Conference 7.286::pet_birds

Cockatiels, by nature, are quite 'friendly' creatures that very much
    enjoy the company of humanoids.   Was there a time that you were
    company to them? If so, then I think the problem with screaming
    is that there lonely for company and attention.
    
    Are they a 'pair'?   How long have you had them?   Where do you
    live, cause if your going to five them away, I have 25 and a couple
    more wont make a difference.   Also, I cant understand how a cockatiel
    scream could be more devestating than a macaw screech!
    
    Dosent closing the door help?
    
    just tryin to help,
    
    cet

    I have 2 c'tiels and I went through a similar problem a while ago.
    My problem was kinda caused by moving - I started living half at
    home and half at my SO's - every other week I was moving H&G between
    the 2 locations since I couldn't decide which place would make a
    better home from them.  This was also the same time when I started
    to no longer be around H&G all the time.  When I 1st got H&G I was
    still in school and I was home a lot of the day.  All of a sudden
    H&G are being moved every other week and Mom isn't there for them
    all the time.  
    First thing I learned - make sure there are enough toys to play
    with.  I probably spent $100 on bird toys - that way they had extra
    things to keep themselves busy with while I was gone (read working).
    In addition, I started to keep a radio playing softly for them.
    Lastly, I positioned my telephone answering machine near H&G's cage,
    with the volume on loud, and I would call home 3 or 4 times a day
    and talk to the birdies.
    They no longer shriek like they used to when it started - only when
    their mad like this week when I tried feeding them okra for breakfast.
    
    Good luck.  And remember, if for some reason you do decide to find
    a new home for them, you're better off to find them a new home than
    to keep them in a home where you know you are not loving them as
    much as you should.  I went through this a while ago - I made the
    decision to make the time for my birds.
    
    	-Nancy

    Yes, since we've moved into the new house, I would agree that they
    haven't been getting as much attetion as they used to.  When we
    lived in an apartment, my husband's main pastime was working on
    his computer, in the same room as the birds.  Now my husband's past-
    time IS the HOUSE!  [I'm sure you all know how that is!]  But we've
    always worked.  We've always been very busy... I can't understand
    this god awful behaviour.  
    
    When I think about it, they did have their spells like this back
    at the apartment.  I noticed it mostly on Saturdays when I was cleaning
    house and too busy to spend time with them.
    
    I guess I am guilty of not spending enough time with them.  I live
    in Grafton [Worcester County], and I'm going to devote as much effort
    as I can to paying a little more attention to them.  It's tough
    when you're this busy.  We also just got a new dog, and guess who's
    getting heaps of attention?  
    
    I may offer them to someone who can share more love with them...
    Let me first come to grips with my own feelings about them.  As
    of this morning, my feelings were too fond.  The birds drove me
    absolutely nuts... even when I was in the room, "TRYING" to talk
    to them.  They just screamed.
    
    And yes, closing the door DOES help to some degree.  But I do go
    in there [we're still unpacking boxes, my computer is in there,
    I iron in there, etc.].  I get it:  Maybe I'm bugging them...
    trespassing in their private room!
    
    Thanks for the advice.  I will try everything... because my husband
    and I are both jokingly considering "giving them their freedom!"
    
    If it sounds like I don't care for them, it's not true.  I've had
    the male, Larrybird, for several years [4?  5?], and the female
    - Ladybird, [I THINK she's a female] joined our family 1-1/2 
    years ago, to keep him company.
    
    Thank you for your help!
    
    Regards,
    Marcia
    
    

    Have you tried covering their cage when they get "like that"?

    Just out of cursioty.. In your old place did they hear the wild
    birds?  Can they hear the wild birds in this house? I know that
    in our household the cockteil and beebee parrot respond noisly to
    the wild birds, more so in spring and summer than any other time
    of year. Also are the birds in the sun more now? Are they exposed
    to more light than before? I notice that many of these factors get
    our two little birds going.
                                    
