Screaming quaker

[noodles123]

Today I have been full of tears from emotions stirred up.

Orbit bless him has picked up on this. He has not screamed once, just playing, carrying toys around,, foraging. Im sure this blessing is just temporary lol but much needed....

He comes running for every kiss. And he told me just now when I kissed him " Orbit Good Boy!" Yes my little one you are!!!

I'm surprised by the little miracles that are parrots all the time.

That's joyous! Syd on the otherhand has turned into a pterodactyl. The clocks change at the end of the month going back 1 hour. I have been slowly changing his bedtime so that he doesn't get too much of a shock but he won't sleep any later in the mornings. As a result he is nippy and slightly off. My own fault I assumed he would understand my plan. Silly me!

Why can't you hear a pterodactyl when it goes to the bathroom?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Because the P is silent

Student told me that one. Sort of off-topic, but a cheesy joke never hurts.

 

[T00tsyd]

Today I have been full of tears from emotions stirred up.

Orbit bless him has picked up on this. He has not screamed once, just playing, carrying toys around,, foraging. Im sure this blessing is just temporary lol but much needed....

He comes running for every kiss. And he told me just now when I kissed him " Orbit Good Boy!" Yes my little one you are!!!

I'm surprised by the little miracles that are parrots all the time.

That's joyous! Syd on the otherhand has turned into a pterodactyl. The clocks change at the end of the month going back 1 hour. I have been slowly changing his bedtime so that he doesn't get too much of a shock but he won't sleep any later in the mornings. As a result he is nippy and slightly off. My own fault I assumed he would understand my plan. Silly me!

Why can't you hear a pterodactyl when it goes to the bathroom?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Because the P is silent

Student told me that one. Sort of off-topic, but a cheesy joke never hurts.

LOL Good one!

 

[fiddlejen]

Today I have been full of tears from emotions stirred up.

Orbit bless him has picked up on this. He has not screamed once, just playing, carrying toys around,, foraging. Im sure this blessing is just temporary lol but much needed....

He comes running for every kiss. And he told me just now when I kissed him " Orbit Good Boy!" Yes my little one you are!!!

I'm surprised by the little miracles that are parrots all the time.

Hm, not necessarily a permanent solution, huh?

It never ceases to amaze me how BIRDS can pick up on human emotion. I mean, sure, dogs & cats. They have been selected and have self-selected for living in close proximity with humans. So it's a survival trait. But birds?

I mean yes I understand they are social creatures too. Hence the compatibility. But still. Why should they be ABLE so very clearly to read our emotions? They are not designed nor self-selected for living in flocks With Humans. In fact theyre mostly designed to Not do so. Why should they be so very good at reading emotions of featherless creatures like ourselves? Much less caring - as they obviously do?

 

[noodles123]

They probably do it because in flock, messing with someone stirred up could get them in trouble. They can see when we are agitated due to the vast array of colors that they see in comparison. It probably scares them a bit..kind of like when kids push a parent or a teacher to that point and then they all (except the really naughty ones) get quiet and stare at each other with wide eyes.

 

[Laurasea]

Noodles,! I was just looking for this article, ar the same time you must have been writing your post lol

" Parrots have incredible vision. They have four cones for color vision, while we only have three. This means they see in ways that we will never be able to. They also see the ultra-violet color range, which means that they see colors in a very different way than we do. The amazing aspect to this is that they can actually see our energy by the capillary action in our faces. They can see if we are comfortable with them before we do anything that could be interpreted by people."

Also they are socially complex , not pack or heard with dominant leader followers. They form individual friendships and extended family. Because of their high social drive, intelligence, and highly communicative , they learn and want to communicate with us. Science is saying that their drive to learn speech isn't just to copy our sounds, but to develop a flock language. Just because some don't speak doesn't mean they don’t understand us much more than we understand them. They use their whole bodies to communicate, feather placement, wing position, head height, tail movements, pupil Size, flushing of skin , abd more

 

[Ellie777Australia]

ok , its bad, it's all day long, and i want more ideas, maybe just to vent to so I don't pull my hair out.

Orbit, 4.5 month old quaker from pet store, screaming reinforced at pet store and screamed all day long at pet store, and i knew he was a screamer.

I've made some progress, but not enough to make life pleasant.

Right now he is out of his cage, playing with stuff, and im sitting right next to him with chair touches the cage, and he is still screeching, and loud ,constant vocalization.

