Loud Grey

[Jane08]

Just wondering how loud your greys get and what is considered normal and what would be considered as screaming.

 

Our female gets really loud in the mornings when we let her out and in the evenings. Now I know they vocalise normally at these times, but how loud should it be.

 

She actually goes nuts (flies from room to room like a mad woman,making bird sqwarking noises) and then makes this loud sqwark that can go on for maybe 30min, sometimes longer and it drives me insane. We have thought of all the reasons she makes it; Hunger (she is eating and then stops to make the noise), contact call (we are all in the same room with her, so there is no one to call), attention (try to give her attention and she doesn't want it). She is 6 months and it really sounds like a baby noise. Do you think she will grow out of it, or should we be worried that it will turn into something else (dreaded screaming, which I classify it as now but maybe it isn't)

 

Things we have tried to stop her doing it:

- Ignore it

- Try to replace it with another word

- Give her something else to do to occupy her so she won't make the noise

- Give her food. She actually eats her food and seems to make the noise between picking her food out of the bowl

- Offered water

 

Nothing seems to help

[M2MM]

Thoroughly ignoring it is the only way you can eliminate/reduce this kind of screaming. Barbara Heidenreich gives excellent advice on how to combat this in her book "Good Bird!" I'd advise getting a copy.

[Jane08]

Thanks M2MM we already have her book and attended a workshop by her. She really helped my boyfriend with bonding issues with our male grey and teaching him to step up.

 

 

Our grey is half way through the video doing step up training.

[poppyparrot]

hey there, what are you feeding your CAG on that video, because ive been looking for small treats for poppy but cant find any? I live in the UK BTW

[Jane08]

We use sunflowers seeds (we soak them in water overnight so they are quite soft). We just watched to see what he went nuts over and then cut down on it for his normal diet and just used it for training.

[M2MM]

How old is your Grey? It sounds like she's a bit hormonal to me. My TAG is 16 months old and has been acting up for the past several months. We're just chalking it up as hormonal (pre-teen) behaviour and try our best to deal with it one day at a time.

[Jane08]

She is 6 months. I planned a strategy last night for this morning and it went really well.

 

Got them both up and fed them straight away, so all quiet. Then when I saw that they were finished I took them into the shower with me and sat them up the top of the shower. After I had finished I left them in there with the warmth and the door open so that they could fly out if they wanted (they like to sit in the bathroom sometimes for some reason). They sat there and chatted/whistled away and the warmth must have got to them becuase they fell asleep. So cute.

 

When they woke up and came out she started with the noise so we did some training with her to get her mind on something else. That worked as well. By this time it was cage time, so they went back in and all was well.

 

One morning down, a million more mornings to go.

[M2MM]

Sounds like they are training you up the way they want you. LOL Grey slaves need a lot of work, and our Greys are more than willing to put in the time required. :laugh:

 

Glad your luck is holding.