Vert, the bird that won't shut up

Silent

Regular Member
So sometimes I need time to do stuff with a bird not constantly screeching in my ear leaving them ringing, you know video calls at the like.

This past month or two Vert is just constantly screeching her lungs out and I've tried everything to get her to shut up. Many places and even here told me to leave the room but half the time that's not possible due to where my computer lies. Places have said to cover the cage and that's not working either. Hell I've even tried bribing her to shut up.

So what do I do about my 2-3 year old Indian ringneck that just won't stop screeching, it's getting to the point I can't get anything done due to it.....not to mention I feel like a complete failure that I can't even train it out of her as she will still try to bite the crap out of my fingers when they get close to the cage.
 
Hello! Hope that you are ok!

I know the struggles of a screaming screeching bird, I have a 2 year old african grey and sometimes he screams for the sake of it!

Firstly, don’t feel like a failure as on my experience you can never train screaming fully out.
I will give you my experience and hope you can take something from it 🙂

We bought our boy when he was 5 months old, he was perfect for months and chatted whistled etc then all of a sudden the worst screams in the world started! We would leave the room, scream. Come back in the room, louder scream.
My boyfriend was thankful at the time we had no neighbours but his screams were so loud and high pitched i got headaches.

The forum helped me, I stopped giving him attention when he screamed. Luckily our boy was young and not used to getting attention for screaming. So I started to train myself rather than the bird.

If we left the room to do day to day activities and Bo screamed he would get zero attention, wouldn’t talk shout or anything.. the minute he whistled or was silent we started to talk to him from the other room. If he screamed again we stopped talking and waited for the silence.
If we wanted to return to the room we would wait until he stopped screaming and then went back in, if he screamed we would walk back out and return when he had stopped.

It took a while, and we weren’t perfect. Times we snapped and said ‘Bo stop screaming, we don’t do that’ and funnily enough when Bo screams now he laughs and says ‘Bo we don’t do that’ 😂

If we were sat inside the room and he screamed, despite the horrible sound we didn’t move. Didn’t look at him, didn’t react at all because any little reaction seemed to break our cycle and we would go back to the start.
Bo eventually learnt that screaming doesn’t get him attention and that’s not fun.

That been said, Bo still screams.. this morning I was in the kitchen and he screamed so i didn’t speak to him (as normal) and he said ‘that’s better’ because sometimes he screams and when he stops we will say is that better, did you get it out your system!

In relation to work, I had a period where I had to work from home due to self isolation from work. Bo loved having me home for a longer period than normal so his naughty side came out!
Have you offered foraging toys to entertain birdie when you are on video meetings?

Bo has a selection of foraging toys, he has the wheel, the ball and a strange shaped one ha! He has a coconut filled with shredded paper and a nut or two, he also loves old egg boxes stuffed for him to forage in. With bo they don’t take long to destroy or figure out but it entertains his mind for a while.
When I worked from home if I needed a bit of quiet time for a call etc I would fill one of his foraging toys up and pop it in, he was so entertained he forgot I was in the room!

Make the foraging toys into a game, let her pack the toy with you or see you putting fun exciting things in there and she will be itching to get the goodies out.

Another thing is, although it seems tedious can you include her in your day? So for me if im at home and cleaning I talk with Bo, i say mums going to hoover now or shall we dust this down etc and he chats back to me. Even with work stuff I would say mums just going to have a look on here, and have a bit of pointless chatter with him but that kept him feeling included.. if that makes sense?

Training any bird can be a long slow process, i also have a parrotlet who 2.5 years later has only just started to allow me to train her properly: she loves my boyfriend but it’s taken a long time for her to trust me, which is funny because I have done everything with her from day one!
Don’t beat yourself up, you will get there and don’t feel a failure 🙂
 
Hello! Hope that you are ok!

I know the struggles of a screaming screeching bird, I have a 2 year old african grey and sometimes he screams for the sake of it!

