squealing

[jjcool]

just a quick question my sparky has recently started to squeal for attention, i calmly say no. but its not making any diffrence, i have even covered his cage with his blanket for ten mins everytime he squeals but uts not working.

 

any ideas how i may get him to stop squealing as he has only started to do it recently.

[lovemyGreys]

jjcool you are doing the correct thing, i would say no in a very firm voice & perhaps return him to his cage for a few minutes at a time i personally wouldnt cover him ,if you cover him at night he will be getting a mixed message.Repetion is the key & patience he will in time relize squealing gets him no where stick at it

[danmcq]

Hi jjcool,

 

It's good to hear from you again :-)

 

It sounds like the opposite issue from when you first introduced yourself in September. You were concern because he was very quiet and didn't interact.

 

Lovemygreys has given great advice. Although I am not certain you will be 100 percent successful in stopping the natural way they call to one another when they want company :-)

 

Although I am not certain how loud or frequent the calls are. Our Grey does the same thing when he wants attention and we just smile to ourselves knowing he wants some attention and to be with us.

 

Normally he will stop after a few minutes if we just keep doing what we are and pay no attention to him until were ready to.

 

Good luck in your endeavors!!

[judygram]

The previous two posters have given you some excellent advice, just ignore him when he squeals for if you provide any kind of acknowledgment he will take that as some form of attention and continue to do so. You don't want to reward bad behavior, just good behavior. This may take some time so be patient and I hope the situation improves, but keep us informed as to how it works out.

[chapala]

I agree with Judygram. Any reaction, even negative reaction, is providing reinforcement for the behavior. So, I would suggest not saying anything (even "no"), and walking out of the room (if you can), or at least turning your back on the bird and ignoring him while he's noisy. As soon as he's quiet or making appropriate vocalizations, immediately go to him and tell him what a good bird he is with lots of enthusiasm. Maybe even picking him up and spending a couple of minutes with him. Lots of positive rewards for the behavior you want, and ignoring the behavior you don't want.

 

If you don't have a contact call developed with your bird, try to find one to answer him or to call to him from another room, a quiet one! (I use a certain whistle with Kali, and he whistles that to me when he's wondering where I am - I answer him with the special whistle.)

 

Kali especially when he was younger would get too loud sometimes. I would say to him quietly, "too loud", and leave. That worked and he understands now what that means. If I say too loud in a soft voice, he knows and usually will quiet down - I don't need to leave anymore.

 

Good luck!

[Tari]

I had this conure once that would start yelling the second I got on the phone. So I would get on the phone (just me no one on the other end lol) and walk up to his cage when she started yelling I would turn my back. I would do this several times a day and after a few days it would stop.

Covering is not going to do the trick that is just a temp fix and saying no is just drama and birds love drama.

You have gotten some great advice let us know how it goes.

[Kibibi]

That's very good advice from chapala. Even saying "no" is considered attention for a bird looking for attention. Greys are very smart so if they find something that works (squealing) to get attention then they will stick to it so it may take a long time to unlearn the behavior. But if you stick to chapala's advice, you'll eventually be successful. It might get worse before it gets better (Extinction Burst Definition http://http://www.infosuperflyway.com/glossary.php#extinctionbursts) and you must be very patient because it could take a long time but eventually it will work.

[Laurie]

Yes, I would definitely say give no reaction at all, except to turn your back if convenient.

Klaus doesn't really squeal, but he squeaks from time to time, and I laugh and say, "Who put a squeaky toy in my bird cage?"

Fortunately, this is not enough encouragement to make him get annoying with it...

[siobha9]

Tari,

I love your idea for the phone (karma for you!). Liath kicks up a storm whenever I am on the phone. Luckily it is a cordless so I can leave the room, but she just gets louder. I will try that one tomorrow!

 

You can imagine the comments I get when I explain that it isnt the kids making the noise, its the birds!

 

Siobhan