# Tips for reducing screaming?



## Ezzie (Jan 19, 2010)

Hi all, I had another post asking for advice towards Penny's sudden behaviour changes and in that post i had started that he has a serious screaming problem, but that it wasnt bothering me all that much. 
Now i'm at home a little more (different hours at work) the screaming is really starting to get to me and i'm seriously at the last straw with him and i really need some advice...

I know theres a hundred posts out there asking for advice and alot of people give the same response:
- time out when he screams (quiet, dark room)
- only take him out when he's quiet / praise him when he is quiet.
- Don't encourage the screaming (don't say anything, don't touch him don't yell / whistle/ take him out when he's screaming or anything like that)
- do things to distract him from screaming (engourage whistling/ play etc)
- ignore it?

After so many months (since i first moved house with him- 8 months ago) of this constant screaming problem im close to breaking.

For a straight week, i have been doing ALL of these things menctioned above RELIGIOUSLY but i feel he's spending MORE time in his cage covered in the darkness just to make him STOP SCREAMING rather then out with me enjoying the sunshine and time together. HE'S JUST NOT GETTING THE POINT!!

Any time he screams i calmy (no words, no harsh movements, no yelling "NO
at him) put him back in his cage, close the blinds in the room the cage is in and cover him with a dark sheet. 
He will almost always quiet down (sometimes within minutes, sometimes a little longer) but the SECOND i come in and praise him for being quiet and allow him to be uncovered and come back out with me he starts again, almost instantly with this stupid screaming and we repeat this process again and again..

I know its only been a week but i just feel that he isn't getting it AT ALL, i'm disheartened, frustrated and at a loss with what to do. 
I'm seriously at my wits end, i have a constant headache from him and to be honest i'm almost on the verge of simply re-homing him (though this would be so hard and would break my heart)

I don't even have a good reason as to why he is doing it. 
He has food / water and (when im not there company from the other birds) when on the very rare occasion hes being quiet i interact with him but i feel like im going round robin and hes screaming for attention but i can't give him attention because hes screaming as that would encourage it, urgh!

I feel as though i have lost almost all the trust i had with him (he knows when hes being put away and he runs from my step up finger as if i was going to kill him) and our great connection we had before we moved house (again) is slowly fading away.

I mean i just don't understand why HE screams bloody murder while my other two tiels' are pretty much quiet as mice (except for their singing moments) but Penny has to be the problem bird in the flock?

Any suggestions guys would be so appreciated...


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

1 year old, tsuka went through this phase too. best bet, its hormones and it is a phase he should grow out of, its part of that nasty teen stage. have you tried giving him longer hours of sleep at night? it might help, but it may take a few days to a few weeks to kick in.


i wonder, has anything in his environment changed? a new rug, clothes, decor, ANYTHING? even something simple like a pink pen lol sometimes birds see little things like that and think its dangerous and scream because theyre scared of it.


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## Ezzie (Jan 19, 2010)

We did move house about a month ago to a totally new environment but Penny's always been really resiliant and not fazed by anything so even though that might play a role in it i don't think its totally that. 
The other thing that's changed is he went from being with my other two birds to a single bird and now back with the others, but again i don't think this is playing much in it as he hasn't really shown any interest towards the other birds.

He gets covered and total darkness from 5pm- 9am so its MORE then enough darkness for him, weather or not he's sleeping i'm not sure...

Im almost certain its because hes moving into adulthood so he is just being really bratty and noisy right now. Im being as persistant as i can and im determined to break him of his screaming!


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

ok theres a few things here. no matter how mellow and resilient a bird may seem, they can surprise us.

dally and tsuka generally tolerate eachother, share a cage and could care less for eachother, however remove them from eachother and they scream on end. tsuka eventually settles down after a few weeks but dally does not. even if he doesnt "like" the other birds he will still see them as flock and call to them.

i bring dally and tsuka to my friends house to play with her tiels and they now call to eachother too and they maybe visit every few months.

a new house may be scary to him, throw in a new environment, separation from his flock and hormones and you got yourself a screaming monster, he might be feeling a bit insecure in his new predicament, and in time i think he will calm down and settle


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## Ghosth (Jun 25, 2012)

I'm lucky, I've not gone through this yet. I know I have it to look forward to at some point.

It "seems" a bit like a teenager yelling "I'm Bored" and I suspect it is a bit of any attention is better than no attention, even if it is negative. (being punished/covered) With both a house move and a situation change (birds added) might be he just needs some extra love and attention until he settles in.


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## BrightFlights (Jul 12, 2012)

I Rescued a six year old normal female who was never given a proper diet, enough toys, or enough interaction. I isolated her for a month and in the first week she laid eggs, I believe out of stress. She was Very Quiet while nesting. It was when I added her to the flock when she started screaming, harsh ear piercing screaming. She was in with three females and a male and pushed them all away. She wanted attention but was scared of these birds. She needed a companion, I found her a parent raised male put them into a cage together and they bonded in no time and no more screaming AT ALL. She needed to feel part of a flock and my flock ignored her. The screaming went on for almost a year until I found out her problem. There is ALWAYS a solution to the screaming you just have to find out why. I urge you to not give up on your bird he is telling you he isn't happy in the only way he knows how. In the mean time a tired bird is a quiet bird, If you let him fly and get exercise and give him at least 2 hours of play time he may quiet down a bit.


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## Ghosth (Jun 25, 2012)

I agree with Brightflights the trick is going to be finding what she needs.

The older female I rescued was I believe on craigs list because of her constant screaming. But from what I could see she was cage bound with only a dove and a finch in separate cages for company. 

She quickly settled in here and with Cara dancing attendance and singing his heart out for her I have seen no screaming or screeching at all. 

She has a low single tone "peeeep" which is I believe her flock call. The farther away she is from Cara and I or the more upset she is the more often she sounds it, and the louder it gets.


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## Ezzie (Jan 19, 2010)

Not sure if hes had a change of heart but since i wrote this post hes been a little quieter, Little Bugger 

I would love to let him fly but im afraid he never really learnt how, or he doesnt have the muscle strength to give him flight. Even if i let his wings grow out (hes clipped to prevent them breaking as much) he just plumets like a rock and doesnt even make an attempt to flap  I think its because he was clipped too young (he had the worst clip i had EVER seen when i bought him) so he never really learnt how...

Im still going to take him out as much as i can and really get him into talking / whistling and maybe that will encourage it instead of screaming (hes even learning how to say "What you doing"!!)


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

dally had to be taught how to fly.

this sticky was just done, but it's the method i had used to teach dally

http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?p=296607#post296607


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## grannysbirds (Aug 3, 2012)

Boy oh boy!! Do I hear this!
I have a supposed female that just screams! The prior owners told me both the birds are female, but coloring and actions seem more make to me?

I am trying all the online suggestions as well but so far to no avail?

I got them with a very small cage, then put them in a cage way to big for my apt and for me to maintain. I just ordered a new cage that medium size and appropriate for 2 tiels. I do not want to re-home them. I want to enjoy them and make this work!!

So, best of luck to each of us dealing with the screaming problem!


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## Ezzie (Jan 19, 2010)

Thanks for that post DallyTsuka! I have tried that method of letting my hand fall gently to get him to flap and he does it, so he knows how! Maybe we can turn that into a bonding session


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

its an idea  give lots of praise for it, he may enjoy it


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