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Post by eddymvp on May 14, 2017 10:28:36 GMT -5
I'm having problem with my quaker. He is about 5 months old and he only bonds with me in the house. I play with him a lot, but sometimes I need a break from him to do things in the house, however when I'm not playing with him he won't stop squaking and he is very loud. As soon as I go to his cage and talks to him he stops, but when I leave he starts again.
How can I stop this behavior from him?
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Post by easttex on May 14, 2017 14:12:05 GMT -5
I think there's more than one issue that you can work on. They kind of feed each other. Related to the squawking, he needs to learn how to amuse himself when you are busy, and it would be nice if he made other friends in the flock. The first thing you should do is to quit responding to his squawking. (Maybe warning others in the household that you will be doing this and asking for their patience should come first.  ) By giving him attention when he does that, positive or negative, you are reinforcing his behavior. Start catching him in good behavior and rewarding that. If he already plays with toys by himself, reward him for that. If he doesn't, you'll have to start training him how. You can develop an alternative to the squawk to get your attention, like a whistle or a particular word, but to work you have to be very consistent and reward with your attention every time for a while, and not everyone can do that. Since he is already trained to squawk for your attention, it will probably take some time to extinguish that, but be patient, and don't let others in the household undermine your efforts, or it won't work. Experts say that it will often get really bad just before it stops, so try to hang onto that thought.🙂 If you need some help starting training, find Barbara Hedenreich's videos on YouTube. Look not so much for the particular behavior she's training but her methods. Come back here for any questions or to get other opinions. Your bird is still young and he needs your guidance to help him figure out how to make his way in the world. Being patient and loving with him, always, will pay off. |
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Post by eddymvp on May 14, 2017 15:33:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the advise, others wants to play with him, however he does not like them. They are nice to the bird but he flies away from them when they try to get him. He became my friend from the moment I got him in the house. How can we get him to get more friends in the house?
We are 5 in the, my two daughters are 12 and 7 and my son 6. My son is not interest in playing with the bird. My Wife tries very hard to get the bird to like her.
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Post by easttex on May 15, 2017 5:21:35 GMT -5
In the long run I've gotten the most cooperation from my birds when I've allowed them to choose to do things. Trying out of the blue to pick up a bird that is bonded with another person is attempting to use force, and is counter-productive. One way for others to start a relationship with him is to establish a little trust first, and only then ask him to step up. They should talk soothingly around him, and spend time just sitting near him. Let others be the ones to give him his favorite treats. If he's reluctant to take them from the hand, they should deposit them in in a dish in his cage. Convince him that only good things come from their hands. Work up to giving the treats by hand, and after it becomes routine, they can to ask him to step up. If he doesn't want to, don't press him. Try again later. It may help if you are not in the room. Allow your bird to set the pace, and don't continue to make him do things he is not comfortable doing.
I wouldn't recommend that your younger children try to handle him. Small children and parrots can be a bad combination. You have to be able to remain calm, no matter what the bird does, even if he gives a painful bite, and that is too much to expect of a small child. A bad reaction from a child (or an unprepared adult, for that matter) can be traumatic for a parrot, and can lead to behavior problems if you're not careful.
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Post by julianna on May 17, 2017 13:43:46 GMT -5
Easttex.... you have given great advice!!!
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Post by pidgesmum on May 23, 2017 20:06:35 GMT -5
Ha Ha Eastex. It's the other way around at my house. Visitors don't get to choose .Pidge flies to anyone who comes in the house and is absolutely delighted with them. Michael being the exception as discussed in Angry Bird.
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Post by easttex on May 24, 2017 7:37:56 GMT -5
It sounds like you have a very well socialized little quaker. Hopefully Michael can work his way back to being a trusted flock member before too long. |
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Post by biteybird on May 25, 2017 3:18:17 GMT -5
I meant to say - I'm not sure there is any foolproof system for stopping your quaker squawking. Bonnie still does it on occasion and we don't know why (usually). And once she has her mind set on it you just have to grit your teeth and try to ignore it completely...easier said than done, of course. |
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Post by julianna on May 26, 2017 13:05:49 GMT -5
I find Oscar squawking a lot more lately probably because it is spring. I get sooooo frustrated some times... especially when I am trying to have a 10 minute snooze. No way he will let that happen. He makes sure he lets out a good one every 10 seconds... thanks Oscar.
