Crazy Loud Parrotlet - Help I’m Losing All My Patience :(

[eric1988]

Hi All,
I’m new here. I hoped somebody would be able to help... I’m totally losing my patience with my parrotlet Eric, To the point that I was considering finding him new home
He screams and screech all day long, nothing seems to work. Weekends at home are nightmare because when I’m not in work he screams terribly all the time.
I live with my partner in the flat, Eric is with us in the living room, in the corner where there is no wind gusts, he still see everyone and is not abandoned. Recently I bought him large cage comparing to what he had (see attached photo), but that didn’t solve his behavioural problem.
I read everything now, I started giving him cooked food and veg as much as I can but he doesn’t even touch it. He gets angry and rip it apart or only eats it when I hold it and literally beg him to try. He’s got plenty of chew toys, I made him foraging toys to keep him occupied, he’s got one bell that he can ring (no mirrors cause they make him crazy), he has plenty of treats given to him - millet, sunflower seed, pellet balls. Nothing seems to make him happy!
Me and my partner work 7am-4pm, so I know it’s bad that we leave him alone for so long but when we’re back home I always talk to him, give him treats, try to interact with him by feeding him from my hand. He won’t let us touch him, he absolutely hates hand and bites when you approach him with your finger or hand... somethimes the way he is makes me think that he absolutely hates us
I let him out every second day, usually in the afternoon after work, but all he does is just going SUPER loud, scream and shout, angrily bites the curtains (he made a hole in it already), or just gets so agitated that I can’t stop him... All I can do then is to clap my hands which gets him out of this weird mental state and he then starts again... I think he is crazy and I really consider giving him away which will break my heart but he seems so unhappy even though I tried my best!
People say parrotlets ate quiet sweet little birds which physically CANNOT scream... that’s not true, see the video I attached, he gets mental!
He also constantly have pin feathers, all the time, and because we can’t touch him he gets frustrated and irritated with those pins, but I don’t know what to do to prevent them coming up all the time... I spray him with warm mineral water to relieve the itch, we have humidifier in the room so the air is not too dry. We also bought the UV light for parrots so he gets him vit D which suppose to help with feather problems...
As a last resort to give him company we thought of getting another male parrotlet for a company so he can talk to someone and feel other bird in the room with him, but I worry that he won’t accept another parrotlet and will shout and be aggressive because he is VERY territorial!
Please help me, I really love this little bird but If we don’t solve this problem my partner me and my partner won’t stand it anymore. He already gave up in Eric and just gets annoyed with his screaming I act like a mother and try to stand for this little bird and then we argue. We took this responsibility so I want to make this work.
What mistakes I make??

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[DizzyBlue]

Hi and welcome to the forum
He's talking to you and joining in with his flock. Try moving his cage nearer to were you like to sit together. If you leave the room and he calls whistle back. Birds are flock animals and like to stay in touch with their flock to ensure nobody gets lost.
I will tag Roz she's brilliant at training @Roz
Above all don't despair we've all had those moments that would send any normal human running to the hills! But once we understand why our birds do it it makes life easier as we can understand their reasons behind it and compensate.

 

[DizzyBlue]

OOooo by the way does Eric get out of his cage much to burn off some of that energy?
Bob on here has a conure called Ruby and she can rattle your eardrums like no other birdie when she's in her cage but once she's out and getting attention she's heap loads quieter and happily joining in and riding around on Bob's shoulder.

 

[DizzyBlue]

Just remember you are not alone
Have a ready of this thread somebody else who recently had the same issues. https://theparrotclub.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/can-somebody-help-screaming.33580/

Edited to add: By the way that light you have should shine from above downwards over the cage pop it on to the table alongside you little one. And you sit with your backs to the little one too so that won't go down well with him either he will feel like he's outside of the flock rather than included in it. Err flock … yup your a flock you your partner and your little feather bundle

 

[dianaT]

Good advice given. May I add putting his cage so he can see out of the window - they like to see what is going on. Also when you are out leave a radio /TV on for him and a small side light too.