I do not react to screaming, neither leaving tge room or coming into the room whichever. He doesn't need attention fir tge noise. It's become a habit, or a self soothing thing, as he also over preen and is trying to pluck shoulders. The feathers stiff has improved
a lot, tho, with activities, chew stuff, baths, and foraging. Based on hatch date, and arrival at petstore he was likely force weaned......

But he csn be busy and happy, and still be making non stop noise........which is wild quaker default mode......but i need a liveable level of noise

Ok the answers to common questions
Diet: pellets, fresh veggies, leafy greens, millit spray as treat, 1 tablespoon mix seeds.

Age/length if time I've had him. 4.5 months old, ive had him 2 weeks?

Cage: large cage, many toys, chewable stiff, different perches, foot toys, foraging stuff.

Sleep, about 12 hours, in bed around 6, up around 6

Out if cage time : about 7 hours.. direct interaction time is several shirt sessions throughout the day. Contact kiss head, occasionally head scratches. We are still working on trust and bonding.

Just now quiet after 3.5 hours non stop ....
Since we woke up...

Firstly Laura, just getting caught up and read about poor Neptune. My heart aches for you.
We've had Bertie just over a year. He's almost 7 years old. We adopted him from a Parrot Rescue Centre. He was there because he was 'aggressive, biting and SCREAMIMG'. His life was the 'cage'.

With respect to managing the screaming, we said 'hush quiet' in a whisper. If he didn't stop (not a happy screamer by the way), we covered his cage until quiet, then off with the cover and verbal praises. We did this often the first two weeks as we moved to more out of cage time (concern with the aggression and protecting Ellie).

Within the 3rd week, if he started to scream the whisper of 'hush quiet' worked and he started to whisper back. He has only screamed in 'fear' since if he is startled by a loud noise. He doesn't like loud noise so we get his attention and say 'noise Bertie' (before starting the blender for example) so he doesn't scream when alerted to 'noise' en route.

I know it worked for you, but I'd not recommend covering the cage due to screaming (1. because it messes with their light cycles, which regulate hormones and immune health and can actually increase screaming long-term, 2. because it can make covering seem like a punishment if your bird dislikes it and 3. because some birds like being covered (as they seek out dark spaces) so it can sometimes even encourage the screaming behavior in certain instances)...It also relies on distraction/shock vs the bird making a choice to stop screaming out of the realization that screaming isn't working.
I agree with everything else, but not the covering. I suggest walking away and waiting it out instead (yes, it could take a week with 4+ hours of screaming a day, but with the proper motivation and maybe some earplugs, it will eventually stop)...assuming the bird is getting adequate time and attention aside from these planned periods of ignoring.

When Noodles does her happy scream (which happens when I am with her and she is excited) I imitate a quieter version back to her. It's like a game now. I go high pitched, she goes low and vice-versa. She sounds like a weird chicken because what started as "BACK BACK BACK (because that is always here favorite thing to scream, even when I am with her) is now "baaawwwk bawk bawk bawk" LOL We do not play this game for attention screaming.

You are right about the 'covering' issue if done incorrectly Noodles. I've been away for awhile and you have humbly reminded me of the need for 'clarity' in writing responses. Thank you.


The 'cage covering technique' is not a favourite for most but recommended by vets when applied correctly and appropriately. Leaving the room didn't work for Bertie and earplugs didn't work for Ellie, our dog or my husband so I had to come up with something. Bertie was given a clean bill of health by a CAV so 'attention screaming' was the issue due being 'caged' for so long. Here is the technique that we used:


[FONT=&quot]Try to maintain a relaxed atmosphere and attitude around the bird. Loud music or voices, shouting or having the television turned up will only increase the bird’s volume. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Do not respond, positively or negatively, when the bird screams. Do not shout, scream back, and make eye contact. Even walking quietly to the cage to cover it, by bringing you to the bird may, in his mind, constitute a reward for the behavior. Nonetheless, covering can work well, if done properly and consistently. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The cage should be half covered at all times, and should be located such that you can approach it from behind, unseen by the bird, and unfold the cover over the forward facing, open side of the cage. If the bird sees you approach, he will perceive this as the immediate consequence of his screaming. The behavior will thus be reinforced, in spite of the “negative” consequence of covering.[/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Cover the cage for no more than 10 minutes, and consider using a timer, which when it rings, lets the bird know that the covering has come to an end. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] It is important not to use the cage as a place of punishment. Most birds who scream are insecure, and perceiving the cage as a place of unhappiness and isolation will only compound the problem. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Birds often actually prefer to have their cages partly covered, and have been known to scream until the cage is covered, and then to stop. Covering the back half, or one side of the cage at all times suits many birds. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Try to distract the bird with an indirect response to his screaming. While you continue to ignore the screaming, hum, sing quietly or whisper, without making eye contact. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Never spray with water, beak flick or otherwise threaten you bird. Punishment and violence do not work and may seriously damage the relationship between you and your bird. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Do make a fuss over your bird when he is playing quietly or making pleasant sounds. Make a conscious effort to reinforce desirable behaviors, by telling what a wonderful boy he is, or how beautiful and clever he is.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]All the best Laura....
[/FONT]

 

[Laurasea]

Wonderful Ellie, thank you, i appreciate your time and response! and every single members response here is helpful thank you all!!
Keep them coming, im sure this will take time to recondition

 

[Ellie777Australia]

Wonderful Ellie, thank you, i appreciate your time and response! and every single members response here is helpful thank you all!!
Keep them coming, im sure this will take time to recondition

You are very welcome Laura. I would have done whatever it took, for as long as it took, to help Bertie. We chose to adopt him with full knowledge of the work it would take. Believe me every effort was worth it and he is such a loving sweet little boy now. This poem reflects why we were never going to give up on Bertie:

[FONT=&quot]Baggage (The Meaning of Rescue)[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]​

[FONT=&quot]
By Evelyn Colbath(c)1995 Baggage All rights reserved[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked in my warm new bed,
I'd like to open my baggage,
Lest I forget,
There is so much to carry,
So much to regret.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hmmm...Yes, there it is, right on the top,
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss,
And there by my perch hides Fear and Shame.
As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave,
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.
I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Will you add to my baggage?
Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things,
And take me right back?
Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage, to never repack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage,
Will you still want me?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

 

[noodles123]

Firstly Laura, just getting caught up and read about poor Neptune. My heart aches for you.
We've had Bertie just over a year. He's almost 7 years old. We adopted him from a Parrot Rescue Centre. He was there because he was 'aggressive, biting and SCREAMIMG'. His life was the 'cage'.

With respect to managing the screaming, we said 'hush quiet' in a whisper. If he didn't stop (not a happy screamer by the way), we covered his cage until quiet, then off with the cover and verbal praises. We did this often the first two weeks as we moved to more out of cage time (concern with the aggression and protecting Ellie).

Within the 3rd week, if he started to scream the whisper of 'hush quiet' worked and he started to whisper back. He has only screamed in 'fear' since if he is startled by a loud noise. He doesn't like loud noise so we get his attention and say 'noise Bertie' (before starting the blender for example) so he doesn't scream when alerted to 'noise' en route.

I know it worked for you, but I'd not recommend covering the cage due to screaming (1. because it messes with their light cycles, which regulate hormones and immune health and can actually increase screaming long-term, 2. because it can make covering seem like a punishment if your bird dislikes it and 3. because some birds like being covered (as they seek out dark spaces) so it can sometimes even encourage the screaming behavior in certain instances)...It also relies on distraction/shock vs the bird making a choice to stop screaming out of the realization that screaming isn't working.
I agree with everything else, but not the covering. I suggest walking away and waiting it out instead (yes, it could take a week with 4+ hours of screaming a day, but with the proper motivation and maybe some earplugs, it will eventually stop)...assuming the bird is getting adequate time and attention aside from these planned periods of ignoring.

When Noodles does her happy scream (which happens when I am with her and she is excited) I imitate a quieter version back to her. It's like a game now. I go high pitched, she goes low and vice-versa. She sounds like a weird chicken because what started as "BACK BACK BACK (because that is always here favorite thing to scream, even when I am with her) is now "baaawwwk bawk bawk bawk" LOL We do not play this game for attention screaming.

You are right about the 'covering' issue if done incorrectly Noodles. I've been away for awhile and you have humbly reminded me of the need for 'clarity' in writing responses. Thank you.


