Do Aratinga Conures screech spontaneously?

[GlassOnion]

Patdbunny! And other owners, I have recently read that suns are very squawky. That they squawk arbitrarily throughout the day instead of only at dawn/dusk. What are your experiences?

[kaylayuh]

I don't know about Aratingas, but my Pyrrhura screeches spontaneously. It comes out of no where, lasts about two minutes, and then he just goes back to playing.

I've also heard that Aratingas can be a bit screechy. The only times I've seen them, they were screaming!

[patdbunny]

All birds squawk periodically through the day. Shouldn't be "excessive". Excessive would primarily be anything beyond - SCREAM! SCREAM! pause for several minutes or no repeat of the the screaming. If/when Ducky does SCREAM! SCREAM! between the hours of 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (times are apprx) it's usually a contact call or he hears something odd like someone coming to the door. Usually he does not do this daily.

If between the hours of 10 a.m.- 6p.m. Ducky's screaming like this - SCREAM! SCREAM! SCREAM! SCREAM! SCREAM! SCREAM! SCREAM! (you get the picture), there's generally something wrong and cause for human to immediately run into the room to see what the problem is. I really can't recall if/when he last vocalized like this so I can't give you an example of what the emergency might be. It might be something like the bird got hung up in a toy or something like that - usually a true emergency when they're screaming like that at any time.

Morning and evening vocalizations for apprx 10-20 minutes depending on the bird - SCREAM! SCREAM! pause for several minutes SCREAM! SCREAM! SCREAM! pause for several minutes SCREAM! SCREAM!

I met a jenday with a screaming behavioral problem. The bird pretty much screamed all day long at any time of the day unless it was on the woman's shoulder.

So, the squawking periodically during the day - my IRN does it, parrotlet does it, cockatoos used to do it. I think the aratingas have a bad rap about it because their natural vocalizations do tend to grate on nerves (except me, I love going where I have my breeders and having all of them yelling at me).

I've also heard that Aratingas can be a bit screechy. The only times I've seen them, they were screaming!

Yep, that's pretty much the noise they make. If you're seeing them in pet stores with other birds, they're feeding off everyone else's energy. That's why I try not to send them to loud or busy households. If the household has a 5 yo kid that's constantly throwing himself to the ground in drama and having screaming tantrums, the bird's going to join in.

[patdbunny]

GlassOnion -

I probably shouldn't tell you this. . .
My experience and opinion based on my experience is. . .
They're quieter with a cockatiel roommate. . .

My first Jenday, I already had two female tiels at home. The jenday and the two tiels all ended up as BFFS. If the jenday screamed "excessively" the tiels whacked her.

Jendays/suns are very affectionate and prone to being co-dependent. The tiel keeps them company. Ducky lives with Sam, a tiel.

Last year I sold a jenday to a family. They're excellent first time owners. Their bird is not an excessive screamer, but it's vocalizations could be reduced. They're the ones I sent my nanny tiel to as a loaner to see how things would work out with a new addition. They're keeping the nanny tiel and have reported that the vocalizations have been severely reduced to AM/PM and very occasionally during the day.

This was my email to them:
Ok - the general rule is: The answer to behavior management or issues is NOT to get another bird as a companion. There's always an exception to every rule. From my experience I wouldn't have an aratinga conure (Pyrrhura conures are another story) without a friend bird so as to reduce the noise level. Not another conure - noise doesn't double, it increases like freakin' ten fold. You should hear my house when I have an entire clutch of 10 week old babies. It's almost unbearable except for the knowledge that they'll be in new homes soon.

Ducky lives with a cockatiel. I'm partial to the cockatiel buddies because they're very docile, quiet and don't require separate type of food (they just pick out the smaller stuff from the conure mix). Not all jendays will take to a cockatiel buddy, but mine are raised with a cockatiel nanny. The 'tiel provides companionship so we humans can hang out in a different room and Ducky doesn't mind. Basically, we're just in another tree and he's in his own tree with his 'tiel buddy. Possible down side - male 'tiels are incessant whistlers and may whistle all day long, but it's still a quieter more tolerable noise than the natural aratinga screams.

Not really trying to sell you another bird. I don't have any 'tiels right now anyway. Just a consideration for you in case you guys don't want Joie in the same room with you all the time (like when you have dinner guests).

[GlassOnion]

Tiel nanny!

You're making me want one more!
Athough.. I was worried for quite a while that if I add a louder species to my flock, I'd go deaf due to the fact that Apple vocalizes all day long, and that the new bird may pick it up. He is either whistling, or screaming (at me, at outside birds, at footsteps from upstairs..etc) throughout the whole day. He especially loves to *greet* me when he hears my footsteps down the stairs.
I'm wondering though, if this vocal behaviour would rub off on the new birdie.
...Does Ducky ever *harmonize* with Sam?

[patdbunny]

I'm wondering though, if this vocal behaviour would rub off on the new birdie.
...Does Ducky ever *harmonize* with Sam?

Nope. Not in the least bit. Sam's about 6 years old, hormonal right now. He's the one who's cockatiel "screams" (good grief, I can't even call the sounds he makes screaming compared to my other birds) are grating on our nerves.

Ducky doesn't seem responsive in any manner to Sam's noises. He doesn't mimic them, he doesn't join in on them. In the mornings it's very common to hear Sam going on and on and on. . . and there's not a peep out of Ducky.

Sam's boy sounds are severely reduced when I take him away from their cage. I have cages and play stands everywhere. Sam spends his days all over the house and that change of scenery really reduces his boy obsessions. I also have outside aviaries and flight cages so if the weather's nice he spends days out there. I change it up every day so he seems stimulated other than being occupied with his male thoughts.

Here's my noise experience from mixing different species (cockatoos, conures, tiels, etc.) - They don't seem to feed off each other, noise wise, unless they're the same or very similar species ie - sun conure will feed off a jenday, a jenday will not feed off a cockatoo. Exception is generally a warning call - like someone coming to the door. One goes off, the flock goes off.

Oh - I wanted to clarify because I know I posted conflicting info. I had indicated to Kaylayluh that in a petstore they're feeding off the other birds - energy. I want to clarify that it's about the energy that they seem to feed off of. Not the other birds actual vocalizations. Usually in a petshop it's a high stress environment so all the birds are screaming. It's that anxiety and energy that they're feeding off of. Same with the mixed flock going off with warning calls - it's the energy of something to be alarmed about. The energy seems it can be any species - birds, people, dogs. I've had hyper dogs and when they race around it causes the birds to scream.

[kaylayuh]

You're making me want one more!

I find her descriptions of Aratinga conures to be absolutely horrifying and I couldn't imagine ever living happily with one as an indoor pet. They even used to be my "dream bird", but I don't think I could deal with their noise and the fact that they'd eventually live with my boyfriend, who is obnoxiously loud himself.

You must be a very special, tolerant person to still want one after that! I'll just stick with my ambition of owning a Keel Billed Toucan over here, and leave the beautiful noisy birds to you.

[GlassOnion]

I met a few suns today. I must be crazy, I don't find their screams that loud....

[patdbunny]

I don't find their screams that loud....

Yeah!!! Me too!!!

So. . . when are you getting one?

[kaylayuh]

I met a few suns today. I must be crazy, I don't find their screams that loud....

I don't find them loud, per se. It's more the pitch and tone of their scream that bothers me than it is the volume.