She is screeching/screaming almost the whole day

683 Views 16 Replies 5 Participants Last post by vkelman, 1 mo ago

Celeste

Discussion Starter · 1 mo ago

Please please help me. I am going insane. My gorgeous little Juliet is driving me absolutely crazy with her screaming almost the whole day. I’ve tried a couple of things. Tried ignoring it (actually always ignore and try only give her attention when she is not going off), tried covering her when she screams and then take off the cover when she’s again quiet or just chirping softly, tried putting some music on, tried changing things up in her cage, I’ve tried feeding her a bit more, I’ve tried letting her out her cage. All of these things and although some help slightly for a little while, there’s still been no breakthrough. She’s about 10 months old. I feel completely defeated and extremely guilty like there is something I’m doing wrong and cannot figure out what. She doesn’t seem unhappy to me though because whenever I’m close by her or have her with me then she’s all love and cuddles, never trying to attack me or anything. One thing I have tried that seems to work the best is putting her cage outside for a while, especially in a bit of sun then she looks like she loves it!

I do not know what to do or try anymore and I’m really feeling so lost. I work from home so I am also now starting to struggle with work because it’s driving me crazy so much and I’m then driving myself more crazy trying to figure out what is wrong or what the solution is.

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

HarryTheParrotlet

· #2 · 1 mo ago

You could try a UV lamp if it's the light that calms her. I got a nice one from a reptile store (the one I got is correct values for birds). Harry often "sunbathes" under it. I use a timer so it's not on all times of day.

Celeste

Discussion Starter · #3 · 1 mo ago (Edited)

HarryTheParrotlet said:
You could try a UV lamp if it's the light that calms her. I got a nice one from a reptile store (the one I got is correct values for birds). Harry often "sunbathes" under it. I use a timer so it's not on all times of day.

Thanks so much, I’m not quite sure if it’s the sun that she really enjoys or actually just the outside because she has also been quite happy when she hasn’t got much sun at all but I’m going to try and take special note to see if I can see a difference when I have her in the sun and then when I have her in the shade (also going to start hunting for a UV lamp). Thanks very much for the suggestion

Anya

· #4 · 1 mo ago

How long has the yelling been going on for? Is Juliet getting enough sleep every night? They need at least 12 hours of total darkness. Quiet dark sleep is important. A tired bird is a grumpy bird. Juliet may be going through the terrible twos. (Puberty). You may want to add 2 hours of sleep every night for a week or two - It helps to curb hormonal behavior. My 10 month old is going through the TT's right now. He is yelling, being aggressive (biting more) and showing territorial behavior. All classic signs of puberty. Not much fun for us or our birds.
Here are two stickies you may want to check out if you haven't already.

www.talkparrotlets.com

How to Discourage Egg Laying by Minimizing Hormonal Behavior

This article is dedicated to my little green gem Cleopatra and all the other wonderful female parrotlets out there. Stopping unwanted eggs will require you to know what hormonal signs look like. You need to recognize them while they are happening and immediately take the necessary steps to...

www.talkparrotlets.com

www.talkparrotlets.com

www.talkparrotlets.com

How to Discourage Egg Laying by Minimizing Hormonal...

How to Discourage Egg Laying by Minimizing Hormonal Behavior - Part 2 Basics of Egg Laying All female parrotlets have the capability to lay eggs, but not all do. Unlike chickens, parrotlets and other psittacines (parrots) should not lay eggs without stimulation. Some birds lay just once or...

www.talkparrotlets.com

www.talkparrotlets.com

Celeste

Discussion Starter · #5 · 1 mo ago

Anya said:
How long has the yelling been going on for? Is Juliet getting enough sleep every night? They need at least 12 hours of total darkness. Quiet dark sleep is important. A tired bird is a grumpy bird. Juliet may be going through the terrible twos. (Puberty). You may want to add 2 hours of sleep every night for a week or two - It helps to curb hormonal behavior. My 10 month old is going through the TT's right now. He is yelling, being aggressive (biting more) and showing territorial behavior. All classic signs of puberty. Not much fun for us or our birds.
Here are two stickies you may want to check out if you haven't already.

How to Discourage Egg Laying by Minimizing Hormonal Behavior

This article is dedicated to my little green gem Cleopatra and all the other wonderful female parrotlets out there. Stopping unwanted eggs will require you to know what hormonal signs look like. You need to recognize them while they are happening and immediately take the necessary steps to...

www.talkparrotlets.com

How to Discourage Egg Laying by Minimizing Hormonal...

How to Discourage Egg Laying by Minimizing Hormonal Behavior - Part 2 Basics of Egg Laying All female parrotlets have the capability to lay eggs, but not all do. Unlike chickens, parrotlets and other psittacines (parrots) should not lay eggs without stimulation. Some birds lay just once or...

www.talkparrotlets.com

Hi Anya. Thanks so much. She’s getting a solid 12 hours every night but I’m wondering actually if maybe some light is creeping in sometimes because we have a fish tank in the same room with a light that goes off on a timer and with all the loadshedding we are having it’s going off at all different hours of the day/night. I’m going to try get her cage covered entirely when putting her to bed and also try push her for 2 more hours. Thanks for the links, I will check them out!

ozzie3860

· #6 · 1 mo ago

How long has this been going? I am wondering if this is an age and time of year thing. Rio has gone on a screeching spree also. He is also on a hunt for holes which I think is for nesting. He also seems to be into mating dances.

