how loud are the greys?

[raleej337]

We are planning on buying a grey but I'd like to know how loud are they when they are screaming or vocalizing? I live in a fourplex apartment (townhouse style, 2 storey) and I don't want to bother my three neighbors. In range of 1 to ten, 1 being the softest and 10 being the loudest in what range do they fall?

 

TIA

[ramsabi]

I think it is a question of what they are capable of and how loud they actually are frequently.

 

Rishi is capable of screeching like an express train but normally he doesn't use his top range. In 8 months I probably would have heard it twice or thrice. But believe me those 2-3 times he was LOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUD.

[judygram]

For the most part greys are very quiet especially when compared to a lot of other birds and certainly more so than any too. I have a sun conure that is louder than my grey.

 

They have times that they are more vocal but most of the time you hardly hear much out of them except for banging bells, a grey favorite.

 

If you live in an apartment then a grey will be a better choice over any too.

[she]

Greys are one of the quieter parrots though they are capable of making NOISE.

[SamsDad]

Neither one of my greys were "screamers" although Sam can work himself up when killing his bell and let out short "war cry" as he deals the fatal blow but these are rare.

 

My amazon could break glass and could be heard clearly when standing at the end of my 660 foot long property! He could be a 10 or maybe even a 20, hands down. Infact my grey Nelson learned to yell "FRANKEYYYY!!!" when the amazon would scream.

 

I've had two greys and both could be moderately noisy. They will learn to exactly duplicate the sound of every electronic device in your home. Anything that beeps, squeeks, or rings will be repeated over and over, sometimes early in the morning or late in the evening. Sam does a cell phone noise that he learned in his previous owners house, its pretty loud. It's probably his most annoying sound. Even this varies from day to day. Some days are for making up "whistle-tunes", and other says are all talking, then there's sound effect days. There are times when he won't make the cell phone noise for several days.

 

All that said, neither of my birds make/made constant, loud noises all day long. Most of the time they are quiet, playing with toys, hanging out with me, sleeping, etc. Mornings and early evening are chatter time, and at most, last about 1/2 to 1 hour. The grey's noise can be different than many other birds because the don't have a high pitched, ear splitting screech like a conure can, and they don't have that long distance AAWWWCK-AWWWCK-AWWWCK call like my amazon did. They mostly just make noises that are common in your house. Just make sure one of those noises isn't a dramatic curse word or you neighbors will think you like REALLY like to swear.

 

I guess the best way to put it is; owning one of these birds is much like having an active, chatty kid, that likes to sing and whistle and play video games.

 

For most of the day I'd say my greys were a 1 and during thier noisy time, a 3 or 4.

 

One more thing Tia; I'm sure you've read this site over to get a feel for what these birds are like so forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know. In a word, a grey is like having a little 2 year old toddler in your house that NEVER outgrows the 2 year old stage. They can go from being super cute to being a fit-throwing monster when they don't get thier way. The are EXCELLENT manipulators and will work you just like a child will to get what they want. If they have the run of the house mobility-wise, be prepared to have stuff chewed, broken, shredded and pooped on. Turn your back on the TV remote when your grey is close by and it'll lose it buttons in seconds. These birds are SMART and will constantly try to out-think you. At night when its time for Sam to go to bed in his cage, he will move to the very center of the back of my neck and hang from my shirt collar down between my shoulder blades because he knows I can't reach him there. I have to pull my shirt part way off to get at him. He knows bedtime is coming when my wife comes through the livingroom closing the shades as she heads off to bed and Sam's ready to do the "I'm not going to bed now" battle. He can be exhausted, nearly asleep on my shoulder when this time comes, and just like a little kids perks up and makes it very clear he's "NOT TIRED" when its time to go to bed.

 

On the flip side they can be so cute that its impossible to resist. When Sam wants to cuddle when he's on my shoulder, he'll push his head under my chin or against my cheek and give me those big yellow - "I love you" eyes. If I don't react fast enough he leans over pressing his body against my cheek and makes kissing noises. It works every time. I can't resist.

