Keeping Pet Birds 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 macaws are able to rattle your windows.

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.

An alarmed bird can become exceptionally vocal. The moment you leave his sight he may call out. Or your bird may get loud in the morning to let you know the suns coming up. These are normal behaviours and should 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. Captive birds can be easily upset. The first step is to determine why your bird is screaming. Some things to look for are.

1. Illness or injury?

2. Hunger and or thirst?

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

4. Inadequate attention. Has the household been to busy to give the bird 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? Have you neglected the bird due to the arrival of another pet?

9. Boredom? Unhappy birds most often are bored birds.

Assuming their environment has been stable a period of time. Discovering the cause of your birds screaming should be easy enough. If you can eliminate the first 8 possibilities then boredom is the likely culprit. Birds in captivity can 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. Very often they must learn to solve a problem just to get to their food. Wild birds have a great deal more to accomplish than just eating so should your pet bird. Most of a birds waking life is consumed by foraging for food. Infact foraging for food is normal activity and should be introduced to all pet birds. A happy bird is a foraging bird.

Making your bird forage for his food will help keep him occupied when the family cannot. With the help of a good supply store and the use of your own ingenuity this isn't difficult to accomplish. You should be able to find a number of foraging toys at your supply store. Most birds learn to use foraging toys 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. Better for your parrot than just ringing the bell, eating and sitting on his perch?