Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Training your bird
• Method 2 of 3: Change his environment
• Method 3 of 3: Make sure your bird is happy
• Tips
• Warnings

Birds can be excellent company, but they can also make a lot of noise. Sometimes that noise is unavoidable, but there are a few steps you can take to stop your bird from screaming excessively or persistently.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Training your bird

1. Understanding bird behavior. Most birds make some noise, either by singing or screaming. Birds are often most talkative in the mornings and before going to bed at night. Some birds are more prone to making noise than others, but before you take a bird, realize that some noise is inevitable.
   • Cockatoos are considered one of the most talkative bird species. Although their talkativeness is usually limited to the morning and evening, they are usually seen as the noisiest pet birds.
   • Macaws also tend to be very noisy, but their talkativeness is usually strongest in the morning and evening, much like cockatoos.
   • Conures can shout loud and penetrating, but are on average most talkative when making contact calls to owners, rather than chatting all day long.
   • Cockatiels, budgerigars, lovebirds and sparrow parrots are known to be noisy throughout the day. If you want to get a bird that doesn't make too much noise, consider avoiding these birds.
2. Don't reward the shouting. Every time you respond to a bird's continuous screams, regardless of species, you reinforce in the bird's mind that its annoying behavior is giving it the attention it wants. Bird owners reward yelling by showering a talkative bird with affection, or even by running into the room and yelling at it to stop. It will be difficult at first, but over time, ignoring your bird's screams will unlearn this attention-grabbing behavior.
   • Leave the room when your bird starts to rage.
   • Don't come back to the room until he stops yelling or screaming.
   • Return to the room after your bird has been still for at least 10 seconds.
   • Praise him and reward him with a treat to show him that not making a noise is getting your affection.
3. Teach your bird to speak softly. Reward your bird when it whispers or whistles, instead of screaming and yelling. This can be especially helpful for parrots, as it is easier to learn softly spoken words than sounds.
   • Do not raise your voice in response to the volume or tone of your bird.
   • Talk softly when addressing your bird and when you are around him.
   • Compliment your bird every time he lowers his voice volume to yours.
4. Reward good behavior. If your bird is currently at an acceptable volume, give your bird food or toys as a reward every time it uses that volume. Over time, he will associate that voice volume with what you reward him with.
   • Always reward good behavior immediately.If time passes between his behavior and your response, he may not associate the two.
   • If your bird starts screaming or speaking loudly, you should temporarily stop showing affection and leave the room immediately.
   • Use a recognizable treat as a reward. Find out what your bird really likes and save those treats for training. It can give your bird the extra motivation it needs to listen to you.

Method 2 of 3: Change his environment

1. Turn off the lights. Some birds feel over-stimulated when they get too much sunlight. In general, birds exposed to more than 12 hours of sunlight per day may develop elevated hormone levels as well as display aggressive behavior and scream more.
   • Close the curtains in the afternoon to let in less sunlight, and put a cloth or cover over your bird's cage when you go to bed.
   • Make sure there is enough airflow underneath the sheet you are using.
   • Do not use polyester, as this fabric does not breathe well.
   • To block out most of the light, use a black cloth.
2. Don't make too much noise. Some parrots respond to ambient noise with their own sound. If you watch TV or listen to music at home, keep it at a relatively low volume. Once your bird gets used to a calmer home environment, it can become a calmer, calmer bird.
   • Speak softly. Birds will often quieter to hear what you are saying.
   • Never yell at your bird. Also, try not to talk too loudly or excitedly around him.
3. Avoid fast movements. It is possible that you or someone in your household is moving around your bird too quickly, making it feel anxious or overstimulated. Move slowly around your bird, encouraging everyone else in your household to do the same.
   • If you have children in your house, teach them not to run around your bird's room.
   • Never let children handle your bird without close supervision.
   • Teach everyone in your household to handle the bird with care and not to make quick or jerky movements around it.
4. Watch his reactions. A bird will see subtle changes in how its owner looks and behaves. Your bird may be tense at the sight of certain new physical attributes of you or your family.
   • Apparently minor changes such as wearing a hat, certain glasses, or even wearing certain colors can upset your bird.
   • Avoid wearing anything that upsets your bird, or let it get used to it slowly and gradually.

Method 3 of 3: Make sure your bird is happy

1. Rule out health problems. If your bird is feeling sick or in pain, it may yell to let you know about its illness. This is especially true if your bird has just started screaming or screeching, but doesn't normally behave like this. Take your bird to the vet for a proper examination and check that your bird has enough food and water when it gets noisy. Other common signs of a serious health problem are:
   • Sudden changes in appetite
   • Have trouble standing or maintaining balance
   • Changes in color or firmness of stools
   • A sleazy, disheveled look.
2. Give your bird play time and exercise. Some birds scream and scream when they are bored or feel neglected. While you don't want to reward negative behavior with attention, your bird may just need different outlets for its energy.
   • Provide your bird with a jungle gear for its cage. This gives him the ability to move and play whenever he wants.
   • Leave toys in his cage. Birds like to be stimulated and can respond well to toys, especially the toys with food hidden in them where your bird has to figure out how to get that food.
3. Alternate your bird's toys. If your bird is prone to boredom, but responds well to toys, your bird may need fresh stimulation on a regular basis. Changing its toys every few weeks will give your bird the stimulation it needs.
   • Birds love colorful toys. If the toy makes a noise, it will be even more beloved to your bird.
   • Give your bird a puzzle toy. Birds love mental and physical challenges, and chances are your bird will enjoy having something that stimulates its creativity.
4. Calm your bird when it is anxious. Try to keep it under your shirt if it's small enough for that. The added warmth and physical contact can often help calm a noisy bird that is upset.
5. Reassure your bird. Birds in the wild participate in flight calls as a way of communicating with other birds and ensuring the safety of the flight. If your bird tends to screech when you leave the room, this could be its attempt to send you a flight call. Try to screech back from the other room to let him know where you are and reassure him that you are safe.

Tips

• Research the bird species you would like before purchasing. Knowing in advance whether your potential bird is prone to a lot of noise can influence your decision when selecting your pet from the store.
• Get earplugs or move to a room where you can't hear the bird in the early morning hours.
• Keep your bird's immediate surroundings as dark as possible in the evening and early morning.
• Let everyone in the house know when and where your bird sleeps. If your sibling comes running into your room screaming, your bird will wake up and react with its own noise.
• Make sure the bird cannot hear the chirping birds outside. Often it will chirp back to get a bird's attention, especially if it is not tame.

Warnings

• Do not use a covered cage in response every time. Use it at night or when trying to sleep in the morning. Keeping the bird covered all the time can make it unsocialized and neurotic.
• While it can be annoying, drastic measures should not be taken. It's a bird - Talking is what birds do!
• Do not hit your bird or throw anything against its cage.
• Covering up birds for extended periods can have other negative effects, such as increasing the frequency and volume of normal speech. Since speech is the main form of communication between birds (who think in flight mindsets), preventing normal conversations (which are just more common in the morning and towards sunset) can be socially harmful, which in turn can lead to physical damage. Birds that are not given time to act like birds may turn to other means of gaining attention, such as feather plucking and being aggressive towards other birds and people.