Morning screams

[Sene]

Ok, so we have had our Birdy for about a month now. She is a wonderful little bird and is teaching us so much about herself. I am slowly learning her body language, and she seems to be adjusting to our home nicely, and is extremely patient with us most of the time. (She is a rehomed 5 year old Senegal)
I put her to sleep at night at about 7 pm, and take the blanket off her cage prior to me going to work at about 5:40 - I leave the house at 6. When I take the blanket off, I have the shades up so that she can watch the sun come up - I give her clean water in her bowl, water in her bath and veggies in her dish, along with a couple cashews that she loves. The thing is, she/he (I think of her as a girl but don't know for sure) screams in the mornings (very loudly) and is very possessive of her cage - only in the mornings though. Lunging at me if I get too close and the screams, oh my goodness. She is fine when I get home in the early afternoon (about 3 pm) and let her out for the rest of the night - it's just the mornings where she is extremely upset with life. I'm just wondering if there is something I can do to help her out at this time of the day. Should I adjust when I put her to bed? Leave the lights off and just have the shades up - maybe it's the light overhead that is too harsh? Perhaps leave the blanket on her cage half way? I don't believe that this is normal behaviour although at first I thought maybe it was - because she is just too sweet and nice in the afternoons. I thought maybe she just wasn't a morning bird Lol My husband and kids are home until 8:00 but she doesn't get out of her cage until I come home after work usually.
Any ideas as to how I can help her out would be greatly appreciated.

Another thing - maybe a hint as to what gender she is - she loves to shred boxes. Maybe this is just general parrot behaviour. We have a couple big coffee boxes around and she has in the past couple days when out, shredded the corner and appears to be very proud of the hole she has made and the mess of shredded paper around her. So very cute to see her all puffed up and strutting around. I'm curious to see if she starts to drag things into the box and make a nest/house or something, or if this is just fun for her to shred the box...anyway, she absolutely loves doing this - not sure yet if it's nesting behaviour or not, just thought I'd mention it.

[Wolf]

Well breeding season is pretty much over this year just make sure that there are no coffee grounds in the box at all because she doesn't need any caffeine in her. I don't bother with turning lights on in the morning and just let mine wake up to the sun, but it sounds to me as if she is being perfectly normal. Parrots, not just Senegals are at their most vocal in the morning when they first wake up and also usually in the evening as the sun is setting. Senegals are often quite territorial about their cage, it is her home and let any intruder beware because she will defend it with all 6 ounces of herself behind that large sharp beak which is totally without fear when protecting her home. however, just give her a few minutes and leave her be and all will be well. I don't invade my Senegals home any more than I need to , I mean I go into it to clean it and to remove toys or more accurately to replenish her toys and when I return her to it at night.

[Harpmaker]

Hi Sene!

Birds are best off if they are allowed to experience sunrise and sunset with no artificial light. It helps adjust their hormones for mating season.

I give my Corsair chopped fruits and veggies when I get up for work ~6:15, and try to do it with the lights out. I uncover the east-facing side of her cage, so she gets sunrise when it happens. I do take care to say something cheery about bringing breakfast so she isn't startled when her cage is opened and I stick my hand in.

Summer mornings pre-dawn is underway when I get there, so she may be awake. If so, I uncover her cage all the way and move her to the room with the skylight. Winter mornings when I drop off her food I often get a growl when I open the cage, for all the world as if she was hung-over and wanted more sleep. In that case she gets up later.

If no one comes to get her she does eventually start shrieking, but the remedy is simple-get her up and feed her.

I hope this helps.

[Sene]

Thanks very much for the responses. Guess I'll just leave her to her space and enjoy the afternoon cuddles all the more

[Wolf]

If it helps to settle your mind a bit, the reason for the screams early in morning are usually greetings and flock calls, kind of like " hey I am awake now where is everybody at" I usually answer it with a whistle that one of mine normally uses for me and this seems to quitten them sooner. My mornings go like this sunrise, birds wake, CAG whistles for me, Amazon screams, Senegal screams, Parrotlet chitters. Give fresh water and breakfast, Senegal lunges as if to say my house get out, everybody happy and eating.
Breakfast over Cag whistles, talks, sings all very loud; Amazon screams, talks and whistles loudly; Senegal whistles, screams, Parrotlet chitters. This goes on for 30 minutes to 1 hour. They just love this time of the morning, it is like they are celebrating being alive.

[Sene]

I love how you put that Wolf Let the celebration continue!

[Pajarita]

My sennies are very quiet birds (but once I got one that screamed all day long -she did not do it with me, she did it with her previous owner). They do vocalize but they hardly ever scream. I uncover Zoey's cage at 5:15 to 5:30 am this time of the year (sometimes I get up a little later) but her cage is next to a window and I always leave that side uncovered so he gets moon and stars light at night and the very beginning of dawn even if I am getting up late. I turn one light on (she has two above her cage) at about 6:00 am and the second one at 6:30 am (this schedule varies with the seasons, of course). I clean her cage when I turn on the second light and give her fresh water and the veggie, fruit and leafy greenput her breakfast in at around 7:30 am but she is perfectly fine with my putting my hands in her cage, she doesn't mind at all. The male, on the other hand, can be a bit of a pain every now and then - he, apparently, still hasn't gotten rid of all sexual hormones yet because he was stalking my feet earlier today and managed to get hold of one of my shoes which he hanged on to as if his life depended on it, the little stinker!

[Wolf]

A big part of this behavior with mine is probably due to the fact that I sit and whistle and sing with them in the mornings and they just love it. Kookooloo, picked up a single scream from Mimi, who is really the only bonafied screamer, and the morning sing along is the only time she does it. She talks, then whistles a bit, does her scream, laughs her but off and starts whistling again. Kiki, has always done a single scream that is her way of greeting, she has always done it and it is only intermittent. She screams and then is quiet for a while and she whistles and starts dancing and bobbing then she screams once and goes back to being quiet or dancing.
Mimi, however came here and screamed constantly for quite some time, it felt like it was months, but it was only for weeks. now she primarily does it when she gets excited or during their morning singfest. This is a major improvement for her.
This is the only time that they do this at all, unless I have been out and when I return Kiki screams once in greeting, Kookooloo whistles and Mimi, well, Mimi may scream once or twice or she may say Hello, man. or hello-o-o, or what you doing several times. Mimi's scream used to be long lasting session and the tone was horrible, it was really bad, but now even when she goes overboard with her screams, they no longer sound so filled with anguish and pain, they are beginning to vary both in volume and are becoming almost musical in nature, they are still loud enough to wake the dead, well maybe just make them stir a bit now.