 

[eric1988]

Hi DizzyBlue, thanks for taking time to reply.
His cage is literally right next to the sofa where we spend time, he is close and I sometimes (like today) bring him closer in the middle of the room so he sees what I do.
He is quiet right now for about 30mins after I sprayed him with water, cuddle his bird toy on the perch, but as soon as he’s dry he will start shout again and attack this bird toy again...
I always whistle him back when I leave the room, call him and talk back, but then he only gets louder and LOUDER.
He gets very angry sometimes when I touch his food bowl or his toys, he puffs and gets crazy, and anoher day he will be so cute and come to me curious what I’m doing... I don’t know how to read him, so confusing

 

[eric1988]

Good advice given. May I add putting his cage so he can see out of the window - they like to see what is going on. Also when you are out leave a radio /TV on for him and a small side light too.

Thanks for reply
I could move it to the middle of the room so he sees things better, but isn’t it confusing for him to be moved everyday? I read somewhere that cage should be touching the wall, corner even better, because they feel safer apparently The problem is that one day he will be nice and enjoy his window view and other day he would just go mental for no reason in exactly the same location!
We were leaving radio in for him but he was going crazy as soon as we would turn it on, which made us think he hates it... He doesn’t seem to be interested with TV

 

[eric1988]

Just remember you are not alone
Have a ready of this thread somebody else who recently had the same issues. https://theparrotclub.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/can-somebody-help-screaming.33580/

Edited to add: By the way that light you have should shine from above downwards over the cage pop it on to the table alongside you little one. And you sit with your backs to the little one too so that won't go down well with him either he will feel like he's outside of the flock rather than included in it. Err flock … yup your a flock you your partner and your little feather bundle

Thanks!
I wasn’t sure about the light, thanks for advise, so many info online and no one answer!
Yeah true he is behind the sofa, very close to us though, but I always sit side to him so he doesn’t feel excluded... we have quite small living room and not many ways to rearrange lol.
Also I read that when parrot shouts and you talk back it’s not good because you reinforce the shouting behavious... so when do I know it’s a contact call or when he just shouts angry and pissed off...
Why di they say Parrotlets are quiet parrots great for apartments? I don’t even want to look at my neighbors, they probably hate us lol

 

[Michael Reynolds]

I love the sounds of you Eric trying to call for a partner, yes it can sound quite sharp to many and one of the reasons why they are better to buy a pair. My advice from the other post that you have been referred to for a Eric is quite different. Putting him by a window will make him sing more as he will try to call for a mate. unfortunately there voice is designed to travel long distance and in this case I do not think your bird has bonded with either you or your partner. you now have two cages and I will have to advice getting a female to place next to him. you will find his attitude will change. well hello and welcome, thank you for recording his song as this has helped me understand why he is calling so much

 

[eric1988]

OOooo by the way does Eric get out of his cage much to burn off some of that energy?
Bob on here has a conure called Ruby and she can rattle your eardrums like no other birdie when she's in her cage but once she's out and getting attention she's heap loads quieter and happily joining in and riding around on Bob's shoulder.

Yeah, other than his big cage where he can easily fly he is let out on average every two days but always goes to curtain pole, sits there and screams or look at himself in reflection, he doesn’t seem to play or enjoy flying :/

 

[eric1988]

I love the sounds of you Eric trying to call for a partner, yes it can sound quite sharp to many and one of the reasons why they are better to buy a pair. My advice from the other post that you have been referred to for a Eric is quite different. Putting him by a window will make him sing more as he will try to call for a mate. unfortunately there voice is designed to travel long distance and in this case I do not think your bird has bonded with either you or your partner. you now have two cages and I will have to advice getting a female to place next to him. you will find his attitude will change. well hello and welcome, thank you for recording his song as this has helped me understand why he is calling so much

Thank you Michael!
I didn’t really plan to keep the old cage, or keep bird in it... and I thought to get male so they can be friends but no babies... but it doesn’t seem so straightforward it’s not recommended to keep them in the same cage? Not straightaway of course, but after some time? We made this massive mistake and took one, he had brother and sister and we split them But we thought by spending time with and caring for him he will bond with us, it’s harder than it seems...
He has this little plastic bird toy on his perch which he seems to protect and goes crazy when we take it away or touch.
He is now 1.5 years old and I’m just worried he will never bond with us. I tried target training and he will bite the stick, follow it to get the treat but don’t do anything when he’s outside his cage, outside the cage he seems to not react to anything we I teach him.

