Screaming, Screeching Bird Help - Part One

Our pretty cherry-head (red-masked) conure can scream with the best of them.  If you have every met one, you know what I mean.  In fact, the literature about this species always talks about how loud they are.  However, I have found that he is no different than any toddler that wants something but can't express her/himself in "human" language.  But, lucky for him, I can talk with birds.  And, so can you.

First you will take notice of the screaming details:  Where exactly is the bird when it occurs - and I do mean "exactly".  Is he in a specific spot on his perch, cage, etc.?  Where exactly is everyone and anyone else in the home?  What is going on in the home (music playing, TV on, kids around, someone talking on the phone, water running (where), food cooking (what kind), lighting, etc.  Seriously, if you want to figure this out and find a calm and quiet way to live in joyous harmony with your screamer, then start a journal.   Do this for a full week and include as much detail as you are willing to manage.  Include details about what physical activity for the bird preceded and followed the screaming episode.  Then come back to www.talkingwithbirds.blogspot.com to read "Screaming Bird Help - Part Two".  We will discuss the patterns that may be emerging from your screaming journal.

Our pretty little parrot has devised his own way to train and control us by the way he uses screaming, among several other activities.   Through my observations and conversations with him, I have been able to build some balance, peace, and fun in to our communal living situation (human-bird).

Our precious feathered friend has been with us for nearly 30 years.  So if you plan a long and happy relationship with a bird that screams a lot, this is a very worthwhile task to take on.

Bird Toys

A pet bird, such as a parrot, should have a bunch of toys. It's a good idea to no let a pet bird have them all at the same time. Mr. Spock, our cherry-head conure, has lots of toys and interesting things in his cage and on his playpens. Sometimes a new toy will be there for weeks or even months before he tries them out. Then one may become his new favorite for a while. Six or eight toys would be a good start. Some of Spock's favorite toys are not even store bought. He LOVES the cardboard tubes from paper towels...he rolls them, flips them, flings them, etc. Sometimes I even hang them on a rope in different places for him to play with. It's a good idea to rotate toys every six months or so...move a couple out and a couple in.

A Birdseye Vision

Did you know:

Birds see in color. I've known that for a long time, because our choosy Cherry-head Conure, Mr. Spock, eats his food in color order. Yes, just like a human might choose to eat jelly beans or M&Ms (click here to read about it). In fact, birds can see colors better than humans. It has to do with lenses and cones (not ice cream cones, but the cones that make up the eye), which allow them to see a greater range of the ultraviolet wavelengths than humans. That may be another reason why our pretty parrot can be found entranced with his image in anything reflective. If there is a mirror or a metallic object near by (even a spoon), he can be found snuggled up to it staring at his bright red crown and gorgeous green body. Oooh La La !!

Parrot POW - Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome

Mr. Spock, our cherry-head conure, just returned from a week-long stay at the bird hotel in South Florida while we were away. Even though he had his some of his favorite toys and snacks along with the company of lots of other beautiful and exotic birds, he still came home freaked out. This is unusual for our lively parrot; usually he is friendly and grateful for being liberated. Sometimes he would pretend to be mad for a few minutes, but would get over that quickly and return to his normal bird behavior.

This time though, for two full days, he was like a cat on the attack, or a like a cornered snake. As soon as I would get near him...his eyes would bug out, he'd back up, get a good footing, and lunge at me with the big beak snapping. Yikes! There were several near hits, and a few direct strikes on my finger. There he was...biting the hand that feeds him. By the third day (yesterday), he was as cute and cuddly as ever...snuggling up to the hand that feeds him. Welcome Back Mr. Spock!

Bird is Back

"What kind of crazy grass is this under my feet?"

A Big Hello and a Loud Squawk Squawk Screech Screech from me and Mr. Spock, the Royal Cherry-Head Conure of Palm Beach County. We have been conspicuously absent during the past few weeks taking care of a bunch of things here at the nest. Thanks for all your emails to check on our pretty parrot during our absence.

