeling that's how most birds are and people just don't understand them. Like today, at 6pm I always give them a treat. I was upstairs taking a nap at 6pmish and they both started screaming. At 1st I was like "omg can't a girl get a quick nap in?! Ffs!" Then like 5 mins later I'm like...oh yeah duh.
Just try to identify the reason they're screaming and you will likely fix a lot of it or shorten it. I do know that birds can develop a screaming disorder but that's usually because they have a medical problem, been abused, neglected or had bad behavior reenforced as a baby. Hope this helps!

 

[Squeekmouse]

It's very easy to misinterpret posts, no facial expressions or tone of voice to go on. At first I also thought I was being ...shall we say... strongly disagreed with. On re-reading I decided folks were just trying to clarify things.

Clearly all of us love our birds and would never abuse our fids in any way. Clearly we are all humans also, even if we have at one point done the wrong thing for our fids, we all live and learn and strive to do better.

Anyhoo, Eagle18 and I said pretty much the same thing as everyone else. Tantrum screaming should be ignored and not rewarded with any kind of attention, good or bad. Naturally, contact calls and alerts/alarms shouldn't be ignored. We're all on the same page I think.

I know there have been times where I couldn't come and take care of things when Yoda is calling out an alarm or making contact calls. Maybe I was in a conference call for work, maybe I was in the shower, or maybe I wasn't even home. Yoda isn't going to spontaneously combust when that happens. He's well loved and well cared for, as are Eagle18's fid, Ollie and Finley, Skittles, Kermit, Kiwi, Salty, Rickeybird, Bella, Maya and Jolly, and all of the other lucky parrots of ours!!!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

The reason I emphasize knowing the reason is because of how things were with Skittles.

When I first got him, for the first two years- he was impossible to deal with. He was a brat and I was at my wits end. But the problems weren't because of Skittles, they were because of me. I continually gave in to his demands and let him have his way all the time. I wanted him to be happy and have whatever he wanted, but I was going about it the wrong way.

Finally, a dear friend was blunt with me one day after I had been 'venting' to her for quite some time. We have an honest friendship and she pointed out what she was observing and she was 100% right. I was spoiling him rotten.

I began a 're-training' regimen that was probably harder on me than it was on him. I used to own a time-out cage and had to use it several times a day for a significant period of time. Needless to say, I no longer have that time-out cage and he rarely needs them now.

Skittles RARELY screeches for attention and that is because I don't ignore him and by that I mean I acknowledge his presence. I include him in whatever activity I am doing. For example, if I am washing dishes, he'll sit on the faucet and watch. Sometimes he'll go on the clean dish rack and 'lick' the dishes. Or if I'm on the phone, I may look over at him and wave hi etc. If I am working on the PC, he has a perch playstand attached to the desk so I can do my work and he can be included. If I am watching tv, he has a playstand near my living room chair and will sit there quietly and play while I watch tv. Every so often I give him a treat (cause he's behaving) OR I just look at him and smile and say "love you".

By providing him with 'perch areas' and playstands so that wherever I am, he can be has made an ENORMOUS difference. I can do what I need to do and he will let me do it.

He still screeches- but now they are for one of three things 99% of the time- 'calling the flock (am/pm), alerting to danger, calling attention to something.'

BUT, when he DOES screech for attention OR because he wants something he knows he can't have, then I deal with that. I put him in a timeout. But fortunately, thats a rare thing.

I had to use this method because allowing screaming to go on and ignoring it would get me in trouble with the landlord because I live in an apartment building which is NOT really a suitable living environment for a loud parrot. But I've made it work.

Ignoring the screaming in the appropriate circumstances if of course A way to go. But its just not the only way and for some people (including myself) that way wouldn't work. The same way that the method I used (timeouts) may not work for others. It was actually my veterinarian that suggested the timeout idea.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

It's very easy to misinterpret posts, no facial expressions or tone of voice to go on. At first I also thought I was being ...shall we say... strongly disagreed with. On re-reading I decided folks were just trying to clarify things.

Clearly all of us love our birds and would never abuse our fids in any way. Clearly we are all humans also, even if we have at one point done the wrong thing for our fids, we all live and learn and strive to do better.

