Spit has a few problems, but these ones are causing us HUGE problems at the minute. i dont know how to react to them, so im doing everything wrong and its not getting right...
Control Freak:
I live in a terraced house, and luckily one house next door is empty, but the one on th eother side isnt and im worried the neighbours are going to get annoyed. Im finding at the minute that i cant leave the room without Spit freaking out. he screams and screams so loud i go deaf for 30seconds if i walk past him. he runs back and forth on his cage growling. he wins, because i come back into the room and tell him to shut up and be quiet. i dont know what to do to stop him. can birds get seperation anxiety?
he doesnt like being touched, and wont come near our hands so when hes outside hes started biting and attacking if we go near his toys. hes got a table top perch to sit on, but he tries to chew everything and attacks us when we tell him not to. hes got an obsession with his mirror too - iv read a few posts similar - he will make a gurgle noise to it and display for hours a day. he freaks out though and has started attacking all his other toys. hell sit and headbut and scream at a ball thats hangin from his roof. should i take his mirror away to calm him down or should i just leave him? he attacks us if we touch it aswell.
last one for now lol... hes picked up a habit of screaming when me and my partner sit down to eat. he growls and screams because we ignore him, but i cant handle it. i cover him over with a sheet and he growls and starts attacking his toys.
i seriously dont know what to do. hes a complete control freak. hes driving me round the bend and i dont want him to get any worse because im doing everything wrong.
help us.. please.. lol
control freak... help!
Moderator: Mods
You need to take control back and be the flock leader.
You have encouraged the screaming because you go to him and tell him to shut up. They love that, they are getting your attention and now he has learned to do this and you come and talk to him. You have to ignore this behavior or it will continue.
I would take the mirror out and not let him have it anymore.
There is no parrot out there that is quiet, you should of considered your neighbors before getting a bird.
Donna
You have encouraged the screaming because you go to him and tell him to shut up. They love that, they are getting your attention and now he has learned to do this and you come and talk to him. You have to ignore this behavior or it will continue.
I would take the mirror out and not let him have it anymore.
There is no parrot out there that is quiet, you should of considered your neighbors before getting a bird.
Donna
can birds get seperation anxiety?
Yes they can, they are flock creatures that need their flock that would be you and your partner now.
Move his cage into the room where you spend most of your time. It's also wise that when you sit down for dinner include him and let him eat from the table.
If you have not already clipped his wings I would do that too, it will take some of his independents away.
Donna
I agree with Donna. Spit thinks hes the boss. Take a step back and stay calm. Don't think you can fix this problem overnight, you need to be calm and keep to a plan. Meaning, you need to completely ignore the screaming, growling and lunging, dont even look at him! Giving him any reaction is just telling him hes got your attention and he wins. All parrots can be noisy and sometimes demanding. But you can control it before it gets out of hand.
I don't cover my birds, Ive found this only aggrevates them more. Can you move him away from the dinner table? Sharing your food is a great for bonding, but I think the screaming needs to be dealt with first as he may expect you to share all your food, this could add to the screaming problem? He has to earn his way to your food and attention. Being quiet = treats and attention. When he is quiet.. it might be for all of 2 minutes.. offer a treat and praise him.
Stay calm and have patience, you can stop this behaviour. Sometimes we have to train ourselves to do it.. and if like me.. have to train your partner too! Just don't react, don't give in and don't give up.
I don't cover my birds, Ive found this only aggrevates them more. Can you move him away from the dinner table? Sharing your food is a great for bonding, but I think the screaming needs to be dealt with first as he may expect you to share all your food, this could add to the screaming problem? He has to earn his way to your food and attention. Being quiet = treats and attention. When he is quiet.. it might be for all of 2 minutes.. offer a treat and praise him.
Stay calm and have patience, you can stop this behaviour. Sometimes we have to train ourselves to do it.. and if like me.. have to train your partner too! Just don't react, don't give in and don't give up.