Firstly, don’t feel like a failure as on my experience you can never train screaming fully out.
I will give you my experience and hope you can take something from it 🙂

We bought our boy when he was 5 months old, he was perfect for months and chatted whistled etc then all of a sudden the worst screams in the world started! We would leave the room, scream. Come back in the room, louder scream.
My boyfriend was thankful at the time we had no neighbours but his screams were so loud and high pitched i got headaches.

The forum helped me, I stopped giving him attention when he screamed. Luckily our boy was young and not used to getting attention for screaming. So I started to train myself rather than the bird.

If we left the room to do day to day activities and Bo screamed he would get zero attention, wouldn’t talk shout or anything.. the minute he whistled or was silent we started to talk to him from the other room. If he screamed again we stopped talking and waited for the silence.
If we wanted to return to the room we would wait until he stopped screaming and then went back in, if he screamed we would walk back out and return when he had stopped.

It took a while, and we weren’t perfect. Times we snapped and said ‘Bo stop screaming, we don’t do that’ and funnily enough when Bo screams now he laughs and says ‘Bo we don’t do that’ 😂

If we were sat inside the room and he screamed, despite the horrible sound we didn’t move. Didn’t look at him, didn’t react at all because any little reaction seemed to break our cycle and we would go back to the start.
Bo eventually learnt that screaming doesn’t get him attention and that’s not fun.

That been said, Bo still screams.. this morning I was in the kitchen and he screamed so i didn’t speak to him (as normal) and he said ‘that’s better’ because sometimes he screams and when he stops we will say is that better, did you get it out your system!

In relation to work, I had a period where I had to work from home due to self isolation from work. Bo loved having me home for a longer period than normal so his naughty side came out!
Have you offered foraging toys to entertain birdie when you are on video meetings?

Bo has a selection of foraging toys, he has the wheel, the ball and a strange shaped one ha! He has a coconut filled with shredded paper and a nut or two, he also loves old egg boxes stuffed for him to forage in. With bo they don’t take long to destroy or figure out but it entertains his mind for a while.
When I worked from home if I needed a bit of quiet time for a call etc I would fill one of his foraging toys up and pop it in, he was so entertained he forgot I was in the room!

Make the foraging toys into a game, let her pack the toy with you or see you putting fun exciting things in there and she will be itching to get the goodies out.

Another thing is, although it seems tedious can you include her in your day? So for me if im at home and cleaning I talk with Bo, i say mums going to hoover now or shall we dust this down etc and he chats back to me. Even with work stuff I would say mums just going to have a look on here, and have a bit of pointless chatter with him but that kept him feeling included.. if that makes sense?

Training any bird can be a long slow process, i also have a parrotlet who 2.5 years later has only just started to allow me to train her properly: she loves my boyfriend but it’s taken a long time for her to trust me, which is funny because I have done everything with her from day one!
Don’t beat yourself up, you will get there and don’t feel a failure 🙂

It's a little hard to just 'leave the room' as nearly everything I do is in that same room minus eating and sleeping. Basically whenever I'm doing something Very is by default included unless it's me eating my dinner or what would be incredibally boring sleeping.

She had a forging toy and she destroyed it within minutes and I'm struggling with treats for her anyway as the only nut she likes really is pistachio and everything else is fresh fruit and veg (pumpkin is her complete favourite to the point of you give her a week and she will have half of one) which probally won't fare well in a foraging toy. I know I need to get a new one but I'm not going to pets at home as they do charge extortionate prices for these things.

I've been trying the who leave the room thing for two months now and it's really not working for either of us, as it really inconveniences me as I can't get any work done (desktop not a laptop) and she just get louder...and the main reason for feeling like a failure is that I can't train this bulird to do anything and ice had her for 1-2 years, everyone here seems to be able to train basics in a matter of months x.x
 
That's parrots for you, something people need to think about before obtaining a parrot as a pet. Sounds like the parrot has bonded with you and as soon as you leave the room, she is calling for you. This is normal natural behaviour.

Best way is to ignore (however difficult it may be) the unwanted behaviour and reward any wanted behaviour.