 

And be ready for the mess and the DUST - the ultra fine, talc-like dust that will cover everything. Then there's the little white downy tumbleweeds that will roll under the furniture and collect in the corners, the food pieces flung against the wall and the floor splashed with bath-time water. And the poop... I hope you don't mind bird poop. I manage that a bit by keeping a few paper towels close by when Sam's on my lap/shoulder for evening play time. He'll start to do the pre-poop wiggle/squat and I'll say "wait", then grab the paper towel. I pick him up off my shoulder hold him over the folded paper towel and tell him to "poop" or "go potty". When he's done back he goes to my shoulder. I also wear my "bird shirt" or sweatshirt before we play so I don't mind if he punches holes in it or sneeks a poop on me when I'm not paying attention.

 

Personally, I find the extra work is a tiny price to pay for what I get in return. If you end up having a good relationship with your future bird it will be unlike anything you've experienced with a pet before.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Tom

[she]

Sams dad said

I guess the best way to put it is; owning one of these birds is much like having an active, chatty kid, that likes to sing and whistle and play video games.

 

well put,thats exactly how it is.

[Luvparrots]

My Ana Grey is a quiet bird, as long as she knows where I am. She never makes a sound until she hears me in the morning and then she calls to me (about a 2) until I acknowledge her. I always tell her I'll be back when I leave the room and she is quiet. She does like to be in the same room as me and will follow me if I am gone too long. I believe it has a lot to do with the household. I live alone so things are quiet and not busy and I have all the time in the world to devote to my companions. If your household is large and boisterous then so will a grey be to "compete" with the other members of the flock. That's just my personal opinion. That being said Ana Grey came to me at 4 months old and I am her only owner. Now my Ekkie is over 10 years old and has been re-homed several times. He is a screamer (at 10+)!

[Jaguar]

Only time Dusty is loud is when one of his flock leave the house, then he can be VERY LOUD other than that hes ok

[kittykittykitty]

Precious is more like a three to four year old, curious, singing songs with words, whisteling tunes, making up her own songs, copying all the sounds she hears, answering the phone and carying on a conversation on it, noisy at times but very rarely loud.

[Acappella]

When will a grey be loudest? In the morning, before bedtime and Any Time You Try To Talk On The Phone:evil: :angry: And when the person on the phone asks you how old the child in the background is, and you tell them it's a parrot, forget whatever you were talking about; you are now talking about the bird:laugh:

[Char]

Everything said in this thread is right on. I would not call Whisper loud but I would call her noisy. Certain sounds she makes if they go on and on can be annoying but she can usually be distracted. For instance the outside bird sounds. I have always loved the "pretty, pretty, pretty" call of the Cardinal but it does not sound so great in your living room over and over again.:laugh:

 

That being said I would not hesitate to have her in an apartment. The bird will not be as loud as the other residents children or barking dogs, television or stereo.

[jessdecutie18]

Yoshi is extremely quiet most of the time... occasionally the squeaks at a 1 or 2 if she is in a playful mood... she yells at about a 4 if we are leaving the house and saying 'bye!'. I know she would be fine in an apartment. She hasn't started talking yet though...

[raleej337]

Thanks people for sharing your thoughts and experiences. This will really help me decide whether to get a grey or stick with my cockatiel. We might see the breeder tomorrow. Well I stil have 4 months before getting the bird.

[SchroedersJen]

Schroeder gets really loud for about 10 minutes after I come home, unless I pick him up right away. If I don't come and get him within 10 minutes, then he comes to get me. That is really the only time he is really noisy and disobediant. The rest of the time he is excellent with the stay and no squeeking commands. I do let him outside for several hours every day and he is a bit louder out there, but I am carefull that they are hours that the neighbors arent sleeping. if noise becomes an issue, you can mount sonex foam on the wall and it will absorb enough of your greys noise to keep the neighbors from going nutty.....somex foam wouldnt really be effective enough for a macaw or too though.

