How do I Stop My Budgies from Screaming? Tips & Tricks

Remember, do not let him manipulate you with this behavior or you will end up having constantly screaming budgies. 

Budgies commonly referred to as “Parakeets” are always thought of as the most beginner birds. In reality, they need as much attention as any other bird. These little creatures compete for parrots when it’s about being loud. Do your Parakeets also keep screaming? Well, first you need to figure out if they are just being loud or screaming. If they are just chattering, it is their common trait. But if your budgies make some blood-curdling noises then you need to figure out the reason behind this loud behavior. There are multiple tips and tricks that you can try to overcome this offending behavior of your noisy-buddy.

What Causes my Budgies to Scream?

Every bird got its reasons to squawk. Whatever the reason might be, always look and observe when your budgie makes excessive noise than normal. As mentioned, there could be several reasons when your parakeet may need your attention. Some of which you would be surprised to find out below

When your Budgie is Threatened By Intruders

Your little buddy might act weird when he feels his place is being invaded by someone. That someone maybe your neighbor’s dog, a cat in your backyard, or even a guest. Budgies are mean when an unfamiliar hand enters the cage. They can be real trouble if they feel threatened by someone. This behavior never means that your parakeet does not like people. He keeps squawking to let you know something is bothering him.

Budgies scream when they perceive an intruder coming towards him (even if it is not coming) and try to keep it away from his space. 

Due to Jealousy or Fear of a Particular Person

Budgies scream when a particular person is bothering them. If your parakeet does the same towards a particular family member, try to figure out what is it that frightens him most of the time. perhaps, the parakeet is not comfortable with that person or it is something about the person. Maybe the bird is afraid of the person’s loud, vocal voice or it may be those energetic body gestures that frighten him away.

Try to figure out what is making him uncomfortable and change it, it proves out to be the most effective method to overcome this screaming issue. 

Your budgie may get jealous at times when you are cuddling with your partner, laughing with your friend, or caressing your other pets. Some birds are jealous by nature, and it is a common trait in most pets. What helps in this situation is training him to be friends with the one he is most jealous of. Moreover, teach him that being friends with others does not make you any fewer friends with him. 

Parakeets Scream out of Boredom

A parakeet may scream out of boredom. Since budgies are joyful birds, they always need something to pass their days. The Parakeet needs mental and physical stimulation that triggers joy.  Have you ever seen a lonely kid at school who has no friends and no one to talk to?

Have you ever noticed how irritated he always is? Well, this is the exact reference you would want when reading a parakeet behavior. If your parakeet feels lonely, he won’t hesitate to let you know by giving a squawk. Since budgies are decumbent to frustration, giving them the same toys or playing the same games over and over could be the reason at times.

A happy parakeet is he who has nice toys, gets plenty of attention (by you or a partner), and has something to chew. You got to keep your friend busy and entertained.

Your Budgie is an Attention Seeker

These budgies may portray angry behavior when they want your attention, similar to a misbehaving kid who lies down at a supermarket when the mother doesn’t get him what he wants. The more he gets the attention he is seeking, the more rewarding he finds the behavior. Even if you are in the same room, yet your pal won’t stop screaming then take up this as his way of calling you out to spend more time with him.

Teach him an alternative way of calling you rather than screaming. Teach him a certain phrase or make him ring a bell. Remember, do not let him manipulate you with this behavior or you will end up having a constantly screaming budgie.  

Look Out If Your Bird is Ill

 Illness can be one of the reasons your bird alters his vocalization some days. The illness includes nutritional deficiency, poor diet, or even anxiety. If you feel a slight change in how he is behaving along with screaming, or he is always tired even during the day time, sleeps more than usual, vomits when scream you may want to concern and get him checked by your veterinarian. Inadequate sleep also falls into illness. There could be a variety of reasons why your bird is not getting the amount of sleep he requires, for example, a noisy partner, sound of the television, household noise, cage location, too much light, or people moving around the house.

Change in the Family

A change in the family could stress your parakeet out. Family make up refers to a slight change in the number of family members or family values. If your family members increase, such as a new member get a place in your house, or the number decreases like any death in the family, a person went out for college, or even changing a house can result in bird anxiety. The change in family values such as if your family is going through hard times in maintaining relationships, that could also affect your budgie since budgies are loving birds.

