SCREAMING!!!
Working in parrot rescue, we often come across people encountering behavioral problems with their parrots. Screaming is near the top of the list. Why do parrots scream? The reasons are varied, but generally, screaming is used as a way for parrots to communicate with other members of their flock.
The way that some people deal with the screaming is to cover the parrot's cage. The theory behind this is that the parrot will think it's time to sleep because it's dark and will quiet down. However, this is not natural, and may cause other problems down the road. It's a quick fix at best, although it often will not work, and may in fact worsen the screaming, as the parrot tries to call his flock.
The caique pictured was surrendered to the shelter because of his screaming. His previous owners covered him, sometimes all day long, to try to quiet him down. In addition, he was fed a poor diet and was deprived of any positive interactions with other living beings. Once he started eating a good diet and having natural light cycles (instead of constant darkness), his hormones went out of control. Over the course of a few hours, he ripped out all of the orange leg feathers and mutilated his thighs. We had to collar him due to his mutilation. The collar was removed once his sores healed. He allowed his feathers to grow back in, and we have not seen any further feather destruction in the past 3 years.
How to handle the screaming? Every situation is different, but there are a few things you can do. Make sure your parrot is getting enough exercise. That she has a ton of destructable toys in her cage. Provide foraging opportunities. Try clicker training. Make sure he's getting enough sleep -- a sleep cage might be necessary.
Try to figure out what your parrot is trying to communicate to you when she screams, and either anticipate and correct the issue BEFORE she screams, or provide her a different way of communicating her wishes.
One of our volunteers is living with a 20-year-old severe macaw that used screaming to communicate. Every evening when she got home from work, he screamed as she prepared the parrots' dinner (he could see his dish and wanted it RIGHT NOW). By giving him an almond wrapped in a piece of paper before he started screaming, she could prepare their dinner in peace. Additionally, they found an alternate sound that he could use to communicate his unhappiness. Right before he would scream, he'd let out this vomit sound. She ran to him right when he made this sound and completely ignored him when he'd scream. He learned that making the vomit sound got him what he wanted, while screaming got him nothing. He still screams occasionally, after all that's what worked for 20 years, while making the vomit sound has only worked for a few months. However, the screaming has much diminished, and everyone is much happier for that!
Obviously, screaming is a complex issue that can't be covered in such a small blog entry. Also, remember that parrots are wild animals, and that a certain amount of vocalization is normal. People wanting quiet, decorative pets should not consider a parrot. Constant screaming is not normal and can be fixed. If you're having problems with a screaming parrot, we may be able to help. Stop by and we can show you different foraging toys and things you can do to give your parrot a job and keep his mind on things other than screaming!
Working in parrot rescue, we often come across people encountering behavioral problems with their parrots. Screaming is near the top of the list. Why do parrots scream? The reasons are varied, but generally, screaming is used as a way for parrots to communicate with other members of their flock.
The way that some people deal with the screaming is to cover the parrot's cage. The theory behind this is that the parrot will think it's time to sleep because it's dark and will quiet down. However, this is not natural, and may cause other problems down the road. It's a quick fix at best, although it often will not work, and may in fact worsen the screaming, as the parrot tries to call his flock.
The caique pictured was surrendered to the shelter because of his screaming. His previous owners covered him, sometimes all day long, to try to quiet him down. In addition, he was fed a poor diet and was deprived of any positive interactions with other living beings. Once he started eating a good diet and having natural light cycles (instead of constant darkness), his hormones went out of control. Over the course of a few hours, he ripped out all of the orange leg feathers and mutilated his thighs. We had to collar him due to his mutilation. The collar was removed once his sores healed. He allowed his feathers to grow back in, and we have not seen any further feather destruction in the past 3 years.How to handle the screaming? Every situation is different, but there are a few things you can do. Make sure your parrot is getting enough exercise. That she has a ton of destructable toys in her cage. Provide foraging opportunities. Try clicker training. Make sure he's getting enough sleep -- a sleep cage might be necessary.
Try to figure out what your parrot is trying to communicate to you when she screams, and either anticipate and correct the issue BEFORE she screams, or provide her a different way of communicating her wishes.
One of our volunteers is living with a 20-year-old severe macaw that used screaming to communicate. Every evening when she got home from work, he screamed as she prepared the parrots' dinner (he could see his dish and wanted it RIGHT NOW). By giving him an almond wrapped in a piece of paper before he started screaming, she could prepare their dinner in peace. Additionally, they found an alternate sound that he could use to communicate his unhappiness. Right before he would scream, he'd let out this vomit sound. She ran to him right when he made this sound and completely ignored him when he'd scream. He learned that making the vomit sound got him what he wanted, while screaming got him nothing. He still screams occasionally, after all that's what worked for 20 years, while making the vomit sound has only worked for a few months. However, the screaming has much diminished, and everyone is much happier for that!
Obviously, screaming is a complex issue that can't be covered in such a small blog entry. Also, remember that parrots are wild animals, and that a certain amount of vocalization is normal. People wanting quiet, decorative pets should not consider a parrot. Constant screaming is not normal and can be fixed. If you're having problems with a screaming parrot, we may be able to help. Stop by and we can show you different foraging toys and things you can do to give your parrot a job and keep his mind on things other than screaming!
