Yelling conure

[Absolem]

It loves me.

 

[MamaFuzz]

My GCC is out almost the entire time I'm home and he is very quiet when he can see me within what is a comfortable distance for him. If I'm too far he attempts to fly to me w/ his clipped wings and will even walk upwards of 20 feet if he can see me. He also starts calling loudly especially if he can hear me and not see me. Try a perch or play stand that you can put near you so he is comfortable, out of his cage, and not on top of you. Hopefully he will grow out of it.

 

[SoCalWendy]

He just wants your attention, and he knows what to do for it. Invest in some ear plugs. But from the pictures, he looks so content sleeping with your dog. Remember birds are flock animals. Absolom wants to be a part of yours.

 

[Ambermai]

I have a black capped conure, and they are a lot quieter than GCC from what I've read, but the screaming may eventually reduce on its own. Our bird screamed for me whenever I was out of sight for about 2 weeks, and it's gradually reduced. I think he's used to the idea that we're always going to come back, we're not abandoning him. He still screams when he's cranky and wants to get out of his cage when we're home, but it's really just him having a little temper tantrum. So hang in there.
The calling to him also helped, and now we hardly have to do that. If I was in a different part of our home, I'd talk back when he started screaming so he'd know I was there. That seemed to sooth him for a bit.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Absolem,
Those pics are adorable. You have yourself a cute birdy that loves to be with you.
-Perhaps you could develop a call back sound to him, so he knows you are there.
-try leaving a low radio or put on a tv, low volume, where he can see it.
-try letting him be with you for meals on his own tabletop playstand (you can pick up a basic but nice natural wood and rope, lightweight unit for about $15 (let me know if you want links to a couple of places that sell it). It might make a huge difference for him/her to have his own place to hang out in the same rooms where you are, on top of table, or even a box or dresser.
-I taught Pritti how to jingle a special bell when he wants a personal visit for a reason. He used to just scream, but now he'll try the bell first. The key is -- someone has to respond to the bell. That's not to say he hasn't slammed the bell in to the side of the cage now and then when the jingling doesn't work. But it's still better than screaming. I would play with the bell whenever I went to his cage and made a big deal about it, like I loved it and had fun with it. So he figured out, I guess, that he could woo me over with it. Haha.
-Also, try the things around t he house that he likes as toys. Sounds like he likes YOUR things. So if they are safe, givem them to him to chew up or roll around. If he likes your spoon, give him one. If he likes your little box, give it to him. Give him one of your old (clean) t-shirts or thick sock to snuggle to. Etc.
-Play some games with him when he isn't in a screaming mode, like rolling a ball around on the floor with him, or teach him a trick - like turning around on his perch, something.
-maybe he would like a mirror.
-maybe when you are going to walk away for a while, you could leave him with a dish of some healthy delicious snacks like a variety of fresh veggies or some fruit, or a piece of corn on the cob to keep him busy with that.
-don't yell at him, not that I'm saying you are, but if you ever feel inclined to, it might just make it worse.
-try toys that are completely different than what he has and what you think he will like. I always used to buy Pritti the hanging wood toys of all nice colors and shapes and he pretty much ignored them except when I would touch them. But, when I finally started to pick up lots of foot toys, I realized he loves them so much. I also buy small items from the baby dept, like rattles, teethers, and from kitchen, like plastic measuring spoon sets and cups. He loves them. Most especially he can spend long periods of time on his own pushing around rolling toys on the floor or bottom of cage.
Keep us posted.

 

[baron1282]

The last thing you can do and it will take a good while, is leave it in the cage and do not take him out for a good while. Like a week or so.

I don't know how long you let the bird get use to it's environment, but it sounds to me that you had him out of the cage right when you got home with him. You got to give him time to adjust. It's been a month you said? It could have adjusted to the fact it gets out and the enforcement of the screaming is already in him. He knows if he screams you will get him out eventually that day. So if you can stand it for a week I would try leaving him in the cage and talking to him while he is in the cage. Only change his water and food like normal, and talk to him while doing it. Talk to him but do not take him out.

I leave my TV on when I leave the house. He watches TV while I am gone. I am going to invest in a small radio as the TV will be expensive with power. My Conure also does not play with his toys when is with me, but I play with them in front of him all the time. When I get home I notice chew marks and stuff being pulled from the toys, so he does play when he is alone.

It's going to be rough for a few days, but I believe if you get past it he should stop screaming eventually. Once he is calmed down and comfortable being in his cage it should get better. It does not matter how much you play with him or ignore him, they will be loud from time to time, but it shouldn't be as much.

I will say that the screaming is one of the BIG reasons these birds end up homeless. So I am glad your sticking with it, I know it can be rough! Like I said before, I know you had to become a bird person overnight and I think that was unfair! When I bought my bird I did research and was prepared for some of the things. I still didn't realize the extent of the responsibility until I got my guy home. For the first few weeks our guy screamed and yelled and nearly drove me to fry him up. Once he got use to the surroundings and how things are done he has calmed down a lot. He still screams from time to time, and sometimes he makes being with him a chore, but he is a member of the family now and I wouldn't trade him in for nothing!

 

[Absolem]

Thank you everyone for your advice and encouragement! Today was a pretty good day for us. Less screaming than yesterday. I did have to cover the cage when I returned from work because he kept yelling for me. Once myself and the dogs were settled in, the bird was quiet again and I took it out to have dinner with me. When I put him back in his cage this evening I gave him some pieces of my cereal in various places around the cage and I left the cage door open. This seemed to help a lot because the bird did not scream at all! Which normally as soon as I step away from the cage it screams. It let me walk away and just watched me while I sat and watched tv. Maybe just knowing the door was open made it feel at ease, though he did not try to come out. I will definitely be investing in a perch for the bird so it can have somewhere to hang out (and more importantly somewhere else to poop) other than on me. I always try to have the bird out with me during meals since it so enjoys sharing my food. It also loves going in the shower with me. Is that weird? It sits under the shower head and closes it's eyes and just relaxes. I'm trying to make this relationship work. I love the fact that this animal really wants to be with me. I want to provide for it as much as I can. Thanks again everyone.

 

[thekarens]

Not only is showering with your bird normal, it's a good thing. I bet most of us have some kind of shower perch

 

[Jewelz]

Felix likes to practice new sounds in the shower....