my bird just wont shut up!?

Question

i've tried everything. i play with him i talk to him for at least an hour straight, then i have to put him away (i have two dogs) but i still talk to him after that! if i walk away he just chirps and chirps and i cant hear myself think anymore! his cage is full with alot of toys and everything.i'm really not a bad owner. i dont yell or hit any of my pets, but it just drives me SO. CRAZY.
help PLEASE before i have to avoid my kitchen all day!

oh and i've thought about getting another bird to play with, but i heard that if you have more than one bird, they wont ever talk or want to play with you at all. and i dont want that, i just want a little peace now and then.

and i dont want to get rid of him! :O
i said earlyer, i wont hurt him or ignore him all day, just an hour here and there of quiet would be nice.
he's my bird and i wont be giving up on him that quickly. he's MY responsibility.

he's a parrotlette.(if i spelled it right...) in other words, yes a parrot. a small one. very small. but ask anyone who onws one, they can be loud!

haha. thanks though. i'll starts on some of those things

Answer 1

Someone said to get professional help, well it's your lucky day! By giving him attention when he calls for you, you're teaching him to scream. When he starts to chirp a lot, just ignore him. Turn off the lights (don't cover the cage) and leave the room until the bird has been quiet for about 10 minutes. Then come back and give him lots of attention and treats. After a couple days, he'll be nice and quiet. If you need any more help, go to http://www.cockatootrainer.com/screaming/ or feel free to email me through that websites contact page.

Answer 2

Ok Ive had my bird 2 years,

He whistles alot , if u teach him to whistle instead its alot better.... But anyways

First thing Id get rid of some of the toys , actually All of them , all of the toys usually bring negative side effects , My bird has a beak sharper , 1 sand dish , 1 water dish , 1 food dish , 1 bath room dish, work alot better , also sometimes if the birds good and isnt a pain in my A** ill buy him a stringy toy has food seeds on it and stuff , also If u wanna have fun with toys i'd personally try a mirror only , :) its funny when they whistle at themselves haha , think its another bird oh well..... Anyways remove the toys , also make sure you have a blanket , Over the cage , and if he screams cover him up (make sure to leave room for breathing) , you have to let him know that your in-charge and your not going to give into his crazy behavior , just like ADD kids or anything else , My bird whistles , talks, cusses and if hes noisy while im working he gets covered up.

Answer 3

This bird thinks that constant noise is the way to call you back. If you go in to shut him up, that reinforces this belief on his part.
What you have here is a dominance problem. He thinks he is in charge! You have to prove to him that he is wrong!! Otherwise he will never shut up, and might even develope worse traits!
I know this is *Not* what you want to hear right now, but you need patience to break him of this habit.
Step1. Leave him alone as long as he is making too much noise. Ordinary singing should not be discouraged, but loud summoning calls must never be responded to !

Step 2. When he finally quiets down ( no matter how long it takes) go in to see him after several minutes of silence. Praise him and tell him what a "Good Bird" he is! Sound very happy when you tell him these things. Stay a few minutes, and then leave! He will probably start to summon you immediately. Do not respond at all until he shuts up again!

With repeated exposure to this exercise the bird will eventually learn that it is the quiet that draws you to him, and not the noise !
The down side is that this might take a day, a week, or even longer. But he WILL come around sooner or later. The younger he is to quicker he will learn !!

Good luck to you.

Answer 4

Parrotlet, that answers a bit. They can be naughty & it does sound like you have done everything for it in a kind & loving way. Unfortunately I think it's taken advantage of this, as parrotlets are very good at doing & screams at any given chance, knowing full well it's gonna get something out of you.

You taught him bad habits & now it's time to get rid of these bad habits. You cais you won't ignore him. If you refuse to ignore his screams, you will NEVER get peace & the parrotlet will certainly get worse. This is a habit that you've taught it that it's ok to be like this. This is worse than ignoring behavioural screams.

I would strongly suggest you start ignoring his screams for attention if you want peace. But also remember to reinforce the quiet bahaviour. At every part of the day that you see he is being really quiet, go & spend extra time with him, play with, offer a treat & let him know he's being good for being quiet. The minute he screams, walk away & shut the door, put in ear plugs, but IGNORE him. Even looking at him will give him more insentive to keep screaming. The easiest thing to do is leave the room so he can't see you.

If you do choose to not ignore him then you will have this problem for as long as you have this bird, so please remember this.

This is not being cruel to ignore if you remember to reinforce his being quiet too. Parrotlets are smart cookies, they learn very fast, but they can also be stuborn, so you need to be stuborn too.

Please don't cover him up unless it's the last possible solution for you. Covering up a big screamer every time he screams will not solve the problem, nor will be good for his health. They need natural daylight & being covered up for every scream will just bring him into continual darkness.

DO NOT remove his toys. They need toys to play with. If you remove a parrotlets toys you will certainly end up with an even bigger problem on your hands. Removing toys as punishment is cruel to parrotlets & doesn't teach them anything.

Answer 5

I think you should get help from some one who professionally deals with birds. They could teach you ways to stop this. I would suggest putting toys in the bird's cage to keep it occupied or even getting a second bird. If you have to you could always give the bird away, but hopefully, you'll solve this problem! Hope I helped!

Answer 6

I have no idea what kind of bird it is, but perhaps you forgot birds make noise, Periodically throughout the day. No matter what, they aren't a quiet pet. But to lessen it you have to ignore it. Only give attention when your baby is quiet adn eventually they learn i get attention when I am quiet, and only when I'm quiet. They're smarter than we think sometimes. It may get worse before your bird catches on though, but be consistent and ignore those extra noises.

Answer 7

Everytime he screams, give him a stern look, and then put him back in the cage, and wait until he's been queit for 10 minutes (even if it takes hours), and then when he's quiet, go in and play with him, but don't be loud or anything because he'll just start screaming again. Yelling at him when he's loud isn't going to do anything, because he just thinks it's a game. Good luck...this sounds like a tough case

Answer 8

try moving his cage into the family room , I stopped my parrots incessant screaming that way, I have to vacuum more but it is worth the peace and he is much happier being around people

Answer 9

Have you tried to put a blanket over him.... It helps then once he stops chirping he should stay quiet. Unless its either a parrot or sometimes cockatills do that a lot.

Answer 10

Just leave it alone for about 15 minutes and see if it stops. But if it doesn't stop, then leave him alone for a longer time. But if he doesn't stop again,then give him more attention.
Good Luck:)