    Like I said for what's worth. Hope you find a solution and a happy
    one at that.
    
    Lise

    Yes, I do cover their cages when they get like that.  I try not
    to on work mornings, because once I came home from work and discovered
    that I forgot to uncover them before running out the door!  Well,
    I was so appalled... that was awful and I felt like the cruelest
    thing in the world.  But yes, I do cover them when they scream
    incessantly.  
    
    They're quiet while covered.  After uncovering them, they don't
    take long, though, to start screaming.  It does have a short term
    effect on them.
    
    Wild birds:  Yes, in the apartment, and in the house, they're near
    a window.  In our new house, we're out of the city [thank god] and
    wild birds abound.  Oh boy, do they ever!  So yes, they do try to
    communicate with their buddies out doors.
    
    The sunlight:  They are now in a much brighter room than they ever
    were.  It gets fabulous sunshine all day.  I moved them to that
    room from another one which has a western exposure, dark wallpaper
    and dark curtains.  That was just too depressing... though I have
    to admit, they were very, very quiet.  In fact, I thought they were
    sick!  That's why I moved them.  I won't move them back there, because
    I would feel tremendously guilty.
    
    Do you know of anybody who markets birdie muzzles?  How about birdie
    valium?  *I* am going to need a valium if they keep this up.
    
    Thanks, all!
    
    marcia

    I can suggest that maybe try putting the birds in the darker room
    when they get too noisy. Maybe that will help quiet them and your
    poor frazzled nerves, and broken ear drums.
    
    Lise
    

    	Why not use room darkening shades and adjust the "brightness"
    	until you get the proper mix of quiet and good cheer ?
    
    						Roger
    

    
    
    Hi, I'm the one who has basically decided that I don't really
    want to keep birds, but for what it's worth...  Do you take them
    out of their cage every day?  Or did you used to and now you
    don't?  
    
    The reason I'm asking is, I take my two guys out every night,
    and on weekends they get to come out in the morning.  I think
    (they may be fooling me), but I think they're in a routine and
    even though they yell and whistle if I'm not in the room with
    them, they don't get too obnoxious or loud about it.  I wonder
    if it's because they "know" in their little birdie pea brains
    that they already had their play time so they have nothing to
    complain about?
    
    Just a thought.
    
    Karen

    This "IS" an alternative; however, we're talking about a large parrot
    cage, which is also a little heavy.  In other words, it's not very
    portable!
    
    

                        -< Scream & Screech >-            
                                                              
     I had a Cockatoo that started to Screech, he was 5 years old
       & talked alot, well I got my self a spray bottle & waited  
         for the sound off, Well by george he was surprised he
          figured that was his shower time so he slowed down in
           Screeming, but he would sit there & say Barney good
            boy for hrs. I would wait 5 minutes go in there &
             give him a corn cob, now he is down to once a day
              about noontime & now he says want a beer. This
               process took about 2 months.    WIZzard

    I've been known to give them a shower or too... especially when
    they're screaming.  But, I didn't want them to perceive the showers
    as punishment... they enjoy them so much!  It's more of a diversion
    for them, I think.  They may stop screeching after a shower for
    a little while, but they certainly do start up again.
    
    They were pretty good this weekend, but then, we didn't get "Tons
    of Sun."  That's the ticket, the sunlight.  I still cannot bring
    myself to darken the room, though.  I, like most cats, LOVE the
    sunlight, and I have lots of my plants in there. 
    
    What I have noticed, though, is that they do calm down a little
    bit when they get my concentrated attention.  If I'm just in the
    room, not right at their cage, they'll still scream!

    Wow, vujade.  I am revisiting this conference, two years later... Just
    reread through this past string.  Guess what?  Nothing's changed!
    
    We still have the two 'tiels.  They still scream.  The "female" (I
    think she is as he) is horrible.  Larrybird will try to "talk," e.g.,
    whistle with me, and she screams, screaches, squawks!  She isn't at all
    sociable, either.  She just never warmed up.  We got her a little over
    3-1/2 years ago, as company for Larrybird, who has been with me for...
    oh, 8 years, maybe.
    
