How to Stop a Screaming Cockatoo
All cockatoos love attention and interaction, but when their screaming gets out of control, it can become a huge problem. If you react to the screaming by picking them up or scolding them, you will only reinforce the behavior.
Cockatoos often scream because they get bored. Make sure that they have plenty of toys and activities to keep them occupied.
Ignore Your Cockatoo
Cockatoos will often sound an alarm scream when something disturbs them. This can be anything from a cat walking by, the wind blowing a plastic bag or kids running through the house. You can help your buddy calm down when he’s sounding the alarm by making sure he has a quiet, comfortable spot in your home.
Try putting on some soothing music that will drown out the noises. Waterfall sounds, forest noises and soft music can help your cockatoo calm down and relax.
When your cockatoo starts screaming, don’t rush over to feed him, play with him or talk to him. This will only give him the message that loud behavior is an effective attention-getting tool. Instead, quietly walk out of the room and only return when he’s quiet. Over time, he’ll learn that quiet behaviour will get him much more attention than screaming. Also, you can use a white noise machine to help your cockatoo calm down.
Keep Your Cockatoo Busy
In the wild, cockatoos scream to communicate with other members of their group. They also scream when they are excited or happy and before they go to sleep in the evening. Excessive screaming is a bad habit that can be difficult to break. Your cockatoo knows that it will get attention whenever it screams, and it is important to teach it otherwise.
If your cockatoo is screaming for you, try to stay busy and give it something else to do. If it lets out a call for you from another room, respond to it with a reassuring phrase. This will help your bird learn that it can be comfortable in other spaces and still hear from you.
Cockatoos need regular interaction with their human flock mates to feel secure and loved. Often, excessive squawking is a sign of boredom and loneliness. Make sure your cockatoo has plenty of toys and activities to keep him occupied throughout the day.
Keep Your Cockatoo Happy
Cockatoos need lots of interaction in order to be happy. However, excessive screaming can signal that your cockatoo feels abandoned or ignored. Try to limit how often you interact with your bird, especially physically, and give it toys, activities, food, and other stimuli to entertain itself so that it does not feel the need to demand attention all the time by screaming.
In the wild, cockatoos often scream to communicate with their flock and to get their attention. It is also a natural behavior for them to scream in the morning and before they go to sleep.
However, excessive screams can be a sign that your cockatoo is trying to manipulate you. Instead of responding to your cockatoo’s demands by screaming back at it, ignore it for a few minutes. Then, go over to them and give it some attention. Slowly, your cockatoo will learn that it can get the attention it wants without screaming.
Train Your Cockatoo
If your cockatoo is screaming to get your attention, you can train it to learn other ways of getting what it wants. Start by ignoring it when it screams and then rewarding it when it quietens down. Soon, it will associate screaming with no attention and will stop.
You can also teach it to say words and short phrases that mean things. It is important to pick a word that will work for your parrot, such as “Hello” or “Bye Bye”. Then, practice it frequently.
Another way to bond with your cockatoo is to read to it. This will help it to become accustomed to your voice and may even begin to chat back to you. Do this every day.
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