Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Good morning, I get your newsletter every Sunday.

 

We have an elenora cockatoo (aka medium sulfur crested) that we have had for 21 years.

 

We got her when she was 4 months old.

 

Within the last two years she has started to yell.

 

Within the last year it has gotten real bad.

Whether you walk out of the room or you could be sitting in the same room as her, she’ll yell and scream.

 

We tried just ignoring her, that doesn’t work, we’ve put her in her carrying case and when she starts to quiet down, we’ll take her out and it’s right back to yelling.

 

We vet tried Prozac to see if that would help it did not.

 

We just started her on a new medicine and hopefully we’ll get some relief from this screaming and yelling.

 

The vet said we do have other choices if this doesn’t work. She can be so cute and cuddly when she’s quiet but that is few and far in between now.

 

The major problem is we live in two family house and the lady upstairs was in her 90s and was so good mainly because she was deaf.

 

She has passed away and when our landlord finishes remodeling upstairs and a new tenant moves in we may have to give up Hailey if we can’t quieter her down per our landlord.

 

We know they yell when they play and have loud times during the day. We can’t even leave the house now and she is just screaming.

 

You can hear her with the windows all closed in the summer is worse.

 

Our neighbors say open the back window and let her out.

 

We’ve lived here for 32 years and are close with all our neighbors.

 

I really hope you can help because it would break our hearts if we had to take her to a place for birds and no we don’t know anyone who would take her.

 

I’m sure I’ve left other things out.

 

Thank you in advance for your help or any suggestions. Jane

 

Hi Jane,

 

Putting things in perspective, parrots could scream endlessly for 99 million years and no one cared.

 

Then in 1400 something Alexander the great was given a parakeet (now called the Alexandrine).

 

From that point forward humans told parrots “you can’t scream like that anymore.”

 

Here’s some “macro advice:

 

https://windycityparrot.com/blog/2017/04/24/parrots-scream-lot/

 

Your cockatoo’s excessive screaming was caused by a trigger.

 

As an example, one our customer’s Congo greys started plucking 4 months prior.

 

The bird’s been with her 17 years.

 

We talked about possible triggers.

 

The grey was staying at her mom’s house where her sister lives as well.

 

Sis thought the bird was bored so she moved the cage in front of a picture window, 4 months earlier – as an example.

 

This is why we talk about bird cage placement

 

Lighting is incredibly important. (a topic few vets talk about)

 

Does the bird have enough toys in its cage?

 

Are the perches in your cockatoos cage arranged properly?

 

Your vet can not fix this.

 

Finally  I think avian veterinarians treating birds with Prozac (which is addictive) Lupron (hormonal) or Haldon (psychotropic) is an admission that they are unable to fix behavioral problems.

 

I just want to slap the back of their collective heads and ask “what is wrong with you?”

 

No behavioral courses are taught at veterinary schools.

 

Have a cup of coffee, sit in a chair while at your elenora’s in cage and out of the birdcage environment.

 

Then think back about possible screaming parrot triggers that may have occurred in the past 24 months.

 

Your bird isn’t simply screaming, she’s trying to tell you something.

 

All you need to do is learn to speak bird.

 

Best

 

mitchr

Away Form: Started Oct 14 2018

 

My 35 year old Citron Cockatoo (the smallest of the yellow-crested cockatoos) started chopping feathers and chewing on them 1 yr ago.

 

 

Dr. Says behavioral.

 

I am not sure.

 

Your opinion please

 

Name: Lisa Peterson

 

Dear  Lisa

 

Something in your birds life changed to cause this.

 

Did you move the cage?

 

Have a new pet or man or someone new in the house?

 

Did you change your job?

 

Are your hours different?

 

New pictures on the walls, new window treatment?

 

SOMETHING happened.

 

Please think on it and let us know.

 

Thank you

 

Dear Catherine

 

Thank you for responding.

 

Jo Jo was diagnosed with zinc poisoning from paint on his cage.  

 

I had to get Stainless steel cage after 30 years in his cage.

 

He still is trying to adjust.

 

I appreciate your help.

 

Lisa

 

Dear Lisa

 

Ah, yes, that is a big change.

 

One question. Is the SS cage shiny?

 

I have recently heard that if shiny, the reflection of the other bird in the shiny stainless bird cage metal can be disturbing.

 

And is the cage larger or smaller?

 

If larger your bird may be feeling exposed.

 

Do you have 20 toys and other things lining the inside of the bars?

 

The items and obstacles will also help block some of the reflective metal if this is the issue.

 

Try weaving paper or palm strips in and out of the bars.

 

Cardboard strips.

 

Anything to take the birds focus away from the cage itself.

 

One other thing.

 

Is the bird anywhere near moving air, like a fan or vent?

 

That also is a big trigger.

 

Please let us know if any of this helps.

Thank you

Catherine

 

You are so right.

 

It is shiny.

 

He loves himself and to look at himself.

 

It also is bigger.

 

I have taken crate paper and weaved it on and out of the dome as he kept hanging off the side of the bird cage all the time.

 

Thank you for all suggestions.

 

He adores me and wants me to pet him all the time.

 

I have had my citron since baby.

 

Dear Ron, Lisa

 

Okay, one more thing.

 

Are you making sure to pet him ONLY from the neck UP?

 

If you are stroking his body below the neck you are stimulating him incorrectly.

 

Yeah, he likes it.

 

But it is mating behavior.

 

That can lead to frustration and the self destructive behavior.

 

NO more stroking, petting below the neck.

 

Scritch the hell out of his neck, head. ONLY.

 

You also likely need to set up a full spectrum bulb right above his cage.

 

12 hours on and 12 hours off.

 

That will help regulate the hormones.

 

Set it on a timer for say 8 am to 8 pm, all year round.

 

Catherine

 

Dear Catherine,

 

I am so very grateful for your help.

 

JoJo was just fine for 34 years.

 

Having been sick only one time.

 

I started having trouble breathing in July of 2017.

 

I had appointments with several Doctors who could not figure out why.

 

After 7 Months and continuing to get worse a Pulmonologist diagnosed me with Bird Fanciers Disease.

 

He told me the only cure was to give Jo Jo away.

 

This was in March of 2018.

 

I took JoJo to his Doctor to stay for 6 weeks and both he and I were having a difficult time.

 

His Doctor told me if I did several things at home I would be able to take him home and still get better.

 

I brought him home and a couple weeks later he stopped eating so back to the Doctor.

 

That is when she said he had zinc poisoning.

 

He was in the Hospital 11 days.

 

Treated and released.

 

Since then he has had to be in the new cage.

 

He constantly wants one of us to pet him.

 

I never knew about just his head.

 

I have thought I was giving him the best of care and told by his Doctor he is the best behaved Cockatoo she has ever met.

 

Quite a compliment for any Cockatoo.

 

I have continued to get better and will keep him as long as I am on earth.

 

I am 67 so he will need to go to a family member when I die.

 

That is a big worry for me because he is so attached.

 

I will take all your suggestions and help him in any I can.

 

He has a delightful personality and is worth any challenge I need to face and solve.

 

Again Thank you.

 

Have a nice day,

 

Lisa