South Florida is very hot and seriously steamy. But Mrs. Spock is happy at home in his comfort controlled environment. He is behaving and having a great time in his new habitat. He's still finding new niches to investigate, interesting ways to play with his myriad of colorful toys and mirrors, and taking cat naps next to his fuzzy purple sleep buddy. Even though the door is open most of the time, we find him going in and out of the cage all the time...enjoying the luxurious space.

So check back daily for the scoop. We have lots of good stuff to post. And...don't forget, Mr. Spock would love for you to make this your favorite page for doing all your Google and Amazon searches, and all kinds of shopping too. Have a Great Day!!

Unspoiling our Bird - Part Two - Going Mobile

In Part 1 of this series, we described the large and luxurious new home base cage we set up for Mr. Spock to begin the unspoiling process.

The next step toward unspoiling Mr. Spock, our 25 year-old controlling cherry-head conure, was to purchase a new "playpen" for him so that he can have familiar comfortable surroundings wherever he goes in our home. He already has a "play area" in our office, but the new "mobile" addition gives him more options. It has a ladder, swinging toys, a high perch, low perch, food and water dishes, etc.

So, right about now you may be asking "exactly how is this unspoiling our precious parrot." I'm kind of questioning it myself. (Just kidding.) Actually, it's working. This is all part of our master plan to be able to have Spock close by whenever he starts feeling restless. Even though his cage is wide open when we are home, he does get restless from time to time. That's when the spoiled brat-bird in him starts to rear it's un-pretty head. The screeching begins. Sometimes he is letting us know he doesn't want to be alone while we are in another room. Other times, he may want some of what we are cooking or eating, or might want a light out or a light on, etc.

So, now that we have a mobile playpen for him. This has served to quiet the pesky parrot every time. It has cut out on a lot of screaming matches between us and him. And...since screaming is our bird's specialty, he is usually the winner of any Call of the Wild match. So now our little talks with Mr. Spock are more conducive to harmony in our home.

So, we highly recommend mobile playpens.

Unspoiling Our Bird - Part One - The first day home

Hello All,
It's been about a week since the last post because our extra focus and efforts have been on the "unspoiling of Mr. Spock." It began when our 25 year-old, cherry-head conure returned home from the hospital last week after a 14 day stay. The first phase of his hospital stay was for acute care, then it was more like in-patient rehab for the rest of our pretty little parrot's stay.

Over time, we have come to realize that Spock has been running our household, setting his rules, creating the schedules, telling us what to do, and so on. So we thought his homecoming would be a good starting point for us to begin on an even footing with him. Thus the beginning of "Unspoiling Our Bird." We had a plan would talk it over with Spock.

He arrived home to find a very large new cage, as opposed to the large previous cage. Bunches of new and interesting toys. A few of his new toys were just fresh new replacements of the identical toy that he had been playing with and demolishing for a long time. He adapted to the new cage and it's new location very quickly. We thought that it would be an easier adjustment for him to come home to everything new after the two weeks in the incubator at Backos Bird Clinic in Deerfield Beach, rather then just making the switch while he still called the old cage "home." Now, mind you, Mr. Spock is not confined to his cage too often. In fact, he has significantly more "open door" time than he does "locked door" time. It's his choice to be inside or out.

So, a recap so far of how we are unspoiling our cheery cherry-head conure: Big New Cage ! Lots of New and Fun Toys! Moving furniture around to create the perfect aviary space for him. Access in and out whenever he wants. Hmmmm....maybe we need to take a better look at this plan. But seriously, there is a plan. Tune in again to http://www.talkingwithbirds.blogspot.com/ for Part Two in the series "Unspoiling Our Bird."

Welcome Home Pretty Parrot !

Yay! Mr. Spock is back home. Our 25 year-old cherry-head conure returned home from a two week hospital stay at Backos Bird Clinic in Deerfield Beach, FL, where they took excellent care of him. He is happy and perky and show no signs of the nasty infection that was affecting his breathing.

Our healthy bird arrived home to his brand new supersized cage, with all new toys, perches and playthings. He hasn't even seen his playpen in the other room.

