The LOUD Grey "Squeak"

[LNCAG]

Only my grey makes this noise (lie: my Amazon learned it FROM my grey but rarely used it, thankfully).  It sort of sounds like a trainer/sneaker squeak on a polished wood floor basketball ball court -- but seems much louder.  I used to assume a previous owner to my grey must have been a basketball fan.

But then I read or saw somewhere when someone else made a comment about their african grey making an awful squeaking sound. 

This squeak seems to be uttered only when my grey isn't happy.

Is this common among greys -- just something they're born knowing?

Annoying!!!  And apparently meant deliberately to be annoying.  I hear it at bedtime, go back in your cage time, something new and different is near my cage time, or you left the room for a minute and abandoned me time. 

While obviously a macaw scream is worse... this loud grey squeak actually annoys me more for some reason.   At least a macaw (well mine anyway) only screamed joyfully to greet the morning sun and the evening sunset. Normal.

Any one else have a grey who does this horrible squeak?  AND, is it only done when your grey is upset over something???  

[neoow]

Alfie has a very loud very piercing squeak which goes straight through you. He is a master of waiting until you are right next to his cage (and he is at ear level) before making it. You can't help but flinch because it hurts your ear drums when he's that close!

We try and ignore the behaviour and will only respond to him when he makes some other (nice) noise. We make sure we respond to the favourable noises and ignore the loud piercing squeak. It has lessened but he still catches us off guard every so often.

No idea where he got it from either.

[SRSeedBurners]

GreycieMae does a similar ear-piercing shrill as I like to call it.  It's bad enough that when she does it on my shoulder it pisses me the hell off and she gets tossed and banned.  My ear rings for a while (on top of the tinnitus I already deal with) and I'm sure it contributes to some hearing loss.   I generally will wear ear plugs anyway because they can all get pretty loud and I like to just let them without it damaging my hearing or driving me up the wall.

[LNCAG]

Piercing shriek and shrill both describe it -- it will hurt your ear if you're too close when he makes this loud squeak!  It's a fairly short but quite loud squeak!

But I can predict exactly when mine will do it; as mentioned --if I leave the room/leave the house, if I put him up, if someone he doesn't like enters the room, if some new object is noticed by him or placed too close to his cage, any change in my routine that affects him, etc.. 

So receiving his favourite dinners and treats would never elicit this shriek, nor being held by me -- this shriek is not a happy sound in my house.   His happy sounds are whistling and talking, sometimes even murmuring softly (and soft beak grinding, obviously, before falling asleep).

I have been viewing this loud squeak as him being upset or also a scared noise, but perhaps it just expresses his anger in general. 

[Timbersmom]

I'm assuming this is the sound I call Timber's "alert" which I hear when someone comes to the door or he is frightened by something. Thankfully, he doesn't do it when I'm in the room, it's like if I'm not in the room he wants to let me know all is not well. That's why we call it his "alert."

[Greytness]

The only call worse than the ear piercing shriek of our greys is the eclectus alarm call. It's ear drum shattering. It's even louder than the call from my Scarlet macaw, which is saying something.

[LNCAG]

@Timbersmom Alert describes it perfectly - since it's definitely an alarm that he's upset by something!  I will try to start calling it an "Alert" also now -- it fits well!

[Ray P]

That loud shrill squeak is some thing all greys come with.

Its their attention getter and call to the world.

I am here, I am a Africa Grey, like it or not.

It`s said that Greys are the quiet ones in the parrot word. HA HA HA .