    Anyway, Larrybird will come over to me, pecks at my hair, whistles at
    me, will eat from a dish or something I am holding [but not my hand],
    etc.  Ladybird flies to the edge of the cage and clings and screams.  
    
    Then there are the days that they both scream and screach in perfect
    harmony, with nothing stopping them (short of covering them up good).
    Those are the days my husband begs me to give them away.
    
    I have come to the conclusion that I do feel attached to Larrybird and
    am not ready to give him away.  Ladybird - I just feel an obligation to
    her as a responsible pet owner.  But she is a pest.  That may sound
    cruel, but she won't warm up or quiet down.  2 years later, and I am
    saying the same thing!
    
    Some of you were kind enough to offer to take my Larry and Lady two
    years ago.  I'm still not ready to give them up... Some day in the
    future, if we have a new bambino in the family (with a new kind of
    screaming :-}), then I may consider finding a new home for them.  I
    cannot imagine how any human could sleep through their screams, and it
    would be cruel to keep them covered all the time for the sake of a
    napping infant.
    
    Oh - one thing that does work to quiet them down... as you know,
    they're kept in a huge parrot cage.  I bought one of those perches that
    you mount to the top... They LOVE it up there and do quiet down.  I
    don't let them out as often as I should, or as often as they would
    like, because I have found that their "presents" that they leave all
    day long on my hardwood floors, do not clean up well.  They stain the
    floor, in fact.  
    
    Rgds,
    Marcia
    

    I carried the birds outside the past two weekends and let them enjoy
    the great outdoors!  You should have heard them!  They went wild (with
    the sounds of the other birds!
    
    Does anyone have any suggestion for cleaning the * off of hardwood
    floors?  I've tried Murphy's Oil Soap and warm water, but that doesn't
    quite do the trick.  Something that won't ruin the hardwood...?  The
    birds decorate the floor when I let them sit atop of their big perch on
    the top of the cage.  Of course, they fly around and I don't always see
    their dropping 'til it's too late.
    
    Thanks,
    marcia

    HI MARCIA,
    
    Hardwood floors usually have a almost impervious coat of Urethane on
    them, which you can clean with most anything except ACID. Myself, I
    have spray bottle with a bleach mixture that I squirt the spots with.
    Also just a wet rag left on the spot for 1/2 hour will usually let you
    wipe the spot right off.
    
    Good luck,
    Doug
    
    

    Well, this room has the original hardwood floor.  I haven't done
    anything with this room since we bought the house and I don't think
    there's much urethane on the floor at this point.  Anyway, thanks for
    the suggestion.  Will try leaving a hot, wet cloth on the spots.
    
    Funny I should be here at this very note at this very moment... Just
    browsing through my notebook this Sunday afternoon, and for about the
    last 5-10 minutes Ladybird has been testing her vocal cords.  Well, I'm
    sorry to say that it all came to an end.  They are now on their way to
    birdie la-la land... covered up very nicely, thank you.  
    
    It's only 7:30 and I hate to cover them when it's still light, but they
    make it *almost* impossible to be in the same room with them.  We were
    doing so well earlier whistling back and forth and then she heard the
    birds outdoors!  Ah well...
    
    Rgds,
    marcia

    Is it possible to go deaf (or have nerve damage in the ear)
    from a conure screech whilst the bird be perched upon
    my shoulder? I've had problems with my left ear for
    2 wks now (a doctor checked it out but found no blockage).
    I forgot to mention to him that we own a conure, and my 
    hubby seems to think the once-in-a-while screech might
    be the cause.
    
    Thanks for any input...
    
    pat

    I think it is definitely a possibility that it's the conure's screech
    doing temporary damage....speaking from experience here.....
    
    Linda

    
    
    I agree.....my conure....Lets me know when he is mad.  But does it when
    i set him on my shoulder.   
    
    Robbin