The 'cage covering technique' is not a favourite for most but recommended by vets when applied correctly and appropriately. Leaving the room didn't work for Bertie and earplugs didn't work for Ellie, our dog or my husband so I had to come up with something. Bertie was given a clean bill of health by a CAV so 'attention screaming' was the issue due being 'caged' for so long. Here is the technique that we used:


[FONT=&quot]Try to maintain a relaxed atmosphere and attitude around the bird. Loud music or voices, shouting or having the television turned up will only increase the bird’s volume. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Do not respond, positively or negatively, when the bird screams. Do not shout, scream back, and make eye contact. Even walking quietly to the cage to cover it, by bringing you to the bird may, in his mind, constitute a reward for the behavior. Nonetheless, covering can work well, if done properly and consistently. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The cage should be half covered at all times, and should be located such that you can approach it from behind, unseen by the bird, and unfold the cover over the forward facing, open side of the cage. If the bird sees you approach, he will perceive this as the immediate consequence of his screaming. The behavior will thus be reinforced, in spite of the “negative” consequence of covering.[/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Cover the cage for no more than 10 minutes, and consider using a timer, which when it rings, lets the bird know that the covering has come to an end. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] It is important not to use the cage as a place of punishment. Most birds who scream are insecure, and perceiving the cage as a place of unhappiness and isolation will only compound the problem. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Birds often actually prefer to have their cages partly covered, and have been known to scream until the cage is covered, and then to stop. Covering the back half, or one side of the cage at all times suits many birds. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Try to distract the bird with an indirect response to his screaming. While you continue to ignore the screaming, hum, sing quietly or whisper, without making eye contact. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Never spray with water, beak flick or otherwise threaten you bird. Punishment and violence do not work and may seriously damage the relationship between you and your bird. [/FONT]
·[FONT=&quot] Do make a fuss over your bird when he is playing quietly or making pleasant sounds. Make a conscious effort to reinforce desirable behaviors, by telling what a wonderful boy he is, or how beautiful and clever he is.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]All the best Laura....
[/FONT]

So, not to be annoying (but may come off that way- and I hate to say anything because I think you seem very smart and fun and your response was so diplomatic etc) but if a bird "prefers" to be covered and you cover it when it screams, that is still a reward for screaming. Part of that preference also links to nesting behavior..

Even a partially covered cage is enough to get most adults into hormonal stages. ESPECIALLY if half-covered all the time..that is definitely messing with their light cycles.

Mine screamed because she wanted us-- nothing to do with the cage because she didn't do it when we were by the cage...

So....I respectfully (but vehemently) disagree -even though I think you are awesome

I agree the cage should not be a place of punishment.

 

[Ellie777Australia]

Thank you Noodles. You are not annoying. You are a valuable contributing family member. In this awesome forum family we are able to freely express our personal opinions. I struggled with using the method however it worked for Bertie and did so within days. He was never covered after that until sleep time of 10-12 hours depending on summer or winter light. Keep on doing what you do Noodles. I appreciate you.

 

[Laurasea]

Baggage (The Meaning of Rescue)

By Evelyn Colbath(c)1995 Baggage All rights reserved


Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked in my warm new bed,
I'd like to open my baggage,
Lest I forget,
There is so much to carry,
So much to regret.


Hmmm...Yes, there it is, right on the top,
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss,
And there by my perch hides Fear and Shame.
As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave,
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.
I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.


Will you add to my baggage?
Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things,
And take me right back?
Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage, to never repack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage,
Will you still want me?

This poem is so spot on. I have read it here before, not sure if it was shared by Scott, Sailboat, or someone else. Buts it so powerful!! Thanks for sharing it Ellie!!@@

My motivation in getting Orbit, was to prevent this from happening to him.... o knew as a screamer or maybe I should say happy loud never stop noise maker....would drive a first time parront batty ... I've lived with loud quakers, foster screamers, and its driving me batty....

Anyway thanks Ellie for sharing the poem, we need to share that one more often!!! So powerful.

 

[Flboy]

Baggage (The Meaning of Rescue)

By Evelyn Colbath(c)1995 Baggage All rights reserved..

Wow! Incredible!

 

[Laurasea]

Ok things on the screaming front have greatly improved!!!!

Only a small part was do to rewarding quiet, keeping busy and preventing screaming behavior, patterning...ect...

The biggest help is joining the flock, and getting past the humping season...

So its fantastic! Just regular loud parrot noise here and there. Of course important phone calls are still drowned out!!