Caring People Helping Pets:

1/07
One of the most common problems presented to the avian
veterinarian today is not infections, metabolic or nutritional
in nature. Rather, behavior problems in pet birds are
becoming more and more common. Clients lament that
their beloved bird screams, bites, chews, feather picks or
exhibits abrupt mood swings.
The scenario: A green conure, locked in a laundry room for
two years, with a feces encrusted cage, slimy green drinking
water and stale sunflower seeds in a filthy bowl. The owner
had rescued him from a local humane society. Conures
are a comical, playful bird but also known for their ability to
scream and out-vocalize anything other than a Moluccan Cockatoo. This bird lived up
to his reputation and had quickly earned himself permanent residence in solitary
isolation despite the initial benevolence of the rescuer. The author has known of many
other conures and other loud species (Amazons, cockatoos) to be shuffled to a small,
unused room void of human companionship because of their shrill voices. But what
precipitates the movement from a sweet companion bird to a feathered loudspeaker
capable of stripping paint and ruining hairdos?
What is considered normal bird behavior? More specifically, what behaviors should
we as humans expect from pet parrots? Remember that pet birds are not truly
domesticated like poultry or budgies. Morning and evening
screaming and periodic vocalizations throughout the day are
normal for the healthy pet parrot. Morning screaming
signifies Wake up, its morning, time to eat! Evening
screaming translates into Everybody go to roost, its
getting dark! Daytime screaming can signify Isnt it
great to be a cockatoo or Sing with me. It is when
normal vocalizations escalate to unacceptable levels
according to human standards that it is considered a
problem. A certain amount of screaming must be tolerated
by the parrot-owning household. If no noise is desired then
perhaps a different pet may be more suitable.
Parrots are by nature verbal creatures. They are also very social creatures and these
two tendencies are responsible for the development of screaming behavior. Screaming
Shriek, Yell and Whistle . . .
WHY PARROTS SCREAM
By Ellen Hooker, DVM
Behavior
problems in pet
birds are
becoming
increasingly
common.
for more than 3-5 minutes at a time or more than 5 times a day is unnatural for most
species. Boisterous singing in response to music, the vacuum cleaner or tin the shower is
an exception and can last longer. Screaming is a learned behavior, helped along by
unwitting humans who do not know the proper response to a call from their bird.
One cause of screaming is due to isolation. Birds start out by what is known as a con-
tact call to their human. The scenario goes something like this. Bird spends all day
alone in a cage while the owner is at work. Owner arrives home. Bird calls out. Owner
ignores bird, more intent on the answering machine. Bird screams. Owner yells for bird to
shut up. Bird screams louder. Owner walks over to bird cage, hits cage or leaves room,
muttering that the bird is an idiot and its time to get rid of the
nuisance. What the bird is thinking: Ive been alone all day.
My other flock member is finally home, oh joy! Ill say hi. Oh he
doesnt answer, Id better scream louder. No response yet, Im
desperate for attention. Id better step up the loudness. Why
doesn't he answer?
A second cause of screaming is hunger or thirst. Birds normally
scream at feeding time (typically dawn and dusk). In the wild,
loud calls accompany arrival at foraging areas, inviting the
flock to dine. Empty food/water cups can elicit noise.
Boredom is a common factor. Parrots are extremely intelligent
and need a variety of things to occupy their time to keep
them from yelling. Destructible toys, a variety of foods and
visual stimulation can distract a bored parrot. Television is an
easy way to entertain a lonely parrot. Shows such as Sesame
Street and Barney have lots of action and music that parrots love. Shows like National
Geographic and Discovery that abound with bird predators increase anxiety levels and
can cause increased screaming. A television set on a timer for a few hours a day can
let a bird release some pent up energy.
Pet birds have endless energy and would
naturally expend it in the wild by flying,
climbing, foraging and mating. The cage
bound pet parrot could appropriately be
called a perch potato. A lack of exercise
can elicit screaming. To promote exercise,
install cage toys that promote flapping and
movement. Install climbing and swinging
tows in the cage, or involve owner participa-
tion by placing the bird on your hand and
moving your arm up and down to encourage
the bird to flap its wings. Play gyms away from
the cage also encourage exercise. Bathing the bird with a gentle mist of warm water
from a spray bottle can elicit silly attacks and prolong the avian exercise experience.
A bird that is busy preening its feathers after a bath is not screaming.
BEST FRIENDS VETERINARY CENTER
Isolation,
hunger, thirst,
boredom,
household
disturbances,
lack of exercise
and hormones
can contribute
to screaming.
The last cause of screaming among pet birds is also the least controllable. Desire for a
mate/sexual maturity is a fact of life with which the parrot owner must live. Season plays
an important role in birds with out-of-control hormones. Spring is the typical breeding
season and, until the season is over, little can be done to totally eliminate the scream-
ing. Changes in the household (new people, new pets, new scary objects, such as a
table lamp or furniture) can cause screaming too.
There are definite dos and donts when dealing with a screamer:
DOS:
1. Rewarding the bird for being quiet will earn it the contact it
covets; therefore, establishing the basis on which the bird
learns a positive behavior. When you notice your bird is
quiet, give the bird a treat or spend some time with it out of
the cage.
2. Ignore a screaming bird. It will learn that it will not be given
the attention it craves when it screams.
3. Place the bird in a time out in a covered cage or carrier for 10 minutes (no more),
repeated judiciously. A parrot will double its screams in an effort to re-establish vocal
contact with its human flock if placed in total prolonged isolation.
4. When a bird vocalizes a contact call upon an owners return home, the owner
should return the call in a friendly I missed you too voice. The owner should pet the
bird briefly and promise the bird that they will return later. Often times this short,
personal interaction will placate the bird craving attention until later when the owner
can spend more time with it.
DONTS:
1. Yelling back is counterproductive. Parrots love drama and an arm-waving, bellowing
owner will encourage the bird to scream more.
2. Birds should not be hit. Birds do not understand the connection between yelling and
physical abuse. Hitting a bird results in a parrot that is terrified of people or aggressive
and dangerous.
3. Never shake a parrots cage, throw the cage across the room or throw objects at it.
This physical abuse will teach a parrot fear and hatred of humans.
4. Never lock a parrot away in a dark room or closet for lengthy periods. This is a cruel
deprivation of its emotional need to be social, as well as ruinous to the normal circa-
dian rhythms that regulate many body functions.
VETERINARY CENTER
BEST
FRIENDS
BEST
FRIENDS
2082 Cheyenne Court, Grafton, WI 53024 phone: 262-375-0I30 fax: 262-375-4I96 www.bestfriendsvet.com
Caring People Helping Pets