Screaming

[jamerson0199]

I have owned several breeds of birds in my life, even an Amazon, and none of them screamed like my Sun Conure. He screams constantly and did it most of yesterday. I was not aware of this before I bought him, but now that I have, I am being told this is a trait of the Conures. I would not have bought him if I had known.

I can't handle it and I am thinking of getting rid of him. He was so bad, I had to move him to the basement. NowI have peace. I have four children and one of my children is 9 months. He kept interrupting her naps which made a cranky baby which in turn added to my frustration.

I think some of the screaming is for attention. As long as someone is in the living room, it is fine. It is impossible for someone to be in there all day. It will scream for awhile once you first get back to the room, but will then be mostly quiet with occasional screaming.

Are there any suggestions to minimize this screaming? It is just not worth it for me, I would rather get rid of him.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

I have owned several breeds of birds in my life, even an Amazon, and none of them screamed like my Sun Conure. He screams constantly and did it most of yesterday. I was not aware of this before I bought him, but now that I have, I am being told this is a trait of the Conures. I would not have bought him if I had known.

I can't handle it and I am thinking of getting rid of him. He was so bad, I had to move him to the basement. NowI have peace. I have four children and one of my children is 9 months. He kept interrupting her naps which made a cranky baby which in turn added to my frustration.

I think some of the screaming is for attention. As long as someone is in the living room, it is fine. It is impossible for someone to be in there all day. It will scream for awhile once you first get back to the room, but will then be mostly quiet with occasional screaming.

Are there any suggestions to minimize this screaming? It is just not worth it for me, I would rather get rid of him.

First and foremost being addressed by my post is the welfare of this innnocent bird that you brought home.
Where did you buy him (pet store, breeder, stranger, friend, etc.)?
Do you know anything about his background (age, previous home if any, ws he bonded to another bird?)

SUGGESTIONS TO SAVE THIS BIRD:

IN THIS ORDER:
1. If the seller was taking good care of the bird when you got him, then I would suggest immediately calling the seller back and explaining your situation and ask/beg the seller to take him back - without giving you a refund, unless they would be that generous.

2. Contact an Avian Rescue organization in your state right away. Tel them you don't want the bird and that you have put him in the basement already.

3. Contact a very reputable Parrot/Avian ONLY Specialty Retailor in your state and ask if they would consider taking the bird from you.

4. If you can afford it, find a reputable Avian-only Vet and ask about boarding him there until a new home can be found. The Vet will likely be able to give you a very good weekly or monthly rate that will be far less than you would expect it to cost.

5. You might even find someone here on thsi forum that can help foster the bird for a while until a good home is found.

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The reason I am not making an suggestions about how you can learn to manage the screaming is because I don't think you should keep this conure. Clearly you made a huge mistake bringing him home. As a person who has lived and cared for birds in the past, it blows my mind that you just brought him home without finding out about Sun Conures. A gazillion hits would come up on Google to tell you that Sun Conures tend to be noisy and vocal. It's rare to read a desciption of Sun Conures without the mention of their noise and even warnings about the noise they can make.

I highlighted in red your own words that lead me to believe that an innocent, dependent bird should not live in your home at this time. You said "he was so bad I had to move him to the basement." The fact is that he was NOT BAD, he was a Sun Conure being a Sun Conure. Like all conures, your requires VERY VERY MUCH attention, or at least company. I am venting, but must say that I appalled a how you say that once you stuck him in the basement, you finally had some peace. And what about the bird..... what does the bird have now? No company? Not part of the household? How about comfortable heat, light & darkness when needed, fresh air - I hope he has that PLUS that you are cleaning his cage regularly, providing a variety of foods and plenty of fresh water. If he is mostly alone in the basement, please get a radio or TV down there for him on a low volume with something to keep him company. Add some nice toys to the cage until you can "get rid of him" properly.

Why did you even purchase this bird?

 

[jamerson0199]

My basement is not a dark cold place in my house. It is very warm, well lighted. We have a second living area down there where he will still have our company. I just cannot have him in the other living room which is next to the baby's room. He is too loud for her. I also cannot have him upstairs where we sleep since he wakes up earlier than I do. I assure you he is well cared for. I guess I should have explained better about the basement. My wife and I spend more time down there than in the other living room which is for the children.

 

[jamerson0199]

Oh and I did do my research. I saw about them being noisy, but nowhere did it say it would be this bad. I have had noisy birds before but never this bad. The articles I read made it seem like they were noisy but it covered over the severity like it was not an issue.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Honestly you shouldn't have bought a sun conure. They are very loud, and unlike large birds vocalize often throughout the day. I love sun conures, but I would never want one - they are much to loud and their call is high pitched and harsh. Did you watch YouTube videos of them, or at least interact with the birds for several sessions first?

If you still want a bird I would recommend the green cheek, black capped, or maroon bellied conures who are much quiter. They are fantastic birds and I love them.

Foraging toys are a good way to intertain your conure. Also trick training is fantastic mental stimulation. Do you really have time for a bird though? This will be a very long commitment and being in multiple homes is hard on a bird. You've said you've had other birds. What happened to them?

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Jameson, thank u for clarifying about the basement.

I'm wondering, why do you want a bird at this time in your life, I.e. was it for companionship? Was it because someone in the house wanted one? Was it to rescue a captive bird? Etc?
Also, where r the birds u previously had?

Try some tv cartoons or soothing music. More or different toys. Bird bath bowl. If u have time to start and follow through with training program, you'll fine many resources. But u may not have the time.

I looked after suns in my house for a while for a friend. They never stopped being noisy. The didn't bother me, but it was a lot.

 

[crimson]

I have read that birds will match the level of noise in a house or a particular room, the louder it is, the noisier they get.
I have a GCC and pierces my ears, but I ignore him totally, when it goes on for a few minutes, I talk to him in a low voice and he quiets down, and grumbles, he's quite funny.
Grapes work well for him too,it seems to distract him and calm him down.
my other family members are only tolerating him because they know I love him, and they have confidence in me that I will be able to control it. He is knew here, just about 10 days, I knew he would be loud but WOW!, he can blow your ear drums off, lol.
My son is Autistic and very sensitive to loud high pitched noises, but seems to tolerate Ninja and his screaming antics.
Maybe with your bird down in the basement, he may enjoy it better and it will all work out for the best

 

[jamerson0199]

My previous birds are all gone. About 15 years ago I had an Amazon, some Finches, Parakeets, Love Birds and a couple of Cockitiels. I was dating my future wife and wanted to move to be closer to her. I was moving in with a couple of friends and could not take them with me so I sold them to a breeder I knew.

I took very care of my birds and still do. I carefully prepare Paulie's meals for him everyday. I clean everything weekly and his bowls, toys and perches daily.

Since I have moved him to the basement, it is working out. The baby is getting more sleep and the other children are liking it too.

I think Paulie likes it better too. I think my children getting loud by playing was making him be noisy. Now that he is in the basement, if he gets too much for us and spending time with him does not help, we just go to the other room.