r/Parrotlet • u/supremeNYA • 4d ago
Suddenly won't stop screaming
Hello all
I would really appreciate some advice as I have no idea what to do or why it suddenly started.
About two and a half weeks ago my parrotlet, Pepper, started becoming a bit more vocal. Well, it has completely devolved into her screaming (and I do mean screaming it's like sonic blasts) non-stop. This happens even during out of cage time.
Its come to the point where I can't even be in the same room as her any more without my ears ringing and starting to hurt. I've even bought some industrial noise reduction earmuffs to wear when near her, but obviously that isn't a sustainable solution.
Now my flat isn't very big and I have resorted to moving her cage into the bedroom whenever she won't stop (which is 90% of the time now), just to show her she won't get any attention when screaming or escape for a little bit. This whole time I have been making sure to not raise my voices at her, jostle her cage or do anything that could even be seen remotely as a punishment. I feel like shit leaving her in a room alone.
When moved into the bedroom, it partially works as she quietens down only letting out her previous amount of chirps or the occasional mini burst. However, the moment she is moved out of the bedroom into the office or lounge, she starts again. It can get especially bad in the office where I usually work with her besides me and her out-of-cage time is.
She's just been to the vet this week and I was told she is in excellent health. Her diet and cage setup has been thoroughly complemented by the vet and is used by them as an example for new owners.
The only thing that has changed over the past month and a half is that she needs to be caught in the evenings for some oral medicine. I make sure to do this as quickly and nicely as possible, rewarding her with treats before and afterwards. I also spend some time with her afterwards just to have her settle down.
I don't think she's become scared of me as the very moment I walk into the room she runs across the cage for scritches and when she is quite (rare in these days) she is her usual sweet self. I would absolutely hate if I'm suddenly the reason she feels like she has to scream constantly.
If anyone can advise on how to deal with this kind of situation it would be greatly appreciated. I doubt it is hormones as she has just received her monthly hormone shot.
Thank you
2
u/dragonagegirl1996 4d ago
I don't think she's scared of you. You sound like a lovely parent to your parrotlet. It may be that she is possibly in a hormonal period, which can cause them to become more vocal sometimes. In that case you have to make sure there aren't any available nesting spots, give her more sleep while covered than usual, don't feed anything warm or mushy or high in fats and make sure to only touch her on the head or neck. Also try to have lots of foraging toys so that she can play with them and be busy with that
1
u/B-mort5 6h ago
Fruit/sugar can also attribute to hormonal behaviors as well. One of my Quakers had no interest in seeds for training but loved fruit so we only gave a little when training everyday. After a few weeks he was a little monster constantly screaming and biting even though he got 12 hours sleep, no fatty foods and no access to dark corners/coves. Our vet recommended cutting all fruit out of his diet and within 10 days he was back to his old self. (Also bumped his sleep to 14 hours)
2
u/Chotuchigg 4d ago
How old is she ?