My pet bird?

Question

ok i hav a sun conure for my pet. my bird screams all day if im not there. if i am there she is quiet my dad said that if she doesnt learn to be queit he'll kill it and i love my bird. when i go to school she screams, every time the bell goes she will scream and i want her to stop so plz help

Answer 1

birds do this when the they see people and they want their atention so the way i do it to my bird is that i put like a manicin of some sord (a mop and a jacket and it stos because it thinks some ones there

Answer 2

Sun Conures are screamers.  It is what they do.

Is she alone in your room or is the cage in a communal area?  She may be quieter if she can see the daily bustle around the house.

Answer 3

"Sun conures are screamers, it's what they do" is all I ever read & really does give them a bad rep. Not only that but it ISN'T true. If it is true then tell that to my adopted sun conure who was a screamer when adopted at the age 4 & is no longer a screamer.

The easiest way to put this is a sun conure IS a velrco bird. They will bend over backwards for your undevided attention. They will do anything at all to please & they are NOT afraid to express their feelings in any way. Most suns are screamers if they feel they're not getting the attention they need on a daily basis. They're a highly needy bird so you need to give them more attention. Giving a sun conure the right amount of attention will stop the screams.

They're also one person birds. Your family needs to interact with her so she will be a little nicer towards them & not scream while you're gone. When you're not there & your sun screams what does your dad do? If he reacts in any way your sun will just continue to scream.

When you're home do have her out with you or on a stand? This will help to curb her screams to have her out for LONG periods with you playing & on a gym playing. A sun conure being caged on her own during school hours is an extremely long time for them to get bored & become desperate for attnetion so you need to make up for this when you're home.

Reinforce ALL of her good behaviours & especially when she's quiet, acknowladge this so she eventually gets the idea that being quiet gets her attention.

DO NOT punish her. It isn't her fault she's screaming, she's desperate for attention. Sun conures are real human birds & thrive on human attention.

Try to explain to the family about ignoring the screams & perhaps offering the odd treat when she becomes (& stays) quiet.

The only comunication a sun conure knows is that horrid high pitch scream. You need to teach her to communicate in a quieter manner. And yes it is possible! I adopted a screaming 4 year old sun conure. She's a sweet quiet girl now, all she needed was a little love, attention, reinforced with her good behaviour & routine in her life.

Cat is also right about talking to her. They're extremely intelligent birds. They learn what words & phrases mean. My sun knows the difference between 'going to work' & 'going to the shops'. 'Going to work' can sometime have her turn her back & refuse to look at me but it at least prepares her for the day. She knows where I'll be, when I'll be back etc...

And while you're home & sometimes scream, yes tell her where you are or what you're doing. Occasionally all they need is to hear your voice & hear you're still there if they can't see you.

Answer 4

This wont necessarily stop the screaming entirely, but it might help. Explain to your bird where you are going throughout the day. If you walk into another room call out to him, "I'll be right back! I'm in the living room!" or "I'm in the bathroom" etc. Tell him "I'll be right back" or "I'll see you in a little while" and leave the house for 5 minutes several times a day... gradually increase it for longer periods. Your bird will start to develop a concept of when you'll return.

Make sure that he has new toys and that you change them out occassionally, he may very well be very bored when you are gone.

Leave the radio or a TV on for him when you're gone. This could also help him.

Remember: DON'T PUNISH. Punishment doesn't work the same with birds as it does with human children or dogs. Punishment might stop the behavior, but it will destroy the bond your bird has with you or other humans. Instead, reward him when he's quiet, and have your dad help, otherwise you may never get him to quiet down completely while you're out of the house.