Your pet bird may be the most beautiful thing in your life, but sometimes it can get very loud and cause hassle. What you do need to remember is that birds are naturally noisy animals, and they come with a lot of squawking, singing, chirping, etc. So, your aim should not be to get your bird to stop screaming completely but rather bring down the screaming to a bearable level.
To know how to get your bird to stop screaming, you first need to know the reasons causing your bird to scream.
They may scream out of fear when they see a potential predator that can harm them. They may scream out of sheer excitement. Birds are very active, and so they need to be mentally stimulated constantly. However, when this doesn’t happen, birds are said to feel extremely bored and start screaming, pacing, or biting to express their boredom. They may also scream to seek your attention.
Once you identify and get familiar with the reasons, you can start taking up certain measures to change such obsessive behaviors and have a better relationship with your bird.
How to Make Your Bird Stop Screaming
It isn’t always easy when you are assigned tasks such as this, but the result isn’t far-fetched at all. You can resort to these measures on how to get your bird to stop screaming.
Clicker Training
Since birds are very active and intelligent, they appreciate activities related to mental stimulation. Birds respond well to clicker training. Birds, especially parrots, are easily trainable, and this method proves to be very effective in making your bird stop screaming. You can put together a clicker and treats by offering praises and treats after marking good behavior with a click.
Keeping Your Bird Occupied
Birds naturally spend significant parts of their lives flying in the open. Still, as pet owners, we fail to give them that freedom they were accustomed to, and this results in boredom. Therefore, they start screaming for our attention. You can buy some pet-friendly toys or even make toys to keep your birds occupied with it. Also, you can try some visual or audible activities to get your bird’s attention and get your bird to stop screaming.
Try Changing Their Environment
Maybe you’ve kept your bird in an area where there is overexposure of sunlight. This overexposure may over-stimulate your bird and lead to elevated hormone levels causing aggressive behavior and screaming. Try moving your bird to a cooler area or if you keep your bird indoors, close the drapes during the day or cover the cage with a thin cloth.
Lowering Noise Around Your Bird
Your bird also tends to give some response to the noise in its surroundings. Maybe keeping the volume of the television or your music system low might bring some positive changes in your bird. Also, talking to your bird in a low tone or whispering to your pet may get your bird to stop screaming.
“Flock Calls”
It is believed that wild birds often communicate among themselves by squawking loudly, which is known as “flock calls.” In case you find your pet squawking whenever you leave the room, it could be a way of your bird trying to get your attention through a “flock call.” You can try squawking back to your pet (there’s no harm in trying something new, and it’d be a fun way to communicate with your pet as well). Try doing that, and if it helps to get your bird to stop screaming or squawking, then there’s your accomplishment.
Make Sure Your Bird is Doing Okay
In some cases, your bird might behave differently or scream when it is not in great condition and seeks your attention. That is why you need to take your pet to an avian veterinarian (a vet who specializes in treating birds) from time to time. In this way, you can ensure that your pet is in good condition.
Things You Should Not Do When Your Bird Screams
Screaming Back at Them or Making Loud Noises
When your bird screams or, in general, when any pet behaves undesirably, it is natural for a pet owner to scold them or yell back at them, thinking that it would shut them off. Instead, your yelling might scare your bird, which would cause them to scream more. Also, some believe that when you scream back, your pets might believe that you’re encouraging them to do so. So, if the screaming is excessive and continuous, it is best to ignore them when they’re screaming or leave the room.
Do Not Move or Run Too Quickly Around Your Bird
Moving quickly or any sudden jerks may cause your pet to feel uneasy or overexcited, which would cause them to scream or behave abruptly. For such reasons, you should keep a check, especially on children, when they’re interacting with your pet.
Use of Flashlights
Many people often use this technique to train their pets from doing undesirable activities. It is a technique where people set up remote-controlled flashlights or strobe lamps near their birds. They switch on whenever a bird screams. This technique may work on training your pets, but strobe lights can be appalling to your pet. So, it is better to use this technique as a last resort when nothing else seems to help.
Conclusion
We need to understand that screaming or squawking is a natural behavior in birds. It is a way of communication for them just as we use words to communicate with each other. We should only try to hush down their volumes when it gets excessive or intolerant. A pet owner needs to understand their pet’s actions and take note of when and how. Once you understand your pet, it will be easier for you to stop any unpleasant behavior or get your bird to stop screaming. And also, remember it takes time to train your pet and get them to behave accordingly; consistency and patience will go a long way.
To learn more about different behavioral issues in birds, click the article Most Common Behavior Problems in Birds.
