Need Help With Behavior Issues

[Salsa]

I haven't posted in a while as "life" has been going on, but I am needing some ideas on what to do with Salsa, my gw macaw. She was a rehome that I got in February. Things had been going very well for a while. She has a big play area right in the central part of the house that she would spend most of the day on as well as get one on one time each day for cuddling and training. Anyway, as time has passed she has gotten to the point that she is really taking to screaming. You know, the big macaw pterodactyl screams. She started just doing it in the morning and evening and now it is at any point in the day. She will sometimes look me square in the eye and scream for all she is worth. The only time she won't do it is when she is on me. I have tried putting her back in her cage for time outs, ignoring her (turning my back and walking away).... I just am not sure what to do. I have found out that her previous parronts weren't completely forthright with me and the reason they got rid of her is because she started this behavior and it had been going on for some time. I am getting frustrated because with the effects on business and the increase in her screaming I find that sometimes it just instantly makes my blood boil. When she is good I love having her around and we have so much fun but those times are becoming fewer and farther between.

So how do I go about breaking this behavior or redirecting it or whatever? I run my business out of my home and when she is good I have no problem having clients in or making calls, but when she hits that screaming mode (which is becoming more and more frequent) I have to bring business to a halt because nobody can hear or talk over it. With times being so financially rough right now I can't afford to lose any business over this issue or ALL of us will suffer.

Please!!! I would appreciate your input!!!

[KimM]

It sounds like you're on the right track with the "time outs". Just be consistent in your discipline so she understands what you want (or don't want) from her.

Ask yourself questions. Is she getting enough sleep? 10 - 12 hours per night. Is she in a routine in the house? Has anything changed in the house? Is she your only bird? How much quality time is she getting from you each day? Is she molting? Sexual maturity? Ask yourself what could possibly be bringing on these "tantrums"? Sometimes we have to play detective to see what's going on with them.

The only way they have to let us know what is going on sometimes is to scream.

Newt is 1/2 GW and he can rattle the fillings in your teeth sometimes. I've found the time outs work well with him, but I let him know it's inappropriate to scream as well. If he starts, I will walk over to him and say, Now That's not nice (firm but calm voice).. You need to calm down or I'm leaving the room" and I get right in his face when I say this. If he screams again, out I go. When I leave the room, I usually get one last rebellious scream and then he cools his jets. Takes about 10 minutes or so.

[texbird]

Most people get the ignore or leave them or time out when they scream stuff.

But sometimes a POSITIVE enforcement when they STOP screaming works.

Too many times we are busy and when a bird is being peaceful they get ignored. Try to remind yourself to give the bird vocal reinforcement when it is quiet.

Like wait until he is quiet for 60 seconds and turn and give him verbal praise. I know they can go on for a long time without a break. You can try whatever the shortest amount of time he is quiet, even if only 10 secs. As soon as he screams turn away. Repeat many times gradually increasing the time of silence required to get praise. But you must remind yourself to continue the praise on some maximum length of quiet peak time. If you go too long they will start screaming again.

It absolutely nothing else works you can try the sheet over the cage bit as a visual time-out. But be aware that this makes some birds scream even louder cause it scares them to be alone.

Tried cartoons on tv or radio? Lots of toys already i assume? Things they can tear up like phone books and wood?

Stuffed animal - the tough ones they sell for dogs?

I have one bird that actually shuts up for a while if you yell QUIET! at her. But my other birds dont react well to that.

If you get desperate you could try a mirror, although some folks think this makes them bond more to their image than is healthy.

The yelling is sign of insecurity and loneliness. Soem birds gradually ourgroww it as they get more secure in a new home.

good luck, hang in there, they are worth it.

[hollmer]

My Guy does the screaming bit whenever I am on the phone and he can hear me. As soon as I hang up he stops. He knows I am talking to someone, and its not him, but thier is no one else their and he cannot hear the other person. So I think it confuses him a little so he screams at me so I will talk to him instead.

I have found in this situation my first reaction use to be to yell from across the room Zazoo be Quiet, well that was the worse think to do, you don;t even think about it you just do it. Kind of like when your kids are annoying you from another room and you yell at them to stop. Kids get it, but Birds don't always.

Mine decided this was a game and when I yelled it meant he could yell louder. So know what I do is go very close to him and whisper. The only way he can hear what I am saying is to quiet down and as soon as he does I tell what a nice quiet bird he is. I will pick him up or give him a treat all while whispering and it works. He sometimes tries to copy the whisper which is pretty funny.

He also does a lot of screaming in the winter because he wants to go outside and its to cold so he cannot. When this happens I lock him in his cage(which I rarely do because I leave the door opened all the time) and cover him. I go back in 10-15 minutes and uncover him. I ask him if he wants out and if he is ready to be a good boy. He either immediately says, Up,Up and lifts his foot or he screams again and we start over.

Both of these things took time to resolve but now the screaming fits are coming less and less. He is very demanding and does not like to share me with the other pets. So The best thing I can do is remove me from the equation. If he is doing this for my attention and won't stop then I completely remove myself and my husband steps in and does the above steps. Once he stops screaming and calms down I will come back and talk to him. This also works. I understand how frustrating the constant noise can be, For a smaller macaw my Military is very vocal and Can be heard by neighbors three blocks away when he wants to be heard.

The hardest part is figuring out what is triggering the screaming. You need to break it down as someone previously said. Pay attention to what is going on before, during and after the screaming, is it the same time of day. Or just when you are talking to clients.

If yours is like mine and doing it to take your attention away from your guests and give it back to him. You might want to put him in a quiet room Such as a bedroom and close the door before your clients come, than once they leave go and bring him back out to the play area. If you are doing your business in the same area as his cage or playstand he could be protecting his space and trying to chase the strangers away, and he is suceeding if you are forced to do business elsewhere. My Military does not like anyone near his cage other than myself, my husband and my daughter anyone else he tries to chase away.

Approach the situation the same way you would with a small child that cannot tell you what is wrong, and go through a process of elimination. You will find a solution as long as you sit with it. The hardest part of rehoming any animal is undoing any behaviors you disagree with. What was okay or ignored by the last owner might not be okay with you, but your pet does not know the difference. It is up to you to reteach and show him what is acceptable now. Good Luck

[Sashagirl]

Constant screaming from a Macaw right?I dealt with that from Buzz
my first B&G Macaw she was 10 years old and came from a very bad situation.
Not only did she scream but she yelled the profanities that were yelled at her.
At first it was hard to ignore but then that was the only way around it.When she would do good I would reward her good behavior.Sometimes when she would scream I would walk in her room and say quietly say to her quiet.Soon this helped to calm her down.Today she screams once in a while and the profanity is no more.It all took time.And with your baby it will take a little time
it won't last forever.The radio and TV was also a helpful tool they forget about screaming because they get distracted.I hope this helps you.I thought it would never end and then I got more Macaws.Don't worry they all don't scream so it didn't start all over again.

Marcia