# Cockatiel Help!



## CatEric (Feb 24, 2010)

Hi,

I'm new to the forum but am in desperate need of help. We've got a gorgeous 3 year old cockatiel who was hand reared and have had him since he was 12 weeks old. I've always had cockatiels all my life and desperately wanted one once i'd finished uni. Our little baby is called Eric and up till a few months ago he was a very happy bird. The problem is that he's learned to scream and does it 24/7. I've read up on this and it seems to be a common problem and ppl recommend either ignoring him or covering him up.

When we ignore him he gets really angry and starts attacking the bars. If we cover him up he calms down but when we uncover him he starts screaming again.

He's always been a really sociable bird and loves coming for cuddles. Recently though when he is out, after he's had his cuddle, he flies to the top of the cage and starts screaming.

Me and my partner do not know what to do and are desperate for some help. It's clear that he is upset about something and the constant screaming is really affecting us. 

Please help us!

Thanks
Cat & Steve & Eric x


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## Spongebob (Feb 16, 2010)

I may be wrong but the screaming could be due to the fact he is feeling hormonal. Our hen tiel used to make a heck of a lot of noise when she was feeling broody and covering her up just seem to make her angry!

Is he 'humping' his perches or anything.
also how long do you cover him up at night for?


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Here’s a few links to read through:

http://www.avianweb.com/noisyparrots.html

http://www.takoda-aviary.com/screaming.htm

http://www.parrotchronicles.com/departments/scream_behavior.htm


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## CatEric (Feb 24, 2010)

Thank you so much for your replies. Spongebob - can it be because of the seasons then? Is he likely to get over this? He used to 'hump' his food bowl a lot but I haven't noticed him do it recently. We try and cover him up for 8-10 hours a day but he also sleeps during the day. Should I cover him up for longer at night?

Solace - thanks for the articles, i'll have a good read through them. 

Eric is currently singing me a song and having a cuddle - makes all the screaming worthwhile!!

Cat xx


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## Spongebob (Feb 16, 2010)

when Spongebob was very broody we used to cover her up for around 10-12 hours a night. We also removed anything in the cage she was humping. You say he has only been acting this way for the past couple of months? Has anything changed recently that could have started this off? Has his cage been moved? new toys? could a neighbour have purchased a new bird and he can hear it? Also i know it sounds strange but i read somewhere that some birds can form attachments with objects as well as other birds and people. One lady's tiel was in love with her vacuum cleaner! whenever he spotted it he would scream so she had to take it out of the room. I know that sounds really insane!
how much food are you giving him. I think tiels only need two tablespoons of seed or pellets a day plus veg. if he has lots of surplus food that can encourage them to get into breeding mode. also when you pet him try to avoid petting his back and wings, just scratch his head as petting the body can stimulate sexual behaviour which might be why he screams at you.
this was the advice i was given with my female. i assume it would apply to males too.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Spike has starting screaming a bit aswell. Iam thinking it is from too much hormones. Iam rewarding the good and ignoring the bad


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If it's a hormone problem the "long nights" treatment might help. Make sure he gets 12-14 hours of uninterrupted darkness every night. It doesn't have to be pitch black but it has to be dark enough to seem like night. It takes about a week to have a noticeable effect on behavior.

If that doesn't work you have to go to "tough love". NEVER pay attention to him when he's screaming, and do pay attention when he's being quiet or making sounds that you like. This will initially make the screaming get worse as he tries to get attention in the way that used to work for him. This is called an extinction burst, and it usually lasts for about three days. After that he should get the message that screaming doesn't work and being quieter does, so he'll go with what works now.


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