We have 12 parrots of all different species and sizes. I can tell you now, if Jess and I were to answer the phone, watch TV or simply try and have a conversation, our parrots certainly make sure that they are centre of attention.
 
My two do the same thing, my mum laughs when we speak on the phone because the birds are in the background either saying ‘yeah, yeah’ agreeing with the conversation or chattering away to be part of it.. I had to ring BT the other day to renew our contract and the bird was in the background agreeing to all sorts!

In relation to pets 4 homes, i agree the toys are crazy expensive and majority of their toys aren’t the best.
I use Scarlett parrot essentials or northern parrots, much more reasonable price and the toys are fantastic!
 
In relation to pets 4 homes, i agree the toys are crazy expensive and majority of their toys aren’t the best.
I use Scarlett parrot essentials or northern parrots, much more reasonable price and the toys are fantastic!

I need to get another perch from Northern Parrots, Vert loves hers so much its falling to bits and I can't take it out untill I get another haha.

That's parrots for you, something people need to think about before obtaining a parrot as a pet. Sounds like the parrot has bonded with you and as soon as you leave the room, she is calling for you. This is normal natural behaviour.

I did think about it, used to look after a Great Crested Cockatoo you know the very very loud barmy ones but I think Vert is louder.


Best way is to ignore (however difficult it may be) the unwanted behaviour and reward any wanted behaviour.

Seems though its a little difficult to leave the room, unless I want to stop everything I'm doing, would covering the cage work just as well if it gets too much.
 
I did think about it, used to look after a Great Crested Cockatoo you know the very very loud barmy ones but I think Vert is louder.

Cockatoos are one of the loudest parrots that you can get, they can reach noise levels of decibels of 135 which is almost as loud as a jumbo jet taking off.

Seems though its a little difficult to leave the room, unless I want to stop everything I'm doing, would covering the cage work just as well if it gets too much.

Parrots live naturally in the wild in jungles, so are prone to calling out to their bonded mate until they return. I wouldn't advise covering a cage unless it's night time or I wouldn't if it is very hot weather. You might have to consider relocating your parrots cage to another room? Unfortunately, there is no magic wand here to solve this. I've invested in a pair of ear defenders for when my Macaw has a noisy day. Like I say, we have 12 parrots here including a cockatoo, and when one starts, they all start. We just accept that this is parrots for you, but we also have quiet time with them too, but it is always on their terms.
 
Hi, I have 2 IRN and one of them is a screamer, another not really, she usually excessively screams only if she is in the cage and can’t be with us, once out she will happily stay near and play with something, I am trying to reduce Bluey’s screaming but she only been with us for not even 4 months l…does your ringneck talk or mimic any noises? Basically when Bluey screams I ignore her but when she gets quiet I make lots of fuss around her and start to say peekaboo, whistle or make kissing noises ( she can mimic those) and recently she occasionally will choose to mimic sounds rather then going back to screaming, we try to find activities for her which will keep her busy so she does not get to constant screaming stage, she loves recall, target training and recently she learned how to do spin so she is very keen on showing it of because she knows she will get safflower seed in return, we got plenty of toys for her on her time out of cage ( some of the them we make, for example we fill egg container with shredded paper and some treats hidden in it or I buy balsa wood and just give her small pieces, ( just keep in mind balsa wood is very soft so it shreds easily and doesn’t last long) another thing which mine two likes and keeps them occupied are birdie bangles…another thing is veggies on forging stick or occasionally I will hang them whole apple stuffed with seeds ( I remove core and apple seeds before stuffing) oh and lots of their toys after they loose interest in them but could be used I dismantle and create new ones, we realised that if we keep Bluey occupied she screams less it’s just difficult sometimes to find something she will want to engage in… don’t feel like failure training something can take long time and to be honest both of mine don’t like if they are in cages and we would touch cages, in fact when I change their bowls I open cage door let them sit on edge of it then ask them to step up put them on stand give them little treat ( usually piece of favourite veggie)and then I change their bowls… might sound ridiculous but before giving breakfast was negative experience for us and them,both were lunging and growling and trying to bite but now nobody is upset, they happily go out have their piece of pepper or carrot and go back in to continue with breakfast… I don’t think covering will help, in fact my other one who was classified as screamer by previous owner used to scream even when covered… I never covered her and in general for me her screaming was easy to tackle because all she wanted was to be out of the cage and just stay close to watch exactly what’s going on, but then I always say we were very lucky with her because in general she is so sweet
 
