Hi

[yarrum]

Hi I live with my husband, 2 utonagans, 4 horses, ducks/chickens/silkies/bantams, rabbits and fish.
I bought an supposed to be a blue faced amazon parrot young male, the bird came from someone with problems and I think the bird was traumatised.
I think that he is actually a she as she loves my husband but hates me although I feed and clean out etc, I can open and let her out when the dogs are in bed and she will sit on my husbands head preening him and loves him stroking her although she is teffified if you try to get her on your hand, previous owner used to try and catch her.
The main problem is the squaking is driving my husband to want to rehome her which I think would drive her insane, if she is in her cage in the living room with us she is brill during the day but as soon as the tv is put on she squakes louder that the tv in the kitchen she squakes constantly, if I talk then she goes off her head. I have tried a water spray and covering her up but it is getting beyond a joke, advice would be great.

[Michael]

First of all, don't spray the bird or cover the bird for screaming (or biting or whatever). Either the spray is gentle and it may just like it, or the spray is strong and hurtful. Yet either way it won't teach the bird not to scream at best and at worst might just encourage it to scream because it earns it at least some attention. The best strategy is to keep the cage someplace where the noise will bother you the least and have the bird out in the main living area during interaction time. If no one is there to acknowledge the screaming, there is no chance of rewarding it (not saying there won't be any but at least it won't encourage more than the typical amount. The typical amount you just have to accept as part of what a parrot is and does).

Also, to the part about how the parrot "hates me although I feed and clean out etc." Don't for a moment think that the parrot owes you one bit of gratitude for doing those things. In the wild, food just appears by itself and there is no cleaning. A bird does its business where it does and it fertilizes the soil. If anything, the plants should be grateful for the birds but I diverge. Point is, it does not see what you are doing as a good thing (although obviously it is necessary for living in a cage and we appreciate that you take care of this). To the parrot, what's important is what you do for it (that it can recognize immediately as beneficial) and your attitude. Doing good things for the parrot is stuff like giving a treat, head scratch, attention, taking it out of the cage, etc. While talking about good things I may as well mention some bad ones that you want to avoid doing (and it's not out of the question that as the cage cleaner you are). Bad things that would make a parrot avoid/bite you could include putting it away in the cage, squirting it painfully, scaring it (like cleaning the cage while it's inside), putting it in a carrier, grooming it, taking it to a vet/groomer, etc. It is often possible that the person that takes care is the person the parrot doesn't like because it doesn't experience these as positive things. Now as for attitude, they'll often appreciate/accept someone who is a bit more strict and won't accept being pushed around. This is especially true for what tend to be the more aggressive species. If they learn that someone can be pushed around by biting, they'll take full advantage. On the other hand when someone isn't afraid and doesn't care about a couple bites, the parrot is more accepting. This doesn't mean to fight back or be cocky, but the combination of fearlessness and doing good stuff for it is the optimal combo.

[Rokisha]

Welcome to the forums. You should check out above posters training videos and blogs. He provides alot of useful and necessary information on parrots and how to handle them. By the way you should also try speaking with your new parrot and socializing him/her as equally as you can between family members. (With the exception of any carnivorous pets you know you can't trust) Oh and since animals tend to be more empathic(meaning they can sense and pick up on what and how your feeling or any other creature is feeling for that matter) you should think about how you feel when your cleaning the cage and work to make those feelings and attitude positive instead of negative.

Hi I live with my husband, 2 utonagans, 4 horses, ducks/chickens/silkies/bantams, rabbits and fish.
I bought an supposed to be a blue faced amazon parrot young male, the bird came from someone with problems and I think the bird was traumatised.
I think that he is actually a she as she loves my husband but hates me although I feed and clean out etc, I can open and let her out when the dogs are in bed and she will sit on my husbands head preening him and loves him stroking her although she is teffified if you try to get her on your hand, previous owner used to try and catch her.
The main problem is the squaking is driving my husband to want to rehome her which I think would drive her insane, if she is in her cage in the living room with us she is brill during the day but as soon as the tv is put on she squakes louder that the tv in the kitchen she squakes constantly, if I talk then she goes off her head. I have tried a water spray and covering her up but it is getting beyond a joke, advice would be great.

I assume you own a farm and if thats the case, with all those animals I don't see how some added squawking would drive your hubby to want to rehome your parrot. Wouldn't you two be rather used to excess noise? You should also take things slow with a traumatized animal and have plenty of patience. Remember they have feelings too.

[yarrum]

Hi, thanks for the advice, I don't think I explained fully, we have had Larson since last Sept, and it is my husband that has spent most time talking to her and interacting when she is out her cage, and I don't have a problem cleaning out the cage, it is the constant squealing the minute I speak, we had her cage in the living room but as soon as the tv comes on at night she starts then I had the cage in the kitcken but as soon as the cooker was switched on again she starts now she has got fly if I put the cover over her cage she will squalk even louder until I take it off. It is a small holding I have. I just hope some advice I can get on here will ensure I don't have to rehome as I think that would be the worst thing ever to do.

[Adze]

Let her squak. She will tire eventually then interact

[marie83]

Could you give her something to distract her before you turn the TV on or whatever else sets her off squawking like a favorite toy, a foraging activity or a bath (if its early enough for her to dry off before bed) might help prevent the behaviour in the first place if she's busy enough but won't reinforce the behaviour of screaming by trying to distract her after she starts screaming.
Does she still scream when out of her cage? my two birds are quiet out of their cages, its rare for them to scream but when they do they are always inside the cages, it probably wont always be practical but if thats the case you can always multitask and give her some time whilst watching TV (again starting before she starts screaming). Neither of these will solve the underlying problem but may give you a bit of a break from the noise whilst you work on dealing with the problem.

[yarrum]

Thanks again for the comments well I am getting somewhere now, although I am a wee bit worried, I have discovered if I let her out in the kitchen whilst I am working in it or making dinner she will wander through to the living room etc and wander about the kitchen, a few times a day, we are not getting a fraction of the noise the only thing I worry about is the cooker, she tends to sit near it and enjoys the steam coming off the pans but I am very worried of an accident I went through the other day and she was sitting on a pan handle that was boiling, she was obviously missing getting out and about, going to start trying some of your training, she is also starting to talk a lot now big long sentences but hard to make out.

[marie83]

Can't you cage her whilst your cooking? You could pick up a travel cage pretty cheaply just to shut her in for a short time whilst your doing things that could be dangerous for her if you dont want to buy a big cage.

[liz]

Thanks again for the comments well I am getting somewhere now, although I am a wee bit worried, I have discovered if I let her out in the kitchen whilst I am working in it or making dinner she will wander through to the living room etc and wander about the kitchen, a few times a day, we are not getting a fraction of the noise the only thing I worry about is the cooker, she tends to sit near it and enjoys the steam coming off the pans but I am very worried of an accident I went through the other day and she was sitting on a pan handle that was boiling, she was obviously missing getting out and about, going to start trying some of your training, she is also starting to talk a lot now big long sentences but hard to make out.

Stay in the kitchen while you are cooking. If I have to leave, I turn off the heat and cover the pan.
Never turn your back on the bird while heat or a sink full of water is involved. Use your microwave or oven when possible.

I have found by cooking more of something at a time that I can make 20 minute meals. Like cook 5 pound of hamburger at a time and freeze in 5 packages. I do the same with roast chicken. Wraped in serving size thaws fast and all it needs is warmed up.

I don't have a problem with Rambo because he is on the floor. I have a corner of the counter for Myrtle where I put a plate and let her sample the pasta or veggies while I am cooking. Now she goes to the corner and waits for her plate to be filled.