How To Make Your Bird Quieter

Parrots, if you know anything about them. You know they can be messy, loud and beautiful birds.

The parrots can't help this. It is what they are by nature. The large birds like macaws can be window rattlers.

Almost all birds will vocalize early in the morning, sunup and again at sundown. They will do what their species does sometimes for a half hour give or take a bit. Some sing some screech and some squawk. Some species call out to locate their flock or be sure where their mates are. Birds will vocalize as warnings when predators are present or they have become alarmed about something. It only makes sense that pet birds will do the same things.

Should your bird become alarmed it is likely to get vocal. He may call out the moment you leave his sight. Or he may get loud in the morning to let you know the suns coming up. These behaviors in a pet bird are normal and to be expected. If the bird is a large parrot they also can be very stressing, irritating and annoying to you and your neighbors particularly if excessive in volume and duration.

Excessive duration, volume and frequency or screaming often indicates the pet bird is having a problem or is stressed out over something and is just not happy. There are many things that can upset a bird especially a captive bird. So finding out why a bird is screaming is the first step. Some things to look for are.

1. Illness or injury?

2. Hunger and or thirst?

3. Are his surroundings new? Did you move? Did you move his cage to another room?

4. Inadequate attention. Have you and others been to busy to give him adequate daily attention?

5. A big change in family members either added or lost? Maybe a new puppy, baby? Did a kid leave for college? Did someone pass away?

6. Fear?

7. Not enough rest or sleep? To much light, or traffic by his cage.

8. Jealousy? Are you neglecting your bird in favor of a new arrival or pet?

9. Boredom? Bored birds are not happy birds.

Assuming a stable environment for a period of time. It should be relatively easy to discover the cause of the birds screaming. If you can eliminate the first 8 possibilities then boredom is the likely culprit. Most captive birds get bored rather easily. They eat and perch, ring the bell and wait to interact with their owner for a few hours at least, boring!

In the wild birds spend the vast majority of their time seeking food. Sometimes needing to solve problems to get to that food once found. They have a great deal more to do than just to eat and so should captive birds. Foraging consumes most of their waking life. Infact foraging for food is normal activity and should be introduced to all pet birds. A foraging bird is a happy bird.

Making your bird forage for his food will help keep him occupied when the family cannot. With some ingenuity and the help of a good supply store this isn't difficult to accomplish. A good supply store will have a number of toys designed just to make your bird forage. You may have to do a bit of training in the beginning but most learn quickly because there is food involved.

Helping your pet to stay busy while doing what he would normally do if not for you is a nearly surefire way to stop a birds screaming and keeping all birds quieter. Your bird may know where the food is but he will need to think and work a little to get to it. Just as nature intended too. Beats the heck out of eating, ringing the bell and perching doesn't it?

Ryleigh Cantrell has owned his blue and gold Macaw (Shadow) since 1978. There are two guesses as to the birds name.The two are inseperable. To learn more about blue and gold macaws