Hi, I have 2 IRN and one of them is a screamer, another not really, she usually excessively screams only if she is in the cage and can’t be with us, once out she will happily stay near and play with something, I am trying to reduce Bluey’s screaming but she only been with us for not even 4 months l…does your ringneck talk or mimic any noises? Basically when Bluey screams I ignore her but when she gets quiet I make lots of fuss around her and start to say peekaboo, whistle or make kissing noises ( she can mimic those) and recently she occasionally will choose to mimic sounds rather then going back to screaming, we try to find activities for her which will keep her busy so she does not get to constant screaming stage, she loves recall, target training and recently she learned how to do spin so she is very keen on showing it of because she knows she will get safflower seed in return, we got plenty of toys for her on her time out of cage ( some of the them we make, for example we fill egg container with shredded paper and some treats hidden in it or I buy balsa wood and just give her small pieces, ( just keep in mind balsa wood is very soft so it shreds easily and doesn’t last long) another thing which mine two likes and keeps them occupied are birdie bangles…another thing is veggies on forging stick or occasionally I will hang them whole apple stuffed with seeds ( I remove core and apple seeds before stuffing) oh and lots of their toys after they loose interest in them but could be used I dismantle and create new ones, we realised that if we keep Bluey occupied she screams less it’s just difficult sometimes to find something she will want to engage in… don’t feel like failure training something can take long time and to be honest both of mine don’t like if they are in cages and we would touch cages, in fact when I change their bowls I open cage door let them sit on edge of it then ask them to step up put them on stand give them little treat ( usually piece of favourite veggie)and then I change their bowls… might sound ridiculous but before giving breakfast was negative experience for us and them,both were lunging and growling and trying to bite but now nobody is upset, they happily go out have their piece of pepper or carrot and go back in to continue with breakfast… I don’t think covering will help, in fact my other one who was classified as screamer by previous owner used to scream even when covered… I never covered her and in general for me her screaming was easy to tackle because all she wanted was to be out of the cage and just stay close to watch exactly what’s going on, but then I always say we were very lucky with her because in general she is so sweet


Lets see, right now due to a lack of ability to get her back in the cage at night I kind of need to keep her in the cage most the time, I'm out on Mondays and Wendesdays. As for toys shes on the last 2 of the current batch I bought as she seems to love those balls of straw, she will just have one in her beak and carry it around after breaking it off the toy.

As for other things. She has one of these https://www.northernparrots.com/activity-swing-for-parrots-prod344502/ hell Vert won't let me take it out the cage to change it she seems to love it so much. as for forging I have nothing, the only treats she likes that won't cause a crapton of fruit flies are pistachio's where she does like to crack those shells open. Seriously shes one very unhappy bird without this swing.

As for the covering, right now it's mostly for night time as I'm guessing you have guessed from my previous posts my PC is next to her and I doubt she would sleep well with a PC monitor light on! So I cover the cage at night so that doesn't disterb her at all.


So what other toys would one reccomend from northern parrots, seems they make the swing she loves so much and if we can add pumpkin to the mix all the better with her honestly. We have taken to calling Haloween Vert's little christmas as thats the only time of they year we can get her favorite treat.
 
(I haven't read most of the posts, so sorry if I'm reposting) my birds like to"listen" or softly chatter to certain music. They really like violin, but when an ad came up of Ariel singing, they got SO loud and it seemed to trigger too much emotion?? Also, I would try a very hard foraging toy, diy ones are pretty easy. Just find something safe and stuff treats in it.
 