 

[Roz]

to you and Eric! Living with screaming is very hard for us humans! I know it drives me mad too.

So Eric is now in the bigger cage? That's great you got him a bigger cage - parrotlets are very active birds, so it is a much better size for him. I am guessing you have put all his toys inside now? With the lamp, if you position it just over half of the cage, it gives him a choice to escape the light and the heat it gives off if he wants to. There have been a few cases of birds getting burned or getting tumors or cataracts because they haven't been able to get away from the lamp.

Would it be possible to take a closer video of him so we can more easily see his body language?

Could we also have a little info about his background? Do you know how old he is? Where did he come from? Is he from an aviary or hand reared? Was he sold to you as tame? How long have you had him for? When did the screaming start?

What does he eat? Does he eat raw fruit and vegetables? Seed or pellets?

Many birds don't like humans touching their food or toys. If he doesn't play it might be that he doesn't like the toys in his cage right now.... except for the one he snuggles with. I suggest you make or buy some small destructible toys. Many toys sold are not destructible and therefore not a lot of fun for the smaller birds. You can string together balsa wood which is a very soft wood, beads and tiny bitty bagels. I get my balsa wood from here:

https://www.naturalbirdco.co.uk/our...Colourful-Soft-wood-for-Small-birds-27pk.html

They also sell the bitty bagels:

https://www.naturalbirdco.co.uk/ourshop/prod_2233859-Bitty-Bagels-12pk.html

Unfortunately this company's toys are so popular they are not taking any more pre Christmas orders for toys, but if you contact them, they may be able to send you out some toy parts like the ones above. I thread the balsa onto a strand of this paper rope (I unravel the three strands so that you get one thin strand) and tie them onto a leather strip with the bitty bagels and maybe some folded paper etc.

https://www.naturalbirdco.co.uk/our...Grade-Paper-Rope-3ply-3-strand-Per-Meter.html

 

[Roz]

Is there a reason why he only comes out every 2nd day? More outside cage time would as Dizzy said help him burn some energy. Flying and exercise releases feel good endorphins.

Birds do tend to fly to the highest point in the room. Being high up gives the bird a better vantage to spot any predators etc. so it is completely natural that he flies to the curtain pole or top of a picture. The other reason why he might go up there is because he has nowhere else to hang out away from the cage. If you haven't got room for a parrot stand/play gym, there is an option to hang something like a big spring Boing or a rope sphere or hanging gym from the ceiling near his cage. I have quite a few in the sitting room and elsewhere in the house. Because his new cage has a lovely flat top, you can put toys on top to see if they will encourage him to hang out on the top of his cage too.

So he will take treats from your fingers? What treats does he particularly like?

 

[Michael Reynolds]

you are correct separate cages at first and do not supply a box for them to want to start laying. If Eric had bonded with either you or your husband then it would of been more down to training but he dose need a partner to stop his loud calls. I find them quiet compared to other members of my flock that have driven some guests out of my home apart from the parolett I have conure's, too's amazons,grey's and macaws that are a lot more noise makers,

 

[eric1988]

to you and Eric! Living with screaming is very hard for us humans! I know it drives me mad too.

So Eric is now in the bigger cage? That's great you got him a bigger cage - parrotlets are very active birds, so it is a much better size for him. I am guessing you have put all his toys inside now? With the lamp, if you position it just over half of the cage, it gives him a choice to escape the light and the heat it gives off if he wants to. There have been a few cases of birds getting burned or getting tumors or cataracts because they haven't been able to get away from the lamp.

