The Scream...

[RoseRed]

I have had my Opaline budgie for just over two months now and he is four months old. He wasn't hand reared and is proving difficult to tame, especially as he has such a nasty bite!:eek:
The main problem I am having is that just over the last couple of weeks he has started screaming and screaching at the top of his lungs and it lasts all day. He is so loud with it that my next door neighbour asked it if was an African Grey that we were keeping!
I don't know how to keep him quiet. He gets an awful lot of attention and toys to keep him occupied when we are out but I can't stop this overly loud shouting. Can someone pleeeeeeezzzzzeeee help???!!! :confused:

[Scott]

All parots scream/call out in the mornings as a natural instinct but they should settle down, perhaps try some music as that can relax and sooth budgies if depending on the song choice! Also make sure they get a good 10/12 hours darkness/sleep if possible.

[ninikins]

Wow, my budgie has certainly never screamed before! That must be pretty scary/annoying, keep us posted on how it works out.

[RoseRed]

Thanks guys...
My budgie's had music, the TV... everything! He also get's 10 hours sleep/darkness. He's pretty hard work. I wouldn't mind him screaming in the mornings but he goes on all day, non-stop! Is there any particular age that he may calm down? This is really embarrassing as my dad used to breed and show lovebirds, redrump parakeets, finches, canaries and budgies, but even he's at a loss as to what to do with this one!!

[Tigriz]

Have you tried bringing in another bird for company? I know you mentioned you were trying to tame him so that would work against your efforts there, but he may calm down even if you have another bird in the same room, not necessarily in the same cage. Especially if he was used to being around other birds when you got him?

[Plumley]

I've had budgies that called, whistled, chattered and sometimes were loud about it. I never had one that shrieked. Is it possible that something is physically wrong? Maybe it's time to chat with the vet.

[LynseyHat]

My budgie seems to go through a stage of screeching first thing in a morning and it lasts about 2 hours. He will probably do it for about two weeks then he stops. I let him out and he flys round the house screeching and I end up having to put him in his cage until he has calmed down.

I cover his cage overnight but I do not close the curtains in that room. At the moment it gets light about 5am so I'm going to close the curtains tonight to see if he stops doing it.

[sbarber77]

That would drive me nuts. I hope everything works out for you.

[D.C.KEAN]

Try putting in a dummy bird, so that he can batter the living daylights out of , that might work

[Zanzi]

Have you tried recording his screams and then played them back to him? I don't know if that will work, but it might surprise him enough to stop in mid-screech. I read somewhere that this kind of treatment - startling the bird with a birdsound - works with big birds, so perhaps it also works on small ones.

[LynseyHat]

Good News. I tried closing the curtains in the room where he sleeps as well as covering his cage and for the last 3 days he hasn't screeched, (he will have have had probably 8hrs darkness). He's just back to his normal self chattering away and chirping. Thanks for the advice

[MummyL]

Are you sure your baby boy isn't a girl-milo my first budgie used to make that noise and she had a blue cere for the first year of her life which then turned dark brown.You never know............
Lisa x

[Zanzi]

Wow! Amazing that such a little thing as lack of darkness for a solid eight hours would have that kind of effect on a bird! I’m just glad to hear your little budgie is back to being his happy self. ;)

[LynseyHat]

Thanks for your comments. I don't think Buster is a girl as occasionally he tries to have a crafty rub of his privates when he's sat on my hand (like he would if he had mounted a female).
Also he is about 2 1/2 years old and is cere is still blue, but like you say you never know. I will let you know of any changes.

[elaine010]

ok that is cool.

[Fifi]

I have had the same screeching problem with my budgie (also an opaline). People didn't believe what a noise he could make until they heard him. Like you our budgie has lots of attention, toys and activity centres to play on so it isn't due to boredom.
My partner works shifts so the screeching during the day really is a problem.
Our solution (working so far), is classic FM during the day/mornings. I have also got him a toy budgie (it is actually a finch of some kind but he thinks it's a girl budgie), he spends time grooming her and winking at her and it has calmed his screaching down a lot!
Good luck - I can fully appreciate how difficult life becomes with a noisy budgie and I hope you find a solution!!