Poem to a Parrot, by Dee in Colorado

This poem was written by a dear friend (and Mr. Spock's Aunt) when she heard that Spock, our cherry-head conure, is in the bird hospital.

Just in case you haven’t heard
Mr. Spock is quite a bird!
Once a Rocky Mountain creature
Now a retired Boynton Beacher

I remember well when he was young
you wanted him to hold his tongue
But every little squeak and squawk
had wisdom in that Vulcan talk

I often marveled his colorful hues
of dazzling reds and brilliant blues
And even though he pecked my feet
Mr. Spock is very sweet

Get well Mr. Spock!
-Dee

A Little Parrot Humor

A new pet store opens. The shopkeeper puts a parrot in a birdcage outside in front of the store to attract some attention. A woman walks by the shop on her way to work, as she does every day, and the parrot says "You're Ugly." The woman is quite offended and walks off in a huff. The next morning the woman walks past the parrot again and he says "You're Ugly." She is indignant. On the third day, more of the same, the bird says "You're Ugly." This time the woman finds the shopkeeper and tells him about this and demands that he do something to stop it. So the shopkeeper brings the parrot inside, has a little talk with him, and sets him back outside. The next morning when the woman comes along, she looks at the parrot and he says in a sarcastic tone "You Know."

Empty Nest - Medical Leave of Absence for Sr. Consultant

Mr. Spock, our 25-year old cherry-head conure, just spent his second night at the vet's office for a nagging pseudemonas infection and a clogged nasal passage. Poor guy. After undergoing a 2-week course of daily injections, nose drops and mouth drops, one of his tiny little "nostrils" remains as corked up as a bottle of wine. Giving him the injections and meds was as hard on us as it was on him. That frightened look on his face when we approached the petrified parrot to bring him to the "treatment room" (AKA kitchen counter covered with towel)....what a heart breaker. Then there was the running around and away from us to the deepest depths of his cage and play habitats. He never seems to learn that he can run, but he can't hide from us. So Dr. Sam Backos (Uncle Sam to our ailing bird), decided to keep him at his avian hospital in Deerfield Beach, South Florida and work on manually unclogging that hole. I imagine this is something like sinus surgery for a human....eeeeshk. Otherwise, he seems pretty healthy right now.

As you may know, I rely heavily on Mr. Spock's bird editorial perspective when posting on www.talkingwithbirds.blogspot.com . I talk ideas over with him, generally in the evening, while drafting posts. So, while our Senior Consultant for www.talkingwithbirds.com is on medical leave, I am flying solo in writing. Therefore, there may be an extreme human presence detected in the posts until Mr. Spock returns from his leave.

Kirtan...Chanting...A New Way to Talk to A Rambunctious Parrot

Kirtan is the art and practice of devotional chant. When Mr. Spock, our cheerful cherry-head conure, gets a little wild or hyped up on life in general, I have found that a quick way to calm him down and get him into a cozy parrot fluff, is to play some beautiful, melodic chant music. It is Kirtan time for Mr. Spock. This music, with it's rhythmic beat patterns and inspiring voices, speaks to our bird in a way that no other bird talk does. The chanting and melodies see to reach him at a primal level. From a raging string of loud, unending squawking, he will hear the sounds and almost immediately become interested and quiet and begin the listening.

Traditionally thought of as Indian classical music, the sounds are enchanting and almost hypnotic. The traditional Indian musical instruments for Kirtan are the harmonium and the tabla. While many of the Kirtan chants are sung in a traditional manner by the devout, there is also a contemporary style of Kirtan chanting which may intersperse more modern musical sounds, and might even incorporate instruments like the guitar and violin. Kirtan is often a highlight at a yoga retreat, where the participants can all gather and relax and share a special moment. You can have Kirtan with your bird, and speak to his or her at a level that your voice just cannot go. Try it.

Please listen to a sample of this chanting so that you understand how enchanting is is for birds, and people, alike. Our conure's all time favorite chanting diva is Wah! You can hear Wah chanting via her website's sampling of her 18 albums http://www.wahmusic.com/. To hear a clip, click here.