Would it be possible to take a closer video of him so we can more easily see his body language?

Could we also have a little info about his background? Do you know how old he is? Where did he come from? Is he from an aviary or hand reared? Was he sold to you as tame? How long have you had him for? When did the screaming start?

What does he eat? Does he eat raw fruit and vegetables? Seed or pellets?

Many birds don't like humans touching their food or toys. If he doesn't play it might be that he doesn't like the toys in his cage right now.... except for the one he snuggles with. I suggest you make or buy some small destructible toys. Many toys sold are not destructible and therefore not a lot of fun for the smaller birds. You can string together balsa wood which is a very soft wood, beads and tiny bitty bagels. I get my balsa wood from here:

https://www.naturalbirdco.co.uk/our...Colourful-Soft-wood-for-Small-birds-27pk.html

They also sell the bitty bagels:

https://www.naturalbirdco.co.uk/ourshop/prod_2233859-Bitty-Bagels-12pk.html

Unfortunately this company's toys are so popular they are not taking any more pre Christmas orders for toys, but if you contact them, they may be able to send you out some toy parts like the ones above. I thread the balsa onto a strand of this paper rope (I unravel the three strands so that you get one thin strand) and tie them onto a leather strip with the bitty bagels and maybe some folded paper etc.

https://www.naturalbirdco.co.uk/our...Grade-Paper-Rope-3ply-3-strand-Per-Meter.html

Hey! Thanks for your time replying

His cage is much nicer now, yeah, he seems to enjoy the space but doesn’t play much, mostly sit with his bird friend and screams every few minutes, especially when we’re at home but busy with something and not him...
His cage is half covered with thick fabric we cover him at night, so he has space to get away from the light if he wants, yeah.

His body language is usually like this when he ‘plays’:

Or this when you think he just quietly sits on his perch and then he just starts his tantrum...:

It’s basically constant effort to keep him quiet
I feed him mix of Tropmix seeds with pellets in it, I don’t think he eat much of the pellets though... I also add Harrisons fine pellets for small birds, he doesn’t seem to enjoy them much, I throw away a lot every day cause I think he just picks seeds. I also give him chia, flaxseed, sesame seeds, hemp seeds and mix them all up so he has variety. When I have time mistly weekends I cook him brown rice, brown pasta, millet groats, buckwheat (depends what I have) and add broccoli which he seems to like but never eat much, fresh kale, spinach, shredded carrot (never touches it), fine cut peppers (never seems to touch either), courgette, I tried tomato and cucumber, chickpeas (he used to love it but now doesn’t touch it), just anything I really can think of. I try to gve him some greens to chew on daily, he only seem to enjoy spinach.

So we got him last October as 12 weeks (apparently) little chick, so he is almost 1.5 now. He wasn’t hand tamed and the lady who breeded them wasn’t professional, I think she just happened to have small chicks and sold them. He seemed stressed when she grabbed him to give him to us so clearly not comfortable with hands. When we brought him home he was quiet for the first month or two I think, the the nightmare started when he molted very intensely, and since then he never really calmed down, he has his moments of being cute but in the bigger scale it’s been hell
That’s his toys, maybe I’m making some mistake and buy wrong stuff, i made him totally shreddable kebob from kitchen towels and millet inside - as soon as he got into it and found millet he stopped bother.
I’ll look at stuff you suggest, maybe his toys are just wrong and boring even though I spend lot of money it’s not what he needs...

 

[eric1988]

Is there a reason why he only comes out every 2nd day? More outside cage time would as Dizzy said help him burn some energy. Flying and exercise releases feel good endorphins.

