ideas for reducing anxious screeching?

[ellieelectrons]

Hi All

We have 2 IRNs. The oldest one (Janey - blue IRN) is almost 2 years of age and the younger (Charlie - yellow IRN) is about 8 months old. I didn't know much about IRNs when we first got Janey but after reading some bits and pieces about them, I think we may have brought her home when she was too young. I read that when they are taken away from their brothers and sisters at too young an age, they can become overly dependent on human companionship. She could eat for herself... but wasn't flying much. I know that when we bought Charlie, the breeder kept him for longer. He was well and truly flying by the time we brought him home and he is much less anxious than Janey. Janey flits quickly from perch to perch when my husband or I are in the vicinity (especially when my husband she knows my husband is nearby). The most difficult behaviour for us is that she screeches a lot when she knows that we are about but not paying attention to her (eg. elsewhere in the house, on the phone). Are there any ways you can recommend to make her less anxious and thus reduce the screeching? We spend quality time with them every day, letting them out of the cage at least twice a day for a minimum of 15 mins. They have quite a big cage, I think it's called a patio aviary. We feed them fruit and veg everyday and alternate between pellets and seed. I also teach them tricks and they get treats. I cover their cage at night so that they get between 10 - 12 hours sleep. I have tried covering their cage when Janey starts screeching... but it is hard to be consistent as we can be quite often in the middle of something else when she starts doing it.... and I'm not sure that it works.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Ellie Electrons.

[ringneck]

I am heading to bed but when i get up tomorrow i'll answer.

Best Wishes,

IMRAN-C

[ellieelectrons]

Ok. Thanks Imran.

Thanks for providing this website. It is a great resource.

Ellie

[floridamedgirl]

try to give them the most consistent schedule possible. that means putting them to bed at the same time, in the same fashion everyday.

I wouldnt cover the cage to quiet her. IRNs have terrible vision in the dark and it can be very scary for her.

does she talk? In my experience, they will cry sometimes no matter what, usually worse at sunrise(when you uncover them in the monring) and sunset. talking helps put more constructive work into the screeching, instead of crying, she will start to chatter to herself.

Maybe they need more time out of the cage. I know you said "at least 15 min" twice a day, but I think it needs to be substantially more.

Our schedule.
As the alarm goes off, OUr IRN and his parakeet friend are woken up and brough into the master bath to spend the morning with us. We prepare thier food and let them talk, chatter, tweet, and sometimes shower with us if they show interest.
When its time to go to work, they are either brought back to thier house (cage) or left in a closed room where they can be more free throughout the day.

Morning time spent- 730 am-900 am

As soon as my husband or I get home, the first thing we do is let out the birds. We may put them in a different room, keep them with us, or a mixture of things, but they stay out from 530pm until 830 pm.

right now my IRN is sleeping on my shoulder because it is 9pm and its past sleepy time.

My IRN will screech no matter what, but consistency in the schedule and lots of time with us has helped. Alot of times they screech for reasons... something was knocked over, they are hungry etc.... be receptive, there might be a reason!

Good Luck
Jess

[ellieelectrons]

Thanks for your response Jess.

try to give them the most consistent schedule possible. that means putting them to bed at the same time, in the same fashion everyday.

That's a good idea. We have a reasonable schedule but I could probably do better.

I wouldnt cover the cage to quiet her. IRNs have terrible vision in the dark and it can be very scary for her.

Thanks. Re-reading what I wrote earlier, I didn't explain everything clearly. We only partially cover the cage so she would definitely be able to see, it just makes it harder for her to see us. However, I'm sure if we only do this inconsistently it probably makes very little difference.

does she talk? In my experience, they will cry sometimes no matter what, usually worse at sunrise(when you uncover them in the monring) and sunset. talking helps put more constructive work into the screeching, instead of crying, she will start to chatter to herself.

Yes, she does talk (although we are the only ones who know what she is saying! ) and sometimes she will sit chattering to herself... which is all fine... It's really just the screeches that are trying to get our attention that can be hard to cope with. She only makes them when we are in the room or she knows we are somewhere in the house. She will do them when she is in her cage or when she is out of the cage. I wonder if the screeches are because she wants to be picked up or because she wants to spend time with my husband? I guess I can try keeping her on me the whole morning rather than letting her spend some of the time on the gym. My husband usually gets up after me so usually this time in the morning is just spent with me.

Maybe they need more time out of the cage. I know you said "at least 15 min" twice a day, but I think it needs to be substantially more.