Morning Rituals...A Cherry-Head Conure's Way of Saying "Good Morning"

Each morning we arise to the screeching squawk of our beloved 25 year old cherry-head conure, Mr. Spock. This has been going on, well...for a long time. Somewhere between about 6:30 and 7:00 am when the Eastern Daylight Savings time sunshine begins to fill his cage, our pretty little parrot's morning anxiety begins. Since we are usually already coherent, but not necessarily up and at'em, we can hear Mr. Spock in the next room milling around in his big cage. Mind you...his cage door is open, so he is welcome to go in and out at his pleasure. His a.m. routine begins with climbing down from his sleeping perch, slamming the hanging stainless steel mirror against the wood, stepping up to his inner cage food dish and having a breakfast shack of dry Pretty Bird brand fruity morsels. Now his pallet is awakened and he wants the next breakfast course. So outside of the cage he goes, to the rooftop play area and perch, where he checks his other food dish for something more interesting. This is the place he usually finds his fresh fruit, veggies, pasta, etc. However, since it is the morning...there is nothing, an unacceptable situation to our spoiled bird. So back in to the cage he goes, finding the largest and noisiest of toys and begins to let us know he is awake...bang bang bang the toys go. Grabbing them by the beak, he bangs them in to the side of the cage like a demolition team swinging a wrecking ball. If that doesn't get our attention, the whistling sounds begin. Finally, in his final desperate attempt to get us to rise and shine, he moves in to position on his favorite "screaming perch" and begins the call of the wild. Ear-ouching screeches and squawks. Up we are, filling his dish, wondering how has it come to this. Our cherry-head conure is our master...we are definitely parrot people.

Good Morning !

Dessert: Baby Food for Big Bird

How does one select a new and delicious snack for a parrot? It has to be safe and nutritious, while tasting good enough to be a treat. What are the odds a sales clerk in the pet food store truly knows what tastes good to your parrot? Also, are parrots taste buds like humans? I only know that our bird likes most of the same foods we like, good or bad as that may be. Too bad choosing from the boxes, bags, and trays of bird treats from the pet food store is not as easy (or as much fun) as choosing from the cookie aisle grocery store. We can usually imagine pretty well how a super chunk chocolate nut cookie will taste. But as for the dry and grainy looking bird treats...who knows!

I know Mr. Spock, our gastronomic adventurous bird, will try just about anything in the world. He often surprises us with the choices he favors. I like our bird's treats to be a vacation from the ordinary. So when I select a new treat from the bird store, I wonder if Mr. Spock will think "wow...this new treat is sooooo deeeeelicious," or will he simply eat it because it adequate. That is why I rarely buy any new treats for Mr. Spock from the pet store. We have taken to creating our own recipes for him.

Treats became easier when our wonderful avian vet, Dr. Sam Backos, was found to be feeding Mr. Spock human baby food. Our bird loves it as a treat. It's easy to find, economical, comes in many varieties, and doesn't make a mess. "Graduates Finger Foods" by Gerber comes in yummy flavors: banana, cherry, strawberry, sweet potato, apple, and sweet corn. They are crunchy little star-shaped puffs of different colors. We like to mix and match them for variety. I have to confess that sometimes I find myself munching on them too. (I wonder if I can serve them to guests....hmmmm.)

Parrots, Conures and House Guests

"Welcome To My Home"

Jekyll and Hyde could be one way to describe how Mr. Spock, our cherry-head conure, behaves when we have guests staying over. Our lovable bird usually starts out on his best behavior for about 1 - 2 days. He's calm, quiet, and spends most of his time keeping a low profile. The reality is that Spock is hiding out from the "strangers" and under the impression that no one can see him. This makes our courageous conure feel safe and gives him time to observe the new people. He forgoes the usual 'crack-of-dawn' crowing, he abandons clanging his toys in to the side of the cage to get our attention, and he skips the siren-like screeching that we usually hear as soon as we enter the house.

Once Mr. Spock has sized up the new humans and realizes they are not a threat to this proud parrot, he sends out that exact message via shock waves, usually early in the morning, with his 'rise and shine' ear-drum piercing cocka-doodle-doos. Then we know...that he knows...that we know...that Spock is back in charge of the household. Watch out now!

