Hello Hello and request for advice.

[ironhide1975]

Hello there folks!

Well I'm definitely a newbie here. My new roommate moved in and with him came his loky. I have a nice split level house, but I have to admit the bird is louder than I expected him to be. Unforunately I have to say that the bird and my roommate have warned my heart and I'm not letting them go, however, I believe being a responsible co-owner is the right thing to do here. If taking care of the bird is going to be part of him living here I'm trying to educate myself with everything I need bird wise.

So my initial questions (and I apologize if this isn't the right place for them so if so please direct me.)

1) Are there any recommendations for sound-proofing a room with a loud parrot in it? Granted I know we won't be able to completely remove the sound but I would like to decrease it as much as possible and as cost effective as possible.

2) What are some recommended techniques for getting the bird to behave and be quiet when absolutely necessary. Now granted I understand that the bird is going to require attention no matter what, but is there some techniques to train him not to be so nosy.

Any help in this area is greatily appreciated. I've also bought a copy of the 'Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior'. If anyone can offer some advice with my new family member so I can learn to appreciate him not regret him, I'd appreciate you!

[expressmailtome]

Welcome! As for the noise, I have never met a lory. However it is very difficult to control a birds 'noise'. There are probably some suggestions in the training section.

Matt

[angelicarboreals]

I have a rainbow lory myself, so I can understand that that lory's are a little louder than you would think they would be considering that they are a smaller species of parrot.

As far as soundproofing a room, the easiest way would be to have items in the room that could absorb the sound. For me, my bird room is tiled so sound bounces around more than when I had my birds housed on carpet. My suggestion would be adding a rug, maybe some plants (fake or harmless to the bird), and even curtains and pictures will help a little. They make boards that can be hung up that are specifically for muffling sounds (like what is in a sound studio) but I have no idea how much that would cost.

As for the statement that you made "What are some recommended techniques for getting the bird to behave and be quiet when absolutely necessary" to be honest there are no ways to make a bird behave and be quiet when necessary. A bird is not like a dog or cat, so you can throw the notion out the window of being able to get it to be quiet in the sense that you can make a dog sit when needed. As long as the lory has toys to keep its attention and gets adequate time outside of its cage, then the noise should be minimal. That being said, minimal noise coming from a bird is sometimes more than what some people can handle.

My problem with the question that you posed is that you seem like you want the bird to be quite when you deem it necessary. When is it absolutely necessary? When you are watching TV? When the landlord comes to visit? After keeping birds for so long, I have a theory that the more that you want a bird to be quiet the more it is going to try to get your attention by vocalizations. For example, if I am watching TV I of course want to be able to hear it. However, my bird may scream at this point because my attention is focused on the TV and not on her.

[Tom Lawless]

There are some behavioral techniques for trying to head off the really loud noise before it starts. The thing is, try not to react to it when it is happening. If you go take him/her out of the cage you've just reinforced his/her behavior. If you go and yell at it, you've reinforced its behavior (they like that stuff). If you see a particular time that it begins, or know of something that sets it off you might want to try finding a way to distract it before it starts. Sometimes you can direct the bird's energy in a different direction, whether it be with you or a toy or whatever, and move it toward a behavior you like and away from one you don't. It may not happen overnight and there will always be times, often morning and evening, when they go through a loud period that's kind of hardwired into them. Again, I've noticed if I have my guys with me before it starts we get through it quietly. No getting around it, birds can be loud.

I really appreciate that you came here looking for advice. It is a good place to start. Carpets and fabrics in the room would help deaden the sound a little. Sometimes you can find cheap area rugs and putting those on the floor or hanging them like a tapestry might help. I'm kind of resigned to it. Good luck and keep us posted on how things go.