Birds do tend to fly to the highest point in the room. Being high up gives the bird a better vantage to spot any predators etc. so it is completely natural that he flies to the curtain pole or top of a picture. The other reason why he might go up there is because he has nowhere else to hang out away from the cage. If you haven't got room for a parrot stand/play gym, there is an option to hang something like a big spring Boing or a rope sphere or hanging gym from the ceiling near his cage. I have quite a few in the sitting room and elsewhere in the house. Because his new cage has a lovely flat top, you can put toys on top to see if they will encourage him to hang out on the top of his cage too.

So he will take treats from your fingers? What treats does he particularly like?

Thanks Roz
We have these for him hanging off the light, he goes on it but doesn’t play at all, just stand there and shouts. Plus he never went anywhere else in the flat, he’s to frightened. At the beginning we had him out all the time, his cage was open but he became very territorial of the room when we were coming back home from work, he seemed to be treating us like predators, he was totally mental on top of the light shouting and giving tantrum. So now we let him out every 2nd day so he doesn’t ‘possess’ the room which made small improvement. He isn’t even that active when out, mostly sits in one place...
I will indeed think of small parrot gym to put on top of his cage
He will take any treats from my hand when he isn’t upset with me... or in agitated mood. Mostly sunflower seeds.

 

[eric1988]

to you and Eric! Living with screaming is very hard for us humans! I know it drives me mad too.

So Eric is now in the bigger cage? That's great you got him a bigger cage - parrotlets are very active birds, so it is a much better size for him. I am guessing you have put all his toys inside now? With the lamp, if you position it just over half of the cage, it gives him a choice to escape the light and the heat it gives off if he wants to. There have been a few cases of birds getting burned or getting tumors or cataracts because they haven't been able to get away from the lamp.

Would it be possible to take a closer video of him so we can more easily see his body language?

Could we also have a little info about his background? Do you know how old he is? Where did he come from? Is he from an aviary or hand reared? Was he sold to you as tame? How long have you had him for? When did the screaming start?

What does he eat? Does he eat raw fruit and vegetables? Seed or pellets?

Many birds don't like humans touching their food or toys. If he doesn't play it might be that he doesn't like the toys in his cage right now.... except for the one he snuggles with. I suggest you make or buy some small destructible toys. Many toys sold are not destructible and therefore not a lot of fun for the smaller birds. You can string together balsa wood which is a very soft wood, beads and tiny bitty bagels. I get my balsa wood from here:

https://www.naturalbirdco.co.uk/our...Colourful-Soft-wood-for-Small-birds-27pk.html

They also sell the bitty bagels:

https://www.naturalbirdco.co.uk/ourshop/prod_2233859-Bitty-Bagels-12pk.html

Unfortunately this company's toys are so popular they are not taking any more pre Christmas orders for toys, but if you contact them, they may be able to send you out some toy parts like the ones above. I thread the balsa onto a strand of this paper rope (I unravel the three strands so that you get one thin strand) and tie them onto a leather strip with the bitty bagels and maybe some folded paper etc.

https://www.naturalbirdco.co.uk/our...Grade-Paper-Rope-3ply-3-strand-Per-Meter.html

Hi again Roz, could you show any examplesnof toys you made using those parts? I don’t think I’m good in this, made toy for him from ropes and beads and he totally ignored it

 

[Roz]

Wow - look at all those lovely toys you have for him!!! Love the hanging ones you have strung up for him outside his cage. Just thinking - is it possible to move his cage closer to the hanging ones so maybe it is easier for him to check them out from the top of his cage? If they are far away, and he's not sure of them, he's unlikely to fly to them. Then when he is used to them, you could move his cage further away so he has to fly to them.

It's also great that you have been making such a brilliant effort with his diet. Maybe mix some colourful fruits in too... like mango and papaya? Would he like sweet potato? Mine love raw and cooked sweet potato. Keep on with the raw fruit and veggies... even switch up how you present... grated or in batons etc. If he likes seed, have you tried soaking or sprouting for him? You can see how to do it in this thread:

https://theparrotclub.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/how-to-sprout-step-by-step-guide.30053/

I think I would completely remove the thick fabric you cover half his cage with during the day. Just move the light so it only shines on a section of his cage. My thoughts are that the fabric is making the cage very cosy.... nesty! That plus how he is spending so much time with his little bird friend is making me think of elevated hormones (in the first video I wouldn't have been surprised if he had started regurgitating to that toy).... which may be part of the reason for the noise. Try removing the fabric during the day, but by all means cover him during the night.

