You may be asking this question – why do parrots scream in the morning?
Perhaps you have been recently hearing your pet scream first thing in the morning, or some time during the day. Although parrots are known to be quite loud and boisterous, there are certain reasons why they may be screaming during the day.
As a first-time owner, you may find this behavior puzzling, especially if you never encountered this before. But you know for certain that it is not an innocent parrot noise. Instead, it sounds more like a scream.
So why does this happen and should you be concerned? Let’s talk about the meaning behind this screaming and check these out!
Why Do Parrots Scream In The Morning?
Now, there is a HUGE difference between a normal chattering and a screaming when it comes to parrot sounds.
They are loud and active birds, but they don’t just scream for no reason. This is why it is important as an owner to understand what your pet may be going through.
A scream could mean so many things such as a sign of boredom or loneliness. They may also want attention, especially if you have not been home for several hours during the day. Your pet may be missing you and wanting some quality time with you.
Or, if it is none of the above, then your parrot may be injured or sick. It may be battling with some kind of an injury, discomfort or pain. So, just like when a baby is not feeling too good, you may hear it scream and cry. And in the same way, your parrot is telling you something and making sure you heard it loud and clear.
With all these things in mind, it is important that you understand the difference between these sounds. You should try to decode the sound if it is begging for attention or something that requires immediate attention such as a night terror, injury, or an illness. But no matter what the reason may be, the right action will easily eliminate this undesirable sound.
Although parrots are loud creatures, you can most definitely train them to be quiet. Yet, you cannot stop them from screaming if something is really bothering them and making them feel uncomfortable.
When your parrot screams as a way of expressing excitement when you get home, then it is nothing to worry about at all. It simply wants to let you know how happy it is that you are finally back. But of course, the neighbors may not be too pleased about it, particularly if your pet does this repeatedly and and even more loudly each time.
So, this is where proper training comes in, which parrots can most easily learn from.
However, if your parrot screams in the morning, it is usually because your pet has more energy during this time of the day. They may also scream just about every sunrise, or at dawn. This is their way of calling out to others that they believe to be in their flock, which is usually when they return to the roosting site.
While they may not have any flock because it is held in captivity, it is still its nature to act as it would as when in the wild. They may squawk, scream, or chatter as their typical ways of communicating with their flock members. And if you have a couple or more parrots at home, then the screaming may happen more often than not.
At sundown, this should be the time that your parrot has basically settled down. It is time for bed, which makes it more relaxed and ready to retire for the day. Thus, parrots are typically quiet when darkness has set in. Of course, this is a welcomed behavior since the last thing you want is a very noisy parrot at night.
However, if you hear your pet screaming at night, it may be afraid and startled. There may have been bright and distracting headlights from vehicles passing by, or perhaps it hears some humming from your appliances, or other household pets may be making so much noise. So, if you hear some screaming, you need to reassure your pet and speak to it calmly and gently.
You can also put it far away from the source of noise or lights. And it can help to put a sheet or cover over the cage just so it will not be startled by brilliant lights anymore.
When your parrot is screaming as a way of seeking attention, then it is quite understandable. It may have developed a very strong and close bond with you. Thus, it is feeling sad and lonely when you leave the room. For some reason, it is telling you to stay and not leave. But you should not punish your pet for such behavior because it will not solve the problem.
If you hear the screaming, the last thing you should do is to rush quickly to check on it. What this does is simply strengthen the behavior or habit even more. It makes your pet realize that what it wants and what it does to get the thing it wants actually works. So, instead of going to your pet, you should ignore it. Eventually, this should put an end to the behavior.
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The Next Steps
Depending on what is causing your pet to scream in the morning, you can do something that will keep this behavior under control until it eventually dies down. You should check your pet for signs of injuries or illness that may also be causing the screaming.
However, if your pet appears to be perfectly fine, there are no strange symptoms, it has its food, and you are nearby, yet it is still screaming, then it is doing what it normally does in the wild – call out to its flock. Thus, you can simply train your pet to not scream anymore, especially if it can be quite loud and distracting to your household members and neighbors.