Anyhoo, Eagle18 and I said pretty much the same thing as everyone else. Tantrum screaming should be ignored and not rewarded with any kind of attention, good or bad. Naturally, contact calls and alerts/alarms shouldn't be ignored. We're all on the same page I think.

I know there have been times where I couldn't come and take care of things when Yoda is calling out an alarm or making contact calls. Maybe I was in a conference call for work, maybe I was in the shower, or maybe I wasn't even home. Yoda isn't going to spontaneously combust when that happens. He's well loved and well cared for, as are Eagle18's fid, Ollie and Finley, Skittles, Kermit, Kiwi, Salty, Rickeybird, Bella, Maya and Jolly, and all of the other lucky parrots of ours!!!

Very well said. In fact, every 'disagreement' I have had with my friend has been in email. That's the downside of technology. We often interpret words as we see them/view them and not how the original speaker meant. So our current state of mind determines how we respond to things.

 

[eagle18]

"I do know that birds can develop a screaming disorder but that's usually because they have a medical problem, been abused, neglected or had bad behavior reenforced as a baby"
The advice you gave to 100% ignore the screaming and get ear plugs is ideal for attention screams but not for alert and other communicative screams. Our birds scream for different reasons, if we ignore them all then we are missing an important part of the way they communicate. So ignoring it 100% of the time is just not effective parronting.

Of course she didn't mention Fred, because nobody here knows his name. I MENTIONED my bird's name!

And if somebody advises somebody to ignore their bird's screaming and than another person comes down below and starts sputtering " Oh no, for God's sake don't ignore the bird" ( which is asinine in it's self) and then tries to tie it in with neglect and/or abuse than it becomes a BARB.

And yes I am paraphrasing but the message is there.

Did I say anything about ignoring it "100%"?

I am going to go out on a limb here and give her credit for ALREADY checking to see if the bird is screaming over a "perceived threat".

Have a good day.

 

[eagle18]

Agreed. Far too often there are bird owners out there in society who immediately resort to discipline tactics when they hear screeching.

Birds use vocalization to communicate to flock mates and its imperative that the reason for the noise is known before action is taken. Its really the only effective way (that I know of anyways).

Discipline tactics?? Not rewarding bad behavior falls into the category of disciplining?

How does anybody equate ignoring bad behavior to screaming or abusing the bird?

Pray tell.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Rewarding good behavior and ignoring attention-seeking screaming is of course what should be done. But as I said in my post, there are FAR too many people in society who don't bother to even figure out whether the screaming is due to attention-seeking OR is due to a legitimate purpose (ie danger call).

To give you a few examples, a dear friend of mine- her brothers girlfriend had a green cheek conure that was very vocal and never shut up. BUT, they never paid much attention to it, nor did they let it out. So they just stuck her in a room and kept her covered all the time because the screeching didn't stop.

The bird died of neglect as a result. Ignorance, in and of itself, can be just as deadly. That's why KNOWING the cause FIRST is so important.

Another example, my mom had a cockatiel for a little over a year and up and decided she couldn't deal with the cockatiel anymore cause it was too noisy. So I took her. Turns out, my mom NEVER let the cockatiel out of the cage in that whole year. The tiel was screaming cause its needs weren't being met. I named the tiel Peaches and she was a little angel. But of course my mom never bothered to even try.

Craigslist pet section is littered with 'rehoming a sun conure' and I find it disgusting. I highly doubt that all of those rehomes (or even any of them) are even legitimate rehomes. For one, who rehomes a bird on Craigslist? I also highly doubt that any of those owners even bothered to find out the root cause. They just ignored the bird and went from there.

IF a bird is receiving adequate attention, exercise on a regular basis, clean water, proper diet- then screaming shouldn't be a problem. But I don't think people should automatically jump to the ignore button.

Like I said, "Why are they screaming" is the FIRST question you should ask yourself. Then hit the ignore button once you've ruled out any legitimate cause.

We also have to understand that this is a written forum and we only know what people share about their circumstances. Whether people share everything or only what they see as relevant etc. We aren't there nor in there shoes so its important to be extra diligent when handing out advice.

Also of note, in my post I said "society", as in I was not referring to anyone on this forum. I made sure to point that out.