The toys you have made him sound and look great!! Remember that they do get bored. So it is a good idea to have a box of toys so that you can swap in"new" ones each week or every few days. It keeps the cage interesting.

So he used to be out all day, even when you were out? It does sound like he wants to be included in things:

... and screams every few minutes, especially when we’re at home but busy with something and not him...

He doesn't look aggressive in the second video. If that were one of my birds I might think that he wants out of the cage... but you know him better than I do.

To start training him, just get him used to taking the sunflower seed from your fingers and pair it with praise such as "Good boy!" or just, "Good!" (the Good will become a "bridge" which will mean to him "YES you did right, food is coming!"). When he's relaxed with this, then you could try teaching him to target by introducing something like a chopstick. I think you have said you have already tried to teach him to target which is sometimes successful?

My thoughts here are that formal training (like target training to begin with) is going to open up a whole new way of communication between you. And you and he can have fun together, even if it is hands off fun to start with. Plus if you are training, that is time that he is not screaming.

I'll have a look for some photos of toys I have made. Even with your rope and bead toy, you could tie some balsa pieces to it.

 

[eric1988]

Wow - look at all those lovely toys you have for him!!! Love the hanging ones you have strung up for him outside his cage. Just thinking - is it possible to move his cage closer to the hanging ones so maybe it is easier for him to check them out from the top of his cage? If they are far away, and he's not sure of them, he's unlikely to fly to them. Then when he is used to them, you could move his cage further away so he has to fly to them.

It's also great that you have been making such a brilliant effort with his diet. Maybe mix some colourful fruits in too... like mango and papaya? Would he like sweet potato? Mine love raw and cooked sweet potato. Keep on with the raw fruit and veggies... even switch up how you present... grated or in batons etc. If he likes seed, have you tried soaking or sprouting for him? You can see how to do it in this thread:

https://theparrotclub.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/how-to-sprout-step-by-step-guide.30053/

I think I would completely remove the thick fabric you cover half his cage with during the day. Just move the light so it only shines on a section of his cage. My thoughts are that the fabric is making the cage very cosy.... nesty! That plus how he is spending so much time with his little bird friend is making me think of elevated hormones (in the first video I wouldn't have been surprised if he had started regurgitating to that toy).... which may be part of the reason for the noise. Try removing the fabric during the day, but by all means cover him during the night.

The toys you have made him sound and look great!! Remember that they do get bored. So it is a good idea to have a box of toys so that you can swap in"new" ones each week or every few days. It keeps the cage interesting.

So he used to be out all day, even when you were out? It does sound like he wants to be included in things:



He doesn't look aggressive in the second video. If that were one of my birds I might think that he wants out of the cage... but you know him better than I do.

To start training him, just get him used to taking the sunflower seed from your fingers and pair it with praise such as "Good boy!" or just, "Good!" (the Good will become a "bridge" which will mean to him "YES you did right, food is coming!"). When he's relaxed with this, then you could try teaching him to target by introducing something like a chopstick. I think you have said you have already tried to teach him to target which is sometimes successful?

My thoughts here are that formal training (like target training to begin with) is going to open up a whole new way of communication between you. And you and he can have fun together, even if it is hands off fun to start with. Plus if you are training, that is time that he is not screaming.

I'll have a look for some photos of toys I have made. Even with your rope and bead toy, you could tie some balsa pieces to it.