[SamsDad]

Uh oh... I have to modify my answer thanks to a discussion I had about this thread with my wife this morning.

 

After telling her about the thread and what I said she made a couple comments that make me rethink the not so noisy comment. To offer perspective my wife is NOT a bird person - I am. When I explained to her I said Sam wasn't that noisy in the posting she said "Well, you lied" and went on to say that Sam yacked and made noise all day long. She said "If I had to live in an apartment on a warm summer day next to someone who owned a bird like that and we both had our windows open the noise would drive me nuts!"

 

This got me thinking. My answer was based on my tolerance level and my like of bird noise. When my Timneh Nelson died last year I found my house unbearably quiet. I missed all the talking squeeks beeps creaks and birdy whistle tunes.

 

Now, I have to say the neighbor's opinion on the noise may be different. Even though the bird might not be loud, the noise may still be annoying. I live out in the country and I have to say barking dogs drive me crazy. A frequent question I ask myself is: "If a barking dog 20 acres away is driving me nuts, how does its owner put up with it, in their own yard, day after day?"

 

Gulp... maybe I'm that owner, except my barking dog is a noisy bird!

 

Tom

[lovethatgrey]

I would not consider my grey to be loud at all. With that being said, they are all individuals with their own unique temperments.

 

When you meet them as babies you can never be too sure as to how their characters wil develop.

I am certain that what they receive from their environment can influence them greatly too.

[ranaz]

Kookie is a very chattery grey, he talks almost all the time, but it doesnt really disturb be. When I have guests or on the phone I think he becomes really naughty and does it on purpose. He practices all his loud screems out of jealousy.

 

Sams dad, nice contribution to this thread. Like you I think when you are a bird lover, you see things from another perspective.

I wanna Karma you, but not till 5 hours more. I will do it I promise

{Nature-00020095}{Nature-00020095}

[Janfromboone]

Tobie never screams. He just talks alot - especially in the morning and evening. He can get pretty enthusiastic with his whistle sounds. I need to make a video of that sometime. It's pretty remarkable - to me anyway.

[SamsDad]

Ranaz,

 

Thank you for the positive feedback. Too bad the Karma can't go to my wife, she's the one who smacked me up side the head and got me thinking. :blink:

 

I like your comment about Kookie being naughty when you are on the phone. Our kitchen phone is about 8 feet from Sam's cage and lately he's taken to doing a sinister, slow, drawn-out laugh when I'm talking on the phone. Last week I was calling around getting prices on some car parts and he was going it during each call. It isn't too loud and no one has mentioned it, but I can only imagine what these people are thinking when they hang up. When he's do it, I'd turn around and glare at Sam, cover the mouthpiece and quietly say "Sam, knock it off" - the little stinker just laughed at me! Funny thing is, he rarely laughs like this, but does so almost any time I'm on the phone.

 

Oh! I just realized where this laugh comes from! Sometimes my wife will walk by his cage while Sam is busy doing something and has his back turned, she'll touch his tail, and say "Gotcha" then she'll do the evil laugh!

 

And Speaking of Kookie's jealousy of the phone, my last bird Nelson REALLY got jealous when I was talking on the phone. If he was on my shoulder he'd run across my back and attack the phone once I started talking. I think he felt that the only thing on my shoulder I should be talking to was HIM! If I was sitting close by his cage and he was out, he'd climb down, walk over, climb up me and attack the phone while making his "get away!!!" sound which was like a bullet ricochet "PTIEWWW!"

[Janfromboone]

Samsdad, I didn't take the time before to read your long post and just came back to it. You said it all. I think every perspective bird owner should read this - the good and the bad.

[Tycos_mom]

I've had Cockateils and they are way noisier then my Greys I have a baby and an Adult my Older Grey tells my Amazon and my Macaw to be quiet she doesn't like the noise any better than I do she also tells the dogs no barking go lay down. My Greys are very quiet you wouldn't even know they where here most of the time the other bird drowned their little bit of noise out. they talk they don't scream I have never heard mine scream ever.