In the wild, Parrot’s are a part of a large flock. Screaming and singing very loudly are part of their day-to-day routine as part of that flock. Captive bred Parrots are still engrained with that need to be loud. However, this does not mean that your Parrot has to become a screaming menace in your household. When addressing your Parrot’s screaming behavior, you should first rule out any medical condition that would be causing your Parrot to scream, such as pain or sickness.

Here are three of the best tips to end your Parrot’s screaming forever:

Sleep.
As humans we require at least 6-8 hours of sleep per night in order to be able to function properly. Parrots generally require a minimum of 12 hours of sleep per night in order for them to behave properly. Does your parrot get enough sleep? All parrots are inclined to be irritable if they don’t get enough sleep. Even though some parrots do to take naps throughout the day, they still need a minimum of 12 hours of complete darkness each night.

Boredom.
As part of a flock in the wild, parrots spend a lot of time and energy searching for their food, but, in captivity, their food is already provided to them in a bowl in their cage. Since they no longer have a ‘job’ to do, Parrots become bored and frustrated, and it’s easy for that frustration to escalate into screaming. Always make sure that your Parrot has plenty of interactive toys for him to play with and rotate these toys every few days as well to give your Parrot more variety in his cage. Also provide your parrot with a few foraging activities – this way your parrot will have a ‘job’ again in searching for his food treats. Place a few treats inside a small cardboard box and place it in your parrot’s cage. He will have to figure out how to open the box to get to the treats. This will keep your parrot occupied and scream-free for hours.

Ignore your Parrot’s screaming.
Whenever your Parrot screams, ignore him. Walk out of the room. Close the door. This will teach your parrot that you will not respond to his screaming tantrums. Parrots scream for a few reasons; the most common being that they are trying to make contact with you, their flock buddy. Try and teach your Parrot to use his ‘inside voice’, meaning teach a different and more acceptable sound. Whenever your Parrot starts to scream, repeat the desired sound or word to your Parrot. Eventually he will learn to mimic this sound or word and will use it whenever he wants to get your attention. Remember though, that you will need to reward your Parrot whenever he uses this sound or word instead of screaming. Keep in mind that you should expect your parrot to scream a lot more for a short while before he stops screaming entirely. This is called an extinction burst. Basically your Parrot will try to scream very hard before giving up completely and resorting to the new sound or word.