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My senegal, Roni, makes a shrill call whenever I leave her sight, and any time she "thinks" I am going to leave her sight. I believe this is the sound she would naturally make if she were trying to keep in contact with other members of her flock if she lived as a wild bird in Africa.
The sound doesn't bother me, but my son thinks it sounds like fingernails on a chalk board.
I feel the sound is a natural call for her, and I expect her to make her natural sounds from time to time. However, I'm hoping not to teach her to scream more often than she has to. I've read I can easily reinforce the behavior and make it worse, so I'm trying to consciously reinforce more pleasant sounds from her.
I've read a few articles about this and spoken to the people at the bird store from whence she came. The common theory seems to be to ignore that sound and it will eventually fade from usage.
I'm trying not to go to her when she makes that sound or acknowledge her in any way, but it is difficult. For one thing, she seems to hear me coming and often makes the sound right before I enter the room. Then I have to decide whether to turn around and come back a bit later, hoping she won't happen to call me again as I am about to come back, or continue into the room, taking the chance she will think it was her "calling" that made me come.
I thought I would try some natural jealousy to see how that worked, and the results have been positive, but not exactly what I had planned.
The bourkes, Stanley, couldn't make an unpleasant noise if his life depended on it. Every sound he makes is music to my ears. So I started giving him lots of attention whenever he would make a pretty sound, hoping Roni would copy him. It worked. She now makes cute bourke's noises whenever I am in the room. Stanly also says what sounds like "pretty" to me. Maybe it is just a natural bourkes sound, but it sounds like "pretty", and we all reinforce it as if that is what he is trying to say. Roni now says "pretty" even more clearly than Stanley.
However, this doesn't carry over to noises she makes when I am elsewhere in the house. She still uses her shrill contact call then. Of course, I suspect she is smart enough to realize that I probably can't hear the bourkes sounds throughout the house, anyway. What good would a "contact" call be if it can not be heard well enough to contact? Actually, she's also gotten so good at imitating him when I am in the room that I sometimes can't tell which one of the two is making the sound unless I am positioned so I can tell which cage it comes from, so I suppose even if she tried using those sounds for contact calls, I wouldn't know if she was making the sounds or Stanley was. So, my point is, I think the bird is too smart for me on this one.
I've considered having the kids stay in the room when I leave and then call me using some phrase we all agree on. I could come to answer them, and perhaps she would pick up saying that to get my attention. It could work.
Nevertheless, I honestly feel bad about ignoring the contact call itself. I don't want to teach her to scream whenever I am not with her and whenever she imagines I am leaving, but I also believe it is a very natural thing for her. I think she just wants me to keep her informed where I am in the house. Everyone tells me that she doesn't call for me unless I am actually home. She is quiet when she knows I am gone.
Additionally, the kids and I call one another from various parts of the house to locate one another and communicate. She should have the same option.
I believe that, with human children, inconsistent reactions are the surest way to reinforce any behavior. A baby that is never responded to when he cries will eventually stop crying all together, but that is a very neglectful way to parent. A baby that is responded to quickly, effeciently, and consistently will learn to cry only when he needs something, and this is what a parent wants. A baby who is responded to inconsistendly when he cries will learn to cry even when he doesn't need to cry, because he never knows when he will get the response he needs, so he has to cry all the time in hopes to get attention sometimes.
What I would really like is to help Roni develop a contact call that my son can better tolerate but which comforts her as she needs to be comforted when I am out and about the house and also gives her information about where I am. In other words, I'd like to be able to respond to her calling me in a pleasant tone so she gets what she desires from using a pleasant contact call instead of this screech.
So, any suggestions for modifying the contact call to something a little more pleasant than the "fingernails on a chalk board" screach?
The sound doesn't bother me, but my son thinks it sounds like fingernails on a chalk board.
I feel the sound is a natural call for her, and I expect her to make her natural sounds from time to time. However, I'm hoping not to teach her to scream more often than she has to. I've read I can easily reinforce the behavior and make it worse, so I'm trying to consciously reinforce more pleasant sounds from her.
I've read a few articles about this and spoken to the people at the bird store from whence she came. The common theory seems to be to ignore that sound and it will eventually fade from usage.
I'm trying not to go to her when she makes that sound or acknowledge her in any way, but it is difficult. For one thing, she seems to hear me coming and often makes the sound right before I enter the room. Then I have to decide whether to turn around and come back a bit later, hoping she won't happen to call me again as I am about to come back, or continue into the room, taking the chance she will think it was her "calling" that made me come.
I thought I would try some natural jealousy to see how that worked, and the results have been positive, but not exactly what I had planned.
The bourkes, Stanley, couldn't make an unpleasant noise if his life depended on it. Every sound he makes is music to my ears. So I started giving him lots of attention whenever he would make a pretty sound, hoping Roni would copy him. It worked. She now makes cute bourke's noises whenever I am in the room. Stanly also says what sounds like "pretty" to me. Maybe it is just a natural bourkes sound, but it sounds like "pretty", and we all reinforce it as if that is what he is trying to say. Roni now says "pretty" even more clearly than Stanley.
However, this doesn't carry over to noises she makes when I am elsewhere in the house. She still uses her shrill contact call then. Of course, I suspect she is smart enough to realize that I probably can't hear the bourkes sounds throughout the house, anyway. What good would a "contact" call be if it can not be heard well enough to contact? Actually, she's also gotten so good at imitating him when I am in the room that I sometimes can't tell which one of the two is making the sound unless I am positioned so I can tell which cage it comes from, so I suppose even if she tried using those sounds for contact calls, I wouldn't know if she was making the sounds or Stanley was. So, my point is, I think the bird is too smart for me on this one.
I've considered having the kids stay in the room when I leave and then call me using some phrase we all agree on. I could come to answer them, and perhaps she would pick up saying that to get my attention. It could work.
Nevertheless, I honestly feel bad about ignoring the contact call itself. I don't want to teach her to scream whenever I am not with her and whenever she imagines I am leaving, but I also believe it is a very natural thing for her. I think she just wants me to keep her informed where I am in the house. Everyone tells me that she doesn't call for me unless I am actually home. She is quiet when she knows I am gone.
Additionally, the kids and I call one another from various parts of the house to locate one another and communicate. She should have the same option.
I believe that, with human children, inconsistent reactions are the surest way to reinforce any behavior. A baby that is never responded to when he cries will eventually stop crying all together, but that is a very neglectful way to parent. A baby that is responded to quickly, effeciently, and consistently will learn to cry only when he needs something, and this is what a parent wants. A baby who is responded to inconsistendly when he cries will learn to cry even when he doesn't need to cry, because he never knows when he will get the response he needs, so he has to cry all the time in hopes to get attention sometimes.
What I would really like is to help Roni develop a contact call that my son can better tolerate but which comforts her as she needs to be comforted when I am out and about the house and also gives her information about where I am. In other words, I'd like to be able to respond to her calling me in a pleasant tone so she gets what she desires from using a pleasant contact call instead of this screech.
So, any suggestions for modifying the contact call to something a little more pleasant than the "fingernails on a chalk board" screach?