Best Tips to Quiet Your Parakeet

Have you been googling for some tips and tricks to quiet your noisy pal? If yes then you have found some effective ones. There are always ways to tackle the problems you face. Some of them are explained below 

Cover the Cage

Birds in the wild sleep in holes and build their nests into them. When they find abandoned holes, they acquire them and make them deep by chewing the decaying wood. They do so to relax, warm up, sit on their eggs, and feel sheltered in darkness. Now if you think it that way, the cages are just an alternative to nests that are meant to provide shelter and relaxation to them. Parakeets are of the same nature as all other birds when it comes to some “me time”.

When your budgie is screaming, try to cover his cage. He might have been exhausted and wants to rest. Take a thick fibred towel and wrap it all over the cage. This helps in providing the exact darkness and ambiance that your bird is expecting. You will feel the screams lowering down in just 10 to 20 minutes. 

Move or Change the Cage

The first and foremost thing you would want to check is that the cage must be large enough for a parakeet to extend and flip her wings freely. This could be one of the reasons your budgie keeps screaming because he feels imprisoned. He might want to extend his feathers which the size of the cage is not allowing him to do. The environment around the cage is beyond important than the size of the cage.

Place your friend’s cage somewhere he can interact with you and your family and can be supervised easily. Make sure the cage is placed inside your home so it is not prone to predators or intruders as mentioned before. Make sure the location is where there are peace and calmness. Lastly, you need to assure that the cage is not placed in the kids’ room where he can see stuff toys and dolls because mostly the birds tend to be afraid of those.

Time out

If screams of your budgie are considered a behavior issue, then maybe this behavior is somehow reinforced by you. When you yell back to him or run towards him as a response when he screams, he finds it as a gesture of attention even if it is negative. The as best way as it can be is ignoring and never paying attention to this behavior unless it seems serious. If you do react, do not react the way you’re always reacting. Just place little one back in his cage or even if he is already in the cage, cover it up as suggested above.

When you do so and do not react the way he has trained you to, he will feel this behavior is not helping anymore. By the time, it will calm him down to some extent -after all, he is a parakeet-, he will continue to make noise, but it will be reduced to chirping. Try to train your buddy some other tricks when he wants your attention other than screaming say whistling, ringing a bell, or singing. Pets are all about how you train them to be, so try training yours the way you can tolerate or feel helping.

Modifying the Behavior Can Help

Modifying behavior refers to changing patterns in behavior in the long-term using different techniques to motivate you. Motivational techniques include rewards and incentives. The main purpose is to swap problematic behavior with a more acceptable one.

Now you must be thinking how would that help in a case of a parakeet? Well, here it is explained; modifying your budgie’s behavior is about blending in the role of a trainer. Firstly, when you’re done training your little friend the alternatives of screaming, reward him.

Rewarding him when he makes more acceptable noises instead of those horrible ones can give a gesture of appreciation and it would lurk a want in him for the next time.  You can praise him when he makes a substitute sound for calling you or getting noticed. It would take consistency, but it will help for decreasing the screams noticeably. It all depends on how you and your family are good at taking an initiative.  

Nip It in the Bud

Identify the times when your buddy gets those screaming fits. If he begins to scream when you leave the room, you can take him with you. Just at times when it doesn’t feel practical, try using phrases like  “just a sec” or “I’d be back”. It won’t take him long to understand that you will be right back and you aren’t leaving for good.

Keep talking to him throughout the day even you aren’t in the same room to keep him out of boredom. When you leave the house for longer, leave a recording of your voice on the play. Parakeets are busy little guys, keep them distracted by making sure they have enough to do.

Take Him Out of the Cage

Birds, after all, are made to fly. When they are caged for longer, they can get irritated. Take your budgie out of the cage and just close all the windows where he can be prone to flight. Let him roam freely for a while where he can relax and exercise his wings. Play indoor games with your parakeet that will freshen him up. You will notice a vivid change in the behavior of your budgie just in a short period of time. 

Parakeets are natural noise makers, you cannot silence them completely. These birds are very well-tempered and easy to get along with. But sometimes when they make noises and scream to death, you need to be patient and keep up with the situation. Since the animals are not as intelligent as us Human Beings, obviously they would misbehave sometimes.

These little tips can help you calm down your dude if you’re a budgie owner. Always look for the things that are bothering your budgies like intruders, or something or someone that is fearing him. Taking small initiatives like covering the cage, moving the cage, freeing your bird for a while can play such a vital role. Moreover, modifying behavior can be proved to be one of the best things you can add to your daily routine.