Thanks so much for all advices
I literally feel like I tried everything with him but I make some mistake somewhere and I can’t see where. Most likely it’s the amount of time I spend with him (my partner gave up on him unfortunately and Eric doesn’t see him as friend). But after being at work the whole day, and coming back when it’s dark outside already and he is almost ready to sleep, which doesn’t help, I’m tired too and don’t have too much energy to spend the whole afternoon keeping him quiet and occupied... He seems to be the worst and the loudest morning and midday, then around 4-5pm he calms down and sits with his birdie friend...and then I feel like I don’t want to interupt his quiet time
I will definitely try to keep his cage totally uncovered during the day and cover only for the night. Also when he screams and shouts sometimes the only way to make him quiet is cover his cage but I feel awful doing it
He was actually doing this funny dance to his bird toy today and was actually regurgitating! Makes me think that he is in molting time now...? He also have pin feathers constantly, not just in molting time, which I don’t know how to get rid off... Do you know if any supplements could help for pin feathers?
I tried to give him blueberries, strawberries, mango, banana, apple, pear... he was playing and throwing away the raspberries everywhere but I’m not sure if he eats it. He seem to hate wet juicy stuff, and as soon as he touches his beak with it he shakes and walks away... I will try sweet potato, he liked cooked potatoes so I guess he will enjoy them it’s just hard to find time to cook food everyday with work very early in the morning.
Also yes I tried to teach him with target chopstick, he will follow it around the cage to get treat, but only if he is in the mood or not agitated. He gets bored quick as soon as his belly fills up with seeds lol... I tried the same training outside the cage but he is totally ignoring me. I also always praise him saying Good or Good Eric, I’m not sure if he knows that it’s his name... Again I should probably spend more time doing it but with work I just find it hard to occupy him all the time, and if I don’t he screams.
Do you think then that his screaming is mainly due to boredom and lack of company?
I also have question about the routines. Do you put your birds to sleep at the same time everyday? Do they wake up everyday exactly at the same time? I cover him between 6-7pm depending how active he seems to be or if he shout for cover; and in the morning we wake up at 6am and get ready which he can hear (it’s next room), which probably wakes him up, but I don’t know that for sure. Then before I leave I change his food and water. The room is still dark so he can sleep a bit longer but I don’t know if he does. Nor sure if he gets enough sleep

 

[Roz]

Seems odd to have pin feathers all the time. Spraying with water will help. I would take him to an avian vet to rule out any physical problem (a physical problem which makes him feel uncomfortable could also be a reason for the screaming). Does he have a vet? If not, maybe we could advise you of a good one if you are in the UK? Beta carotene is good for feather health... beta carotene is found in brightly coloured fruit and vegetables like sweet potato, carrots, squash, broccoli, chillies, sweet peppers, mango, papaya, orange melon, etc. So keep offering the fruit and veggies.

What are you doing at around 4-5pm when he sits with his birdie friend? Are you able to sit with him for a while? You don't have to interact with him, but just be near him. Maybe if you are in another room, you could wheel his cage over to the door and give him some distant attention too? Perhaps just being able to see you will quieten him down. Then every now and again you could go over to him and ask him to target for a sunflower seed. When training stop way before he gets bored. Just a few seconds here, a minute there now and again through the day.

Let's have a look at covering his cage. At night he screams for you to cover his cage. During the day when he screams too much you also cover his cage. In both instances, you have to walk towards him before the actual covering. You walking towards him may also be reinforcing the screaming. See before you cover him at night if you can wait for a gap in the screaming before walking over to him. Go over, talk to him for a while and maybe reinforce good behaviour with some sunflowers, then cover the cage for the night. Get a different routine going.... one when he doesn't have to scream to go to bed.

My birds don't go to bed at exactly the same time every night, but the night time routine is exactly the same. Kobe gets carried upstairs as he has a small night cage in my bedroom. He is excited to see the little container of pieces of almonds he knows he's going to get. We have a little chat during which he gets three pieces of almonds. Then he gets covered and I leave the room. We get up at pretty much the same time. Birds nap through the day... especially if alone. I find my birds all have a nap after breakfast and some during the afternoon. I think your company is more important than getting 12 hours sleep.