Hi I was going to say far from Silent ringneck, Having a few ringnecks myself and just thinking of why your bird may be calling so much. I will admit my ringnecks are free to fly around my home and only caged whilst awaiting blood and health results. all ringnecks will call while flying, mine can call often at dusk and dawn but apart from one calling to another when in different rooms they are relatively quiet. If it is calling all the time then it is not happy being in the cage, these are active birds and need to have space to fly. what cage is she housed in as this may be part of the problem , gaining trust with a ringneck I have found is better when they are out the cage,
 
Hello!

Just in relation to your suggestion for foraging toys, i know all birds are different but these are a few of my birds favourites.

He has fixed foraging toys, i got the bundle from northern parrots. I believe it was around £30 but you got three toys which bought desperate would cost a lot more. However Bo prefers the foraging toys he can destroy!

His ultimate favourite is a coconut shell, it has a couple of holes for him to see the treats and the lid moves up and down, i got this one from scarletts and it’s fantastic! If it’s not in his cage somewhere he isn’t happy!

He also loves any destroyable ones like the cardboard cups stuffed with toys and shredded paper.. He loves the ones in a pouch etc, the general rule is if he can destroy and find goodies he is happy!

Bo loves foraging for toys, if he is digging around and finds a foot toy he gets so excited! He plays with it for a bit then looks cheated and dives back in his toy 😂
Egg boxes, i hang them from the cage with shredded paper and he destroys it within minutes but he has fun and if i put some nuts in rather than toys he spends longer.

Food related, i have stuffed peppers with goodies, mini pumpkins if i give him one he will destroy on it’s own but if we take the inside out and put in there more food like chop he enjoys that.
I never leave fruit and veggies in his cage, when he comes away from it i take it out.. but it gives him some form of entertainment and goodness when he destroys the food foraging ones 🙂

Just remember birds destroy things, if i get Bo something super tough it’s not fun to him and he doesn’t play with it but if i get him something destroyable and tough he loves it.. it’s all trial and error with toys, i have a super large swing sitting upstairs which Bo will not sit on because it’s big and scary! However a super large stacking tower to destroy, he is absolutely fine with and often swings off! Ha..
 
I'm starting to get the feeling I'm too bad at this to look after her, its now at the stage where she won't shut up (shes been going off all damn morning and I have a massive headache over it now) I can't change her food or toys, can't take her out the cage or anything without getting screeched at or bitten the hell out of.

Can't take out the last destroyed toy as she will just go for my hand, if I let her out the cage I highly doubt I'll be able to get her back into the cage and then I won't be able to enter the room at all without getting bitten.

Hi I was going to say far from Silent ringneck, Having a few ringnecks myself and just thinking of why your bird may be calling so much. I will admit my ringnecks are free to fly around my home and only caged whilst awaiting blood and health results. all ringnecks will call while flying, mine can call often at dusk and dawn but apart from one calling to another when in different rooms they are relatively quiet. If it is calling all the time then it is not happy being in the cage, these are active birds and need to have space to fly. what cage is she housed in as this may be part of the problem , gaining trust with a ringneck I have found is better when they are out the cage,

Cage is a fairly large one we used for a great crested cockatoo with a bar welded back on as the cockatoo managed to remove a bar (no idea how). BUT if I let her out I highly doubt I'll be able to get her back into the cage at all for a few days, which as you know probally isn't a good idea at all.



Hello!

Just in relation to your suggestion for foraging toys, i know all birds are different but these are a few of my birds favourites.

He has fixed foraging toys, i got the bundle from northern parrots. I believe it was around £30 but you got three toys which bought desperate would cost a lot more. However Bo prefers the foraging toys he can destroy!

His ultimate favourite is a coconut shell, it has a couple of holes for him to see the treats and the lid moves up and down, i got this one from scarletts and it’s fantastic! If it’s not in his cage somewhere he isn’t happy!