The other day I was laying on the couch and he was on my belly walking all around. I had my eyes closed and I could feel him coming up beside my head. No problem right??? WRONG... He lets out the very loud squawk right into my right ear... geeezzzzzzzz. So much for that relaxing time. He says... get up NOWWWWWWW.
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Post by biteybird on May 26, 2017 18:48:37 GMT -5
Sounds like Oscar and Bonnie went to the same boot camp training prior to choosing their human slaves. As I type Bonnie is doing her most objectionable, grating squawk...the kind that sounds like she's being tortured. When she's super desperate for attention she does groups of 2 or 3 squawks in rapid succession. She's been going for about half an hour so far...  |
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Post by pidgesmum on Jun 17, 2017 20:14:19 GMT -5
Pidge's latest squark sounds like mating (or fighting) cats. It can get very wearing!
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Post by biteybird on Jun 20, 2017 2:37:37 GMT -5
Yeah, when they put their minds to it they can sound HORRIBLE!  |
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Post by beccilouise on Jul 18, 2017 10:56:28 GMT -5
Firstly, parrots are loud. You are never completely going to be able to get a parrot to be quiet. A quiet parrot is an extremely ill/depressed/unhappy parrot. What you CAN do is teach the parrot sounds that are more acceptable in the human flock. Offering a whistle or words in place of squawks can be really helpful. IGNORE SCREAMING! I know this is really hard (trust me, I trained mine from 4 months old!) but do not move/flinch/make eye contact and DEFINITELY do not shout or shake the cage. Instead, wait until the bird is quiet and then offer treats and make a huge fuss. Work to teach your bird whistles or words that they can use instead to get your attention. Maya now asks for things by nodding her head like a nutcase. Weirdly, (and I don't know how I managed this), I got her to do this by saying 'ask nicely' and she learned to associate this with nodding. If she lunges, I say 'ask nicely', she nods and, if its safe, I give her some of what I'm eating (it's normally food!)
Teaching birdie to play by himself will also be REALLY important. Show them how fun kitchen roll tubes, bits of cardboard and dye- and fragrance-free tissue can be by playing with it yourself (so much of parronting is role-play!) and then adorn the cage with exciting things. I've recently put a foraging tray at the bottom of Maya's cage. It's full of cardboard and paper strips and crumpled bits of paper and in amongst it are hidden her favourite treats. Parrots spend 50% of their time in the wild foraging, so getting a parrot to work for (some of) his food can be a really good way of helping develop independence. I also leave a radio on in Maya's room for when I'm not home or doing something she needs to be in her cage for (like cooking!) this gives her some company and means she mimics some of the radio sounds rather than yelling for me. Good luck!
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Post by Loopyloo on Apr 23, 2018 10:13:36 GMT -5
My quaker won't let me near it it is abo u 10 months old and he bites all the time l sit and talk to it all the time but not geting any were with it don't no if it is a boy or girl
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Post by biteybird on Apr 24, 2018 3:06:34 GMT -5
Hi Loopyloo and welcome to the Forum! Did you adopt your quaker later or have you had him/her since it was a baby? You are doing the right thing by sitting and talking to your bird. Please don't try to force physical contact with the bird - the biting tells you he/she isn't comfortable with that yet. You can get a DNA test done at the vet if you really want to know if you have a boy or girl. It doesn't cost that much. Go carefully with your little friend. It may take a long time, so be prepared to be patient. : There are lots of posts on here about biting and squawking strategies, if you are willing to look through them. Cheers. |
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) By giving him attention when he does that, positive or negative, you are reinforcing his behavior. Start catching him in good behavior and rewarding that. If he already plays with toys by himself, reward him for that. If he doesn't, you'll have to start training him how.
