I could really use some advice on Quaker Parrots. My Sweetpea isn't so sweet anymore.He is constantly screeching. The other websites I have searched has no info on how to tame this voice. Please someone help or it's off to the store to be sold.
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I could really use some advice on Quaker Parrots. My Sweetpea isn't so sweet anymore.He is constantly screeching. The other websites I have searched has no info on how to tame this voice. Please someone help or it's off to the store to be sold.
Quakers are naturally loud birds. They are really on the noisy side and it's natural for them to scream often. How long have you had your bird? Was it a handfed baby? Did you know this before you bought the bird? They can also be a bit nippy once they hit "puberty", that is, they become sexually mature.
I recentlly saw a show on the behavoir of parrots, and the way they learn both good and bad behavior on the Animal Planet station. It was a show on the hundreds of birds that are given up to a rescue facility called "The Gabriel Foundation" http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/ due to lack of time, lack of patience, lack of knowledge of bird psychology, exessive screaming, exessive biting, and other circumstances. I know a great deal about birds, but less about their psychology. I did learn on the show that birds scream to get the attention of their flock...even if it's bad attention. He screams, you yell, "BE QUIET"....he quickly realizes that everytime he screams you come running to tell him to put a sock in it...so he learns quickly that scream=attention. I do know that it's a very difficult behavior to curb. I would try to praise him TONS and give him lots of attention when he's quiet and completely ignore him when he goes overboard with his screams....it will take time and it will take patience and you will have to be completely uniform in your training, because, as I am sure you know, birds are extremely smart. Try to have some patience. It's in a parrots makup to scream, it is their way of communicating. He's just being a parrot. If you don't think you can handle the screaming problem please consider rehoming him or giving him to a parrot rescue group...I am not sure what is in your area but if you spend a little time doing searches on your browser for parot rescue in your state you may find a few hits.
http://www.maars.org/quotes/quote40.htm
http://www.parrotmedics.org/
Here are a few links. If you need further help I strongly suggest sending an email to someone at one of the rescue clubs. They will have better advice then I can give you. Birds are their lives and passions. I wish you luck, and I hope you make the right decision as what to do with your little quaker.
-Leslie
Do what AdoreMyDogs said! ;)