Celeste

Discussion Starter · #7 · 1 mo ago

ozzie3860 said:
How long has this been going? I am wondering if this is an age and time of year thing. Rio has gone on a screeching spree also. He is also on a hunt for holes which I think is for nesting. He also seems to be into mating dances.

It’s been going on for a few months now, I’d say the last 3 months

Anya

· #8 · 1 mo ago

Did you change anything during that time? There could be a change in Juliet's environment that she does not like. You mentioned that she loves sunshine - do you have a full spectrum avian lamp for her?

ozzie3860

· #9 · 1 mo ago

Had a thought. Years back Jules (older female) started acting up and screaming a bunch. Took a bit to figure it out but it ended up being some baby birds nesting outside that we did not hear but she did and was not happy about. You may be dealing with a same type of issue. You may want to check if something has set up shop outside that is making noise enough to be getting her attention.

Celeste

Discussion Starter · #10 · 1 mo ago

Anya said:
Did you change anything during that time? There could be a change in Juliet's environment that she does not like. You mentioned that she loves sunshine - do you have a full spectrum avian lamp for her?

I can’t say that I have changed anything, although we did move a month ago so she is in a new house. But she started the screaming already at the last place and when we moved, for the first few days she was actually very quiet but was obviously getting used to the new house

Celeste

Discussion Starter · #11 · 1 mo ago

ozzie3860 said:
Had a thought. Years back Jules (older female) started acting up and screaming a bunch. Took a bit to figure it out but it ended up being some baby birds nesting outside that we did not hear but she did and was not happy about. You may be dealing with a same type of issue. You may want to check if something has set up shop outside that is making noise enough to be getting her attention.

Good note, we are in a new house where she is able to hear a lot more of the birds outside. Can’t say that I have seen any nesting going on outside but I’m going to keep an eye and ear out. Also, she was already doing the screaming at the last place and now the new place (first few days she was pretty quiet but getting used to her new surroundings)

Celeste

Discussion Starter · #12 · 1 mo ago

Celeste said:
Hi Anya. Thanks so much. She’s getting a solid 12 hours every night but I’m wondering actually if maybe some light is creeping in sometimes because we have a fish tank in the same room with a light that goes off on a timer and with all the loadshedding we are having it’s going off at all different hours of the day/night. I’m going to try get her cage covered entirely when putting her to bed and also try push her for 2 more hours. Thanks for the links, I will check them out!

Okay I have now made a plan to make sure she gets in no light for bed time and added 2 extra hours to her sleep time. Do you think it could take a while before there’s any impact because so far there hasn’t been much change?

Anya

· #13 · 1 mo ago

It hasn't been enough. It can take 1- 2 weeks, even longer depending on the bird . Remember, this is to trick hormonal birds into thinking that it is no longer breeding season. That takes time.

I also remembered something else you can try. Chamomile tea has been known to help calm birds experiencing stress and anxiety. Make a cup of tea - steep 3-4 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup and add 3/4 to 1 cup of water. If you make your tea strong, be sure to add more water. Allow the tea to completely cool down before giving it to Juliet. Importantly, be sure to replace the tea with their regular water after4 hours.

Celeste

Discussion Starter · #14 · 1 mo ago

Anya said:
It hasn't been enough. It can take 1- 2 weeks, even longer depending on the bird . Remember, this is to trick hormonal birds into thinking that it is no longer breeding season. That takes time.

I also remembered something else you can try. Chamomile tea has been known to help calm birds experiencing stress and anxiety. Make a cup of tea - steep 3-4 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup and add 3/4 to 1 cup of water. If you make your tea strong, be sure to add more water. Allow the tea to completely cool down before giving it to Juliet. Importantly, be sure to replace the tea with their regular water after4 hours.

I thought so, thank you. Oh what a good idea, thank you so much. I will definitely try that!

vkelman

· #15 · 1 mo ago

Celeste said:
Hi Anya. Thanks so much. She’s getting a solid 12 hours every night but I’m wondering actually if maybe some light is creeping in

It is actually recommended not to have a total darkness at night. Some birds my get sudden panic attacks. It is better if there is a bit of light, it mimics natural settings.

There are few calming mixes available, you could try if they help.

Calming Seed Mix For Parrots - 500g (they ship worldwide, but it's not the only source, just Google for "calming bird seed mix")

www.ladygouldianfinch.com

Avian Calm

Equa Holistics Avian Calm is a non-sedating calming supplement for birds - Bird Supplement - Bird Supplies

www.ladygouldianfinch.com

www.ladygouldianfinch.com

biobirdblends.com - look at various bird teas there. It's a site by Dr. Jason Crean, who is well known avian biologist.

Sometimes rearranging stuff inside a cage makes birds calmer.

Anya

· #16 · 1 mo ago

vkelman said:
It is actually recommended not to have a total darkness at night. Some birds my get sudden panic attacks. It is better if there is a bit of light, it mimics natural settings.

Bird’s brains have what is called a pineal gland. Sometimes called the third eye. It “detects” light when the days get longer and reacts by distributing hormones through your birds’ body. Birds then know it is time to breed. When the days shorten, it stops sending the hormones. Even the smallest amount of light will be interpreted as extended daylight, and can trigger the pineal gland into thinking it is breeding season. That is why during hormonal periods it is important that they get complete darkness. It is the way to trick the pineal gland.

Reactions: 1

vkelman

· #17 · 1 mo ago

blogpamelaclarkonline.com

The Real Truth: Sleep Needs in Parrots

“Parrots need between 10 to 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night!” How often have you heard this? In researching this subject, I found this statement repeated ad infinitum on a g…

blogpamelaclarkonline.com

blogpamelaclarkonline.com

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