 

[Sunnyclover]

Eagle18...Again I'm going to say I had no intention of saying you abused your bird by ignoring it's screams. Skittles_Daddy and I were also talking about Sun Conures specifically which are specifically knows as "watch dogs" and often scream to warn us of danger more then a lot of other birds. Example: My Nanday Finley doesn't notice if a giant dog has entered the room or doesn't care but my Sun Conure screached his face off because he identified danger and had to warn us for a loooong time. We were just talking about Sun Conures and I know cockatoos are kind of different and they might be totally different when it comes to when to ignore them or not and as I said before Ii hadn't even read you post when I posted the one that offended you. I probably should have stated I'm talking about conures (this thread is in the Conure sub-forum) and for that I'm sorry. Please know that I didn't mean any harm to you and I'm sure whatever you did with your bird worked and no one was neglected and everyone is happy.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Sunnyclover,

Exactly. The OP was asking about sun conures and you and I were also discussing suns specifically. I honestly can't imagine timeouts working with a cockatoo. I don't know anything much about toos anyways.

 

[Iridal]

Yikes that escalated. I'm gonna go on record by saying I believe everyone here was trying to help me and not criticize each other. I appreciate all the input.

Skittles_Daddy - Seriously considered a time out for the husband this morning. He walked out of the room from the bird, doesn't call back to him, and picked him up when screamed instead. About lost my mind on him. *smh*. I don't think he's screeching at me anymore, I think he knows which person it'll get something out of.

I do tend to involve Mango in everything I do - except I can't let him on my computer desk. He broke a computer monitor already.... well I upgraded to a bigger one so I guess I won in the long run? :33: Anyway, he has a perch in the office by the window overlooking the big front yard. He only yells if something is right under the window, which is rare because we have such a big lot. I don't think I could do this bird on a smaller lot, the neighbors would kill me!

 

[eagle18]

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Yikes that escalated. I'm gonna go on record by saying I believe everyone here was trying to help me and not criticize each other. I appreciate all the input.

Skittles_Daddy - Seriously considered a time out for the husband this morning. He walked out of the room from the bird, doesn't call back to him, and picked him up when screamed instead. About lost my mind on him. *smh*. I don't think he's screeching at me anymore, I think he knows which person it'll get something out of.

I do tend to involve Mango in everything I do - except I can't let him on my computer desk. He broke a computer monitor already.... well I upgraded to a bigger one so I guess I won in the long run? :33: Anyway, he has a perch in the office by the window overlooking the big front yard. He only yells if something is right under the window, which is rare because we have such a big lot. I don't think I could do this bird on a smaller lot, the neighbors would kill me!

I'm just glad it all settled down before it got out of hand. I do believe we are all good people and have VERY strong feelings about our fids. No one meant any malicious intent, we just all have very strong feelings about our fids because we love them so much!

With regard to your computer, have you considered attaching a perch to your computer desk? That's what I did. I got one of those 'suction cup' perches that have hooks to hang toys from and I mounted it to my desk (I used screws instead of the suction cups for safety). Then I put one of Skittles "poop mats" underneath the perch. Skittles will often sit there on that desk perch when I am on my PC, however, he does fly over onto my shoulder a lot and either 'presses' himself against my neck OR climbs inside my shirt.

But I understand your point. Skittles chewed through a lamp wire (luckily the lamp was unplugged) and also destroyed a $50 set of headphones. I tend to MUCH more diligent with what I allow him access too now. I will give him things to chew on that he CAN have and that has helped prevent him from chewing on 'no-no' things.

Suns are MAJOR chewers and need constant access to chew toys.

I get that it seems 'easier' to just give in and take your sun out or hold him in order to quiet him down, but in the long run its going to backfire. Suns would be perfectly happy letting you do NOTHING but give them attention 24/7 which, lets face it, none of us can do. Its important that there is a happy-medium.

 

[Iridal]

FWIW had a hearing test today (my doctor wanted me to get one just in case) - no significant change in my hearing since my last audio-gram in 2007! So all these years of rock music haven't caught up with me yet, and neither has Mango. Whole thing looks like a TMJ flare-up, which still hurts a bit. I will need to better manage that.

Thanks everyone!