What have we learned? Parrots / conures are good on stake outs.

Finicky About Bird Food or Jelly Beans?

Some parrots and conures are choosy about the brand of bird food they will eat. Our cherry-head conure, Mr. Spock, is not only selective about the brand, but he has a pecking order (pun intended) as to which color he will eat first. It reminds me of how some people will eat jelly beans, Starburst, or lollipops in a certain order.

His favorite bird food is Pretty Bird brand medium size fruity pellets. There are four colors in the mix, and they have a nice fruity aroma. First to go is the purple, next is the yellow, then the red, and finally the green ones. Many times when we change his food, all that is left is a bunch of the green pellets. What's up with that?

What have we learned? Cherry-head conures are not color blind.

Good Bird Medicine (Yum)

As a child and I was frightened of needles. Injections of any sort brought out my wild side...kicking and screaming all the way. Well, as a bird owner, I have that same thing to contend with when medicating Mr. Spock, our cherry head conure/parrot.

Today is day 18 of giving Mr. Spock his 21-days of medication. The stress poor Spock goes through while getting his medication using the vet's method should probably warrant a sedative for him (and for us). What a commotion! Spock is a very independent minded bird and doesn't do what Spock doesn't want to do. He tries to bite and claw his way out of getting dosed. He's also a biter when he feels threatened (the vet techs approach the little guy like he's a vulture).

If it wasn't so serious a matter, I would call it comical. Two human adults chasing a small green and red bird around the house with a hand towel. Slapstick. Spock sees the towel and dives to the floor, then starts a wild run and hop all around (his wings are clipped). Are you a bird owner who knows what I am describing? When we finally get hold of him, it breaks our hearts to see him in that stiff mummy pose. Then...it takes two of us to keep his beak open enough to slide in the tip of a syringe filled with medicine (a needle-free syringe). The first few times, Spock actually tricked us. He concealed the liquid meds somewhere in his beak, then"spit" it all out. Can you imagine? So we learned how to overcome Spock's trickery and get the meds down twice per day...and...make it a pleasure to do.

After about 10 days of the 'stalk/capture/medicate method', we really thought that he would become more accustomed to it and trained to accept the medicine routine. A delusion, I guess. So we switched over to the the 'sneak in to the beak' method. It all came to me while eating a yummy treat from Mercier's Apple Orchard in Georgia. We mix the two medications with about 6 cc's (very little) of sweet, smooth, delicious old fashioned apple butter. I hand feed it to him and whisper sweet nothings at him the whole time. He loves it! Tastes good, he's happy, and he doesn't hate us. We love it too. (Of course, we called the vet's office and got the method approved...which leads me to wonder why in the world they don't give you a little hint like at the start.)

What have we learned? A negative becomes a positive for bird and mankind. By sweetening things up a little when giving our bird medicine, we turned it in to a treat and bonding process with Mr. Spock, instead of one that seemed more of a discipline exercise which controlled him with fear and force.

A Bird in a Bag is Worth Two in the Bush

You never know when a bird will do something that seems so ordinary to him, but becomes so memorable for you. Today our cherry-head conure, Mr. Spock, couldn't have done it better than if he were performing on stage. We brought the little guy in to the kitchen and put him on the countertop so he would have our company instead of screaming for us. He nonchalantly stepped over to a paper bag we just emptied and walked in to it, turned around, and made himself right at home. Of course, I grabbed the camera clicked away. He could not have known how cute he looked.

Maybe the bag represents a camping trip for him, like a little tent. After all, it is made from trees. Why did he want to be in the bag? He was so content to be there, centered, quiet, no sounds or "talking" at all. Just looking like he was trying to say "why haven't you brought me here before now?"

He then had to endure our big faces staring at him and telling him how cute he is, trying to get him to pay attention to the camera, then snapping pictures. Our little star.

What have we learned? An simple, inexpensive and quiet way to entertain the bird, while he in turn, entertains us. Symbiosis.