Are African Grey Parrots Loud? (All About It)

African greys can make very good pets and they are one type of many popular pet parrots that are known for their exceptional ability to mimic human speech and any other sounds.

But, Are African Grey Parrots Loud?

Under optimum conditions, African greys are a calm breed of parrots. However, they can scream when there is something they want is missing, like interaction, toys, food, or water, and if this is the case, African greys can scream very loud until they get what they want.

However, screaming in African greys can happen because of many reasons, and thankfully they are all simple and any owner can prevent them from triggering. Yet, without the required experience and knowledge, the owners may find it hard to make his bird quieter, and it may lead him to punish the bird, and this can induce screaming because of fear just like untamed African grey.

So, if you own an African grey, or your intention to get one, then this article will help you prevent screaming.

are african grey parrots loud

What Makes African Greys Scream Loudly

There are different reasons African grey may scream loud, and avoiding all of them is possible. Doing so will make your bird quieter and will help you have fun with your lovely companion. These reasons may include:

Fear

Fear is an important reason an African grey parrot screams loudly and charges nasty bites. Yes, African greys can bite and it can be terrible, causing serious wounds and sometimes infections. Scared African grey may show that the bird is not yet tamed, so taming the parrot and gaining its trust will help the bird stay quiet.

Here Is How To Tame A Parrot. Apart from that, another family member or any other household pet can trigger the fear in African grey, causing them to scream loudly.

Boredom

Boredom or lack of interaction can induce African greys to scream loudly to get whatever they want, attention, toys, or anything else. Old toys or old food can also make the bird scream for new stuff, and you have to renew the entertaining materials every once in a while. Apart from that, keeping a parrot in an isolated area in the house can make the bird suffer from anxiety and depression, and these two can cause aggression and loud screaming. Always keep your bird in a place where everything in the house is visible, and the place should also be safe.

Food & Water

Demand for supplies can happen in the shape of screaming, and sometimes this could happen in a demand for new types of food and treat. Parrots are picky with food, and when you introduce something new to them just for the sake of trying, the parrot may scream loudly, demanding more of this stuff, especially if they like how it tastes.

If you deprived the African grey of what it wants, then expect it to refuse to eat until you get the type of food that is desired, and sometimes this could be hard because you don’t know what exactly your bird wants. I recommend using fruits and veggies as a treat for the bird in small quantities, along with the natural food of seeds and nuts.

The Parrot Is Still Young

Young parrots make sounds and sometimes scream just like babies. So, if your parrot is still young and is making sound sounds like tweeting more than screaming, then it’s ok, when they get older they will be quieter than they are as little chicks. However, you can help with that by treating the baby parrot just like a human baby, and when this voice comes out, take the bird out of the cage to praise and speak to comfort it with a gentle tone.

Behavioral Disorder

This is the most common reason African grey parrots scream, and as you know, this breed of parrots can mimic and make sounds just like what they hear in their surrounding area. So, when this living area is loud and full of noise and screaming, the parrot will pick up this behavior and will start making loud noises.


Apart from these reasons, they are a few more why an African grey may scream loud, and these can happen randomly. Two of these are dominance and aggression, especially in male African greys when it is their breeding season and the hormones are kicking in. Sometimes the African grey will scream and even attack if you are just changing something about their cages, like the perch of the food bowls or anything else.

However, these types of screaming are mostly temporary and they will go away once you help your bird to forget by providing mental stimulants like toys or new treats. Apart from that, having 2 African greys of the same sex is another reason that may lead them to fight and scream, so make sure the birds are opposites.

How To Stop African Greys From Screaming

By preventing the reason, you can prevent this annoying behavior. So, as an owner, you should know what is the reason to know exactly what you can do about it. And as a rule of thumbs, never react to a screaming parrot, and only praise the bird when they are quiet.

Provide Stimulation

Providing mental stimulation is the key to studying the African grey and making sure that there is no lack on this side. Mental stimulation for African grey is by providing toys, new types of food, taking a picnic outdoors, and even training for new tricks.

After that, you can study the behavior and you can understand what triggers screaming, and when you know the reason, you can solve it. Every African grey is a unique case and as an owner, you should know your African grey and what is he missing.

Put The Cage In A Quiet & Safe Place

As stated earlier, parrots will pick up the behaviors and sounds in their surrounding area, so if the bird lives in a loud place, try to change the living place to a quiet area. African greys can take a long time to adapt to the new surroundings, so make sure the new place is safe and fun to live in. You don’t want the bird to miss the previous place, so it doesn’t scream even more, and you have to be there for the bird and provide mental stimulation as well.

Stick To Routine

When you understand what was missing with your African grey, try making it up daily, build a routine to provide what was missing, and if the reason was all about boredom and lack of mental stimulation, then you can get a new cage mate for your bird, preferably from the same breed and from the different sex. Yet, care for both and you have to make sure everything they need is available.

Yes, taking care of an African grey is hard, and when you have 2 of them, it will become harder and harder. African greys are not good for beginners, there are different breeds that can make easy and great pet parrots for kids and beginners.

Do African Greys Scream A lot?

Depending on the reason, African greys may scream a lot non-stop, especially if they feel lonely while bonded to their owners. Although African Greys are not the loudest still, they can annoy the heck out of their owners.

Are African Greys Annoying?

If there is something African greys are not happy about, they can be very annoying and they can scream nonstop. Finding the reason is important to resolve this issue as African Greys are not of the loudest breeds.

How Do I Make My African Grey Quieter?

Since African greys are highly social creatures, the boredom and lack of interaction can trigger them to scream loudly for attention. So, owners should provide mental stimulation like toys, training, trick, new food, etc.

Why Does My African Grey Squawk?

Parrots including African greys can pick up words humans say and mimic them loud and clear. Also, they can pick up behaviors around them, and if the bird lives in a loud house, the bird will pick up this and start mimicking this behavior by screaming loudly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, African greys are one of the quietest, and sometimes cuddliest parrot breeds, but this is just a reward for the owners when they provide the essential requirements for raising an African grey. Other than that, this breed can scream very loud without stopping until they get what they want, and trust me, it’s really annoying.

And yes, that’s about it. I hope you found this Article Informative and easy to digest. Thank you for reading…