# Screeching - freddyboy



## freddyboy (Sep 2, 2009)

I too would love to know how to discourage Cotton Bud from screaming the house down. He's ok when he's out of his cage with us and he's ok when I say its bed time and good night, I turn off his light and put the cover over him.

When we get home from work he's screaming down the house for a bit as he wants to come out, he settles then after we eat he starts getting restless. So both my birds come out.

He can hear us when we are out of his sight and screams out. I ignore as usually we are out at the clothes line and its about 9pm at night, tonight my partner had to go get him and settle him for a bit. 

Is this behaviour normal? I would say Cotton Bud is having some sort of separation anxieties? I don't know what he's like when we are at work but when we leave for work he's ok and get home we usually get a greeting then depending on his chosen day he can be good as larry and or naughty.

Any help would be great.

Thanks


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## Mythara (Apr 9, 2009)

I've split this off to your own thread. It's best to start your own thread for questions like this as you get more specific answers. =)

You need to set some rules for him, and have a routine. You also need to make sure he's got plenty to do, so he doesn't get bored.

My birds know they need to be quiet to come out the cage. When I come home from work, they're allowed to make a fuss and call for about ten minutes, since they're obviously happy to see me and glad I'm home, but after that they have to be quiet and I won't let them out until they are. If they kept calling, I would turn my back to them, and only turn around again when they were quiet. It only took a little while for them to get used to this, and now they quiet down by themselves quite quickly and only need to be reminded occasionally. Later on, if I'm in the room and they want to come out, they'll cheep quietly once or twice, then be quiet in hopes they'll be allowed out - because they know only being quiet will get them out. If they hear us in another room they'll contact call, but are quiet when we don't respond.

In their cage, they have a variety of toys. Ours always have at least six, some that I know they like and see them chewing on and one or two that have been rotated in for variety. They also have lots of foraging toys. They have their foraging tray which is always a favourite with all our birds. The cockatiels have their foraging cups (and bucket and coconut) that we fill up if they need to occupy themselves for a while and when we go out. These are always in the cage. Right now they also have a treat cup, a foraging newspaper swing, nutcase and a leather foraging toy. Foraging toys are easy and cheap to make. If you have a look on my blog you can find over forty different foraging toys, the majority of them are ones that I've made myself and take between five minutes and half an hour to set up. Most use things you can just find around the house. There's also the Captive Foraging Thread (sticky) in the General Cockatiel Talk section which other people have posted a couple of ideas on.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

This may be something for you to read through.

*Reinforcing Screaming: *
Although screaming is a part of owning a parrot and a flock behavior, it's not normal for a pet bird to be screaming all day. If 1 cockatiel screams, it's more than likely that your other cockatiels will learn how to scream too. Screaming becomes a behavior problem when a parrot learns to scream excessively for attention. Our reaction to excessive vocalization will determine whether or not this behavior becomes a habitual problem. Birds who are considered screamers have in some way been rewarded for this behavior, even though their reason for screaming is rational from a bird's perspective. It's up to us to identify what has caused screaming in the first place and to either eliminate the source if possible, or to slowly desensitize the bird to the source. We must then identify what we have been doing to reward and reinforce screaming. If screaming is being caused by seeing wild birds outdoors, move the cage away from the window. If a barking dog in the bird's room causes screaming, don't let the dog in the bird room. 

Most avian behavior consultants agree that negative behavior like screaming should always be ignored and positive behavior, like being quiet, playing, doing tricks, talking or singing, should be rewarded. However, we often do the exact opposite of what we should be doing by encouraging and rewarding screaming. It's common for even the most dedicated and loving cockatiel owner to ignore a bird when the bird is quietly playing then reacting with strong emotion and drama when a negative behavior like screaming is exhibited. Your bird perceives any type of reaction to screaming as attention and a reward. If your bird screams and you come rushing into the room or go up to his cage or he if he screams and you yell at him to simmer down and be quiet, you are giving him the attention he wants, You are reinforcing the behavior. It doesn't matter if it's negative or positive attention, it's still attention. 

*Solutions:* 
It's much easier to prevent screaming than it is to deprogram a bird and stop screaming once it becomes a habit and a constant call for attention. It takes a great deal of patience to stop screaming but it can be done. Avian Behavior Consultant Liz Wilson states that it takes about 10 days to eliminate an undesirable sound, like an annoying word, from a bird's repertoire, and you do this by ignoring the word. Getting a bird to stop screaming can take much longer. The habit did not develop overnight it's not surprising if it takes just as long to undo the behavior that we reinforced for so many months. There's also a pretty good chance that the screaming will get louder and longer at first. Have patience and be firm. Ignore the screaming and do not show any reaction to it at all.

* Do not reward screams. Whenever you rush over to your bird in response to a scream, you are teaching your bird that screaming gets the results he wants.

* Establish a flock call so your bird can keep in contact with you when you leave the room. Choose a word or whistle that your bird recognizes to let your bird know you're home.

* Use your flock call when you leave the room so your bird knows where you are.

* Yelling, punishing, responding with anger, banging on the cage bars or any other negative responses will damage the trust your bird has in you. It also teaches your bird that screaming gets desirable results.

* Make vocal contact with your bird first, before he has a chance to scream for you.

* Ignore the screaming and only give your bird attention when he is quiet.

* Walk out of the room and don't come back until your bird stops screaming.

* Reward and praise your bird for good behavior like playing with toys or making pleasant sounds like chirping, talking or whistling.

* Lower your energy level. If you are prone to talking or moving quickly and you show excitement in your voice, use a more quiet, slower and calmer voice tone.

* Keep the cage away from doors and put it up against a wall, near a corner for security.

* Keep the back of the cage covered so your bird has a place to retreat when frightened.

* When your bird is hormonal, during Spring and Summer, cover the cage for 14 hours each night for 2 weeks to break the hormonal cycle.

* If your bird always screams when you have company, move his cage into another room where he will be more comfortable, before your guests arrive.

* If you know your bird screams when you are cooking, walking the dog, watering the garden or on the telephone, distract him with some millet seed or a favorite toy before you start.

* Although not always effective and as a last resort, covering the cage may help to calm a bird that has been over stimulated by noisy children, barking dogs or outside noises. Take the cover off when your bird is quiet.

* Take your bird out of the cage several times a day when he's quiet, not when he starts screaming, to break up boredom and give him the attention he needs.. 

* Put your bird on a play gym when you are in another room folding laundry, paying bills, reading etc. This gives your bird extra out of cage time.

* Keep a supply of colorful, interesting shreddable and movable toys in the cage and rotate them every week to keep your bird busy.

*Exceptions: *
Sometimes screaming should not be ignored. If your cockatiel's cage has been pounced on by a dog or if he has just been frightened by your neighbor shooting off a package of bottle rockets, it's necessary and appropriate for you to go over to your bird and reassure him that he's safe. Screaming to greet you when you come home from work is another exception. If you use your flock call then go over to the cage and say hello to your bird when you come home each day, you can prevent screaming from becoming habitual. Birds who have lost a mate also need reassurance so it's appropriate for you to spend more time with them as well. If your bird's screaming seems to be completely devoid of meaning, it's a good idea to walk near the cage without maintaining eye contact or speaking, and check to make sure that your bird is OK. The scream may be from having a toe caught in a toy, or you may have forgotten to replace the water dish this morning or a mouse or fly may have taken up residence in the cage. You may also want to consider taking your bird to an avian vet for a check up to rule out pain caused by a health problems.


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