non stop screamer

[eki]

Hi. My tiel is about 4 months old and is a male.
At the very start when we got him he was rather the quiet type. We had no problems with him. He made all kind of nice noises. Was nicely and quietly inside his cage and made a normal sounding flock call when you left the room.

But now, since a week, he has been totally different.
He is walking back and forth inside his cage (when it is closed), he is jumping down from perches, tries to fly down inside the cage, climbs around like wild and tries to stick his head between the bars everywhere.
I know it is because he wants to get out and I am not giving in, because with such a behavior I wont let him out.
But this is not all. The problem is that he is making a sound ALL the time. It is a long "scrrrr" sound. He is making that without taking a breath and like I said, he is doing it all the time.
And by all the time I mean, even if he gets out, he still makes it.
He sits on my shoulder, on my leg or on the bed with me and he still is doing it.
When I leave the room, then he makes that flock call, I shout back few times and he stops (with the flock call) after a while.
So when I am away from his sight he doesn't do that horrible noise.

I have been trying to ignore his crazy acts and all his screaming and try to reward him when he is silent and does something nice. But it is impossible to do so, because whenever I try to reward him, when he gets silent after an hour, when I approach he starts again. I can not get close to the cage to open it and let him out when he calms down. Because he starts doing it all over again just before I manage to reward him with freedom/treats.

What should I do?

[marieandchirpy]

May I ask where there any changes in the environment that could be causing his behavior and have you made any changes to your appearance such as getting a haircut?

[eki]

No, there hasn't been anything like that. The cage is at the same spot, feeding/sleeping times are the same as always and neither has the haircut changed.

[marieandchirpy]

Has anything changed in the room he is located. I'm wondering if there is something in the environment that is causing him to act up.

If there is no change in the environment, then the only thing I can suggest is to find another method of working with him.

Hopefully someone else will see this thread and offer more helpful suggestions.

[eki]

The room is the same. The cage stays in the same location and everything (furniture) hasn't been moved.
He makes that sound no matter in what room he is in. If he is inside the cage or outside sitting on your finger or shoulder.
He only stops to do that, to preen (since his peak is full with feathers at that moment) and he stops when he can not see me.

Thanks anyways Marie

[dreamcatchers]

Are you sure this bird is only 4 months? Could it possibly be younger? How long have you owned him?

What you are describing to me sounds more like a baby who wasn't quite done handfeeding. If it is hungry and not getting enough from his food bowl, the gravel-like cry that goes on and on is usually the baby begging for formula.