I was being a bit conservative when I said 15 mins twice a day. Our normal schedule is:
1. I get up and the first thing I do is take the cover off and let them out.
2. Charlie and Janey (our two IRNs) either choose to hang off me whilst I make my breakfast or they play / sit on their gym. Charlie usually finds his toys and starts playing with them and dropping them on the floor whilst Janey usually sits on the gym and watches everything I do.
3. I feed them pieces of banana on the gym in return for doing some tricks (eg. waving, turning around)
4. I eat my breakfast on the table in front of them
5. I prepare their veges, give them fresh food and water
6. i place them on the perch inside the shower and I take a shower. If they want to have a shower, they sit on my hands and I let them get wet in the spray from the shower.
7. From the shower I usually put them in their cage.

I'm guessing that's usually 1 - 1 1/2 hours out of the cage.

If I am working from home that day, I may get them out again around lunch time for about 1/2 an hour or longer.

In the afternoon, I get them out of the cage as soon as I get home. The time can vary but it will be between 3 pm and 5 pm. They then stay out of the cage until it's their bed time. This is usually when I train them. In addition, we may watch tv together or prepare food for dinner. I try to put them to bed just after the sun goes down, which in winter can be 6:00 pm. Do you think I should keep them up longer so that they can spend more time with us?

Some days, especially weekends when we are home, they get a lot more out-of-cage time. Could this be disrupting their routine? Does it make them always want that much out-of-cage time?

Ellie.

[ringneck]

Hey Elle,

Please forgive me as I was so busy and I wanted to get back to you.

Screaming can be problematic and I know the feeling! I have so many ringnecks and when they all start to call—I am so scared the neighbors are gunna call the cops on me—especially my breeders.

I have found the best way to stop the problem is to tire the birds out. I take my birds outside and hold all of them for hours or while doing household chores--which i see you do too. I know— I wish the solution was a lot easier but it’s not.

When excessive screaming does start, I don’t acknowledge it. By this I mean, I’ll simply walk out of the room for about 15 minutes or go about my business without even making eye contact. Indian Ringnecks are very smart and our facial expressions are just as rewarding as saying “be quiet.” Hopefully the bird will soon start to realize that no reaction is earned when screaming. Though this can help to reduce screaming, you have to know that these parrots are hardwired to be sentinels and be loud. I always allow them to scream during the morning and before bedtime—as these are very natural times they make their calls.

My Archimedes is a prime example of screaming. There was a time he would just scream and scream for no reason—I could not figure out how to stop it—the solution, I found that loud noises trigger him to scream. So while the T.V was on, I would take him out in his play gym to hangout. This quiet place works wonders. There he has the opportunity to just relax or play with his toys. Also, if that does not work, I’ll run through his tricks with him and he seems content after.
Believe me, I know how busy we can get and at times their calls can drive us all crazy. Floridamedgirl did offer some wonderful advice.

I just might also say that take a journal and record these outburst—document what’s going on in the environment that you believe has triggered these outburst—then make the changes. It’s important to note that this is not an easy problem to fix and it has taken Archimedes quite a while to understand I don’t like his excessive screaming—but he is my boy and I would never give up on him! But we have worked it out so much and now he is so quiet.

Please keep me updated!

Best Wishes,

IMRAN-C

[ellieelectrons]

Thanks for the advice Imran. This is useful. I will see how I go.

We keep our parrots in the dining room/kitchen... The leaving the room thing when they screech can be difficult as we are quite often in the middle of preparing a meal or eating a meal... but maybe if we did it consistently for a time it might work? Maybe we should relocate the birds?

The diary is a good idea.

Thanks again and thanks for the forum. This is a great resource!

Regards

Ellie.

[ringneck]

I know it is very difficult—especially when they are in the main room. I think before removing them I would try to completely ignore them during their outbursts. Although, in your case it’s harder because you have more than one bird and once they start their calls I am sure they will go at it for a while. But continue to ignore this behavior and once they are quite and calm—wait about 5 or 10 minutes after they have settled down then reward them. If you are not eating and you can walk out of the room, just remove yourself and stay out for a bit before they calm down. When they are calm praise them.

I think moving them into another room now should be the last resort .

Best Wishes ,

IMRAN-C

[ellieelectrons]

Thanks Imran. We enjoying having them in the main part of the house where we spend a lot of time... so I'm glad you don't think we should move them.

Thanks for the advice. I will let you know how we go.

Ellie.