"Jibby aka Gilbert" Indian Ringneck 13 years "Charlie" Rex Rabbit 1 year
Thanks for your replies. We did consider the neighbours before we bought him but he screams until midnight sometimes. we are moving house soon so they can have a break and some other neighbours can have some noise haha.
We have his cage in the living room, so hes around us ALL the time. but hes screaming if we go into the kitchen or upstairs. ill start coming back in and praising him when hes being quiet, and showing that i will come back. i have a few books about behaviour and training and they say to take him from his cage and put him in a carry box in a room he isnt used to, but he gets really stressed out and i hate him being that freaked out.
we got his wings clipped to stop him dive-bombing us when he was out the cage.
ill also try moving him away from where we eat before i serve dinner. he does expect us to share EVERYTHING with him, but we cant share all foods because they arent safe. ill go to the fruit and veg shop and stock up on some more tasties for treats.
ill give this all a go. hes a really quick learner - taught himself in two weeks to step up on a perch and be near us when he was terrified of the perch before - so i think we should see some improvement soon.
right, first things first.. bye bye mirror lol.
thanks again =D
We have his cage in the living room, so hes around us ALL the time. but hes screaming if we go into the kitchen or upstairs. ill start coming back in and praising him when hes being quiet, and showing that i will come back. i have a few books about behaviour and training and they say to take him from his cage and put him in a carry box in a room he isnt used to, but he gets really stressed out and i hate him being that freaked out.
we got his wings clipped to stop him dive-bombing us when he was out the cage.
ill also try moving him away from where we eat before i serve dinner. he does expect us to share EVERYTHING with him, but we cant share all foods because they arent safe. ill go to the fruit and veg shop and stock up on some more tasties for treats.
ill give this all a go. hes a really quick learner - taught himself in two weeks to step up on a perch and be near us when he was terrified of the perch before - so i think we should see some improvement soon.
right, first things first.. bye bye mirror lol.
thanks again =D
If the bird is screaming when you leave the room he is just contact calling to make sure you are still with the flock.
You can make up a more suitable call like a wolf whistle or a yoo hoo just to let him know you are still around. He will pick this up and when you leave the room he can do yooo hooo.
Donna
You can make up a more suitable call like a wolf whistle or a yoo hoo just to let him know you are still around. He will pick this up and when you leave the room he can do yooo hooo.
Donna
hehehee we used to do this whistle, kind of like short sharp whistles but a few together (i spose like youd call a sheep dog) when we were in the kitchen, and every time we left the room or he wanted attention hed start making the same whistle. its the only thing hes learnt from us so far, although hes making this chatter that sounds like a laugh made up of woofs which i think is gunna turn into words soon. im not sure why, but we havent been doing the whistle at all lately.
right!! i took his mirror out earlier on and he went nuts. he attacked me as i was taking it out the door and frantically climbed around the front of his cage. hes displayin to a green ball as i write this, but he hasnt been as bad this afternoon as he has been previously. iv just spoken to my partner, and we are going to do the old whistle that Spit knows whenever we leave the room and he panics. it should calm him down, and it makes us laugh when he does it back, so it should help. ill tell you all how it goes
right!! i took his mirror out earlier on and he went nuts. he attacked me as i was taking it out the door and frantically climbed around the front of his cage. hes displayin to a green ball as i write this, but he hasnt been as bad this afternoon as he has been previously. iv just spoken to my partner, and we are going to do the old whistle that Spit knows whenever we leave the room and he panics. it should calm him down, and it makes us laugh when he does it back, so it should help. ill tell you all how it goes
woop woop, spit is growing his ring
hes started getting some tiny tiny black feathers around his beak and just below on the neck. woooooop. they look blue from a distance cus of the green feathers covering them lol. i just noticed them this morning ^_^
so excited hes in mid moult, so ill post a pic if he gets all scruffy hehe
hes started getting some tiny tiny black feathers around his beak and just below on the neck. woooooop. they look blue from a distance cus of the green feathers covering them lol. i just noticed them this morning ^_^
so excited hes in mid moult, so ill post a pic if he gets all scruffy hehe