He also loves any destroyable ones like the cardboard cups stuffed with toys and shredded paper.. He loves the ones in a pouch etc, the general rule is if he can destroy and find goodies he is happy!

Bo loves foraging for toys, if he is digging around and finds a foot toy he gets so excited! He plays with it for a bit then looks cheated and dives back in his toy 😂
Egg boxes, i hang them from the cage with shredded paper and he destroys it within minutes but he has fun and if i put some nuts in rather than toys he spends longer.

Food related, i have stuffed peppers with goodies, mini pumpkins if i give him one he will destroy on it’s own but if we take the inside out and put in there more food like chop he enjoys that.
I never leave fruit and veggies in his cage, when he comes away from it i take it out.. but it gives him some form of entertainment and goodness when he destroys the food foraging ones 🙂

Just remember birds destroy things, if i get Bo something super tough it’s not fun to him and he doesn’t play with it but if i get him something destroyable and tough he loves it.. it’s all trial and error with toys, i have a super large swing sitting upstairs which Bo will not sit on because it’s big and scary! However a super large stacking tower to destroy, he is absolutely fine with and often swings off! Ha..

I'll have a go but with this new development this morning its a case of I can't even go in to replace anything right now....and I'm questioning if I can even keep her anymore.
 
I know what it is like having a cage made for a green winged macaw bent and broken by my Buster a greater Sulphur crested. Having ringnecks I can understand how some females are harder to train than the males, gaining trust with a mature female ringneck dose need a lot more patients and understanding, what do you know of her past and how she was with previous owners? Do not put yourself down, every bird is different, I know whist mine was in isolation the bird would call out a lot and even now first sign of light they are one of the first birds that like to be heard, they are very much characters in my home and my favourite of all the species I have but my set up is unlike most peoples as nearly all my birds fly free around my home. I think over the years I have got used to the noises they make but i have not had one that calls so constantly
 
I know what it is like having a cage made for a green winged macaw bent and broken by my Buster a greater Sulphur crested. Having ringnecks I can understand how some females are harder to train than the males, gaining trust with a mature female ringneck dose need a lot more patients and understanding, what do you know of her past and how she was with previous owners? Do not put yourself down, every bird is different, I know whist mine was in isolation the bird would call out a lot and even now first sign of light they are one of the first birds that like to be heard, they are very much characters in my home and my favourite of all the species I have but my set up is unlike most peoples as nearly all my birds fly free around my home. I think over the years I have got used to the noises they make but i have not had one that calls so constantly


Let's see, she has a seeming inherent hate of males especially if they have a beard and are older. When we got her, and unknown to us as she refused to spread her wings in the shop, her wings were clipped so only the ones that you can see when their wings arn't stretched where not clipped (Think you call then show feathers).

Before me she was fed on Wilko seed (the one with a blue Indian ringneck on the front) and we were told she was around 3 months old (back in 2020 march just before the lockdowns). Looking at the place she was also kept with 3 other ringnecks in the same cage, 2 a lighter green than her 1 blue one. Along with other breeds of birds like cockateils and a macaw on the other side.

We were not told about any health issues so assumed she didn't have any, doesn't mean she doesn't have one.


What other info would you need?
 
I take it the feathers have grown back now and she can fly clipping wings can have a great influence on a bird no wonder she is hating contact
 
that has not helped her, poor thing her experience with humans has not been good, All you can do is is try to give positive actions I will tag @Roz for her thoughts and advice, hopefully if we can get her to slightly trust you it may cure a lot of the calling
 
that has not helped her, poor thing her experience with humans has not been good, All you can do is is try to give positive actions I will tag @Roz for her thoughts and advice, hopefully if we can get her to slightly trust you it may cure a lot of the calling

She does sometimes do this thing where she will tip her head back slightly and do light coos...urmm no idea what to call it and I have no idea what that behaviour is, been doing that for a month.

I've been doing my best with my knowlage, she is a much bigger task than anything else I've taken care of from cockateils and Showoff the Cockatoo.
 
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