I have a budgie that is almost two years old. He recently strated this very high pitched screech that I have never heard before and he does it only when my husband or I are out of his sight range. We don't even have to leave the room and he starts. It is very annoying and since we live in an apartment I am worried people will start to complain. We can hear him out by our car when we are leaving and we live on the third floor. He has never done this before and it is driving us insane, we have been ingnoring him and only coming back into his sight when he stops screeching but it is so incessant sometimes it takes up to an hour before we can go back in the room. It is really driving us insane and I dont want to give him away, but he is making it very uncomfortable for us to be at home and straightening up or doing ANYTHING that doesnt involve sitting in the living room with him and watching TV. PLEASE HELP!!!
2006-11-09 08:02:49 · 5 answers · asked by discoannak 1 in Pets ➔ Birds
I agree with "escpthem..." to a certain extent. It's very likely that your budgie is lonely and is calling to you, its "flock". My Maximilian Pionus started doing that when I got sick and started spending a lot of time in bed, away from his cage.
However, with some patience, it is usually possible to teach a bird to stop screaming. Important note: when the bird starts screaming, DO NOT SCREAM BACK. Birds love drama. If you start yelling, the bird thinks, "Oh good, we're all yelling now! Fun! I can do that!" Take a dark-colored towel that is bigger than the bird's cage and cover the cage with it so that it's completely dark in the cage. As you're doing it, say once, firmly but kindly, "No yelling." Leave the room for five minutes and turn off any noise-making devices in the room. Uncover the bird after five minutes of quiet and praise it for being quiet. If it starts to scream again, do the same thing again. It will take a few days for the bird to figure it out, and that will be tiring for you for a while, but after that, you should just be able to say, "No yelling," or show it the towel, and the bird will quiet down.
The dark makes the bird think it's night, and all non-nocturnal birds pretty much switch off in the dark. Do remember to take the cloth off the cage after 5 minutes, though, because you don't want to mess up your bird's internal alarm. Good luck.
2006-11-09 09:05:36 · answer #1 · answered by thepracticaldragon 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Budgies like to be in groups with other budgies. In captivity, humans take the place of the other birds that would normally be in their flock. Being separated from the flock is a very stressful thing and they will screech, squawk, or make other noises to determine where the other birds are so they can fly to them. In your home, if he starts to screech, it's because he's trying to find you and is stressed about not being with you. Talking to him from the other room can help settle him down, knowing that you're close.
He may need more time out of the cage to spend with you and your husband. More toys and switching his toys (only switch out one toy a week to reduce stress) can help to reduce boredom and keep him occupied when you can't be with him. Some birds do well with a mirror since they think there's another bird with them. You can also try a small stuffed animal. Make sure that the stuffed animal is the same color that your bird is (if yellow, but mostly green, go for green) as they tend to be attracted to similar colors.
Introducing another bird can be done sometimes, but it has to be done very slowly. You would need to have the new budgie in a cage across the room and over a period of a couple weeks, move the cages closer to the point where they're touching. If the birds do well together, you could try moving them into the same cage, though you should be prepared to separate them immediately if there are any signs of aggression. If they don't do well together, then you're stuck with 2 birds in separate cages that may eventually grow to like each other, or may just spend their time competing for your attention.
2006-11-09 08:30:52 · answer #2 · answered by escpthemadnss 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HAHAHA my new bird does this too! It drives my boyfriend nuts. Usually he is hungry, wants the cage uncovered, the window blinds open, or sometimes he plays around (like I don't know its him!).
Maybe he is hungry or wants to look outside, oh yeah, if he sees birds outside he will get louder. enjoy!
2006-11-09 17:38:48 · answer #3 · answered by Myra G 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you might try taking him with you to the other rooms of your apt.more, or putting a leash on his leg and take him outside with you. unfortunatly, this may involve spending more time with him,sounds like he just wants to be with you.
Please love your animals and try not to neglect them...they dont have thumbs.
2006-11-12 13:04:00 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be that you're ignoring him. Show the cutie some more attention and maybe he'll stop.
2006-11-09 08:05:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