Unless you are ready to commit to a lot of time, work, expenses,
you should strongly consider finding the bird a new home.
You can contact your local birdclubs for referrals on bird rescues
(which are going to be the best place for a screaming Cockatoo) or
experienced parrot owners that are willing to take on a problem bird.
There is no special collar for screaming, they do make one for biting.
Their vocal cords cannot be shaved. In the procedure, the vet burns
part of the bird's airway to prevent vibration.
This is completely inhumane and very dangerous.
Most birds don't survive the surgery.
I have a Quaker parrot, and they, like the Cockatoo, are born to scream.
Sometimes covering her works, sometimes the light has to be shut and the
room completely dark. She is trying to get some sleep, and gets cranky.
Sometimes I walk out of the room, and wait for her to stop screaming,
at least for a minute or two. I then walk into the room and make
believe I am doing something, making sure to pay her NO attention.
If she remains quiet, I'll either take her out for some quality time.
Also, I sometimes I wait for her to be quiet and I give her a treat.
MAKE SURE you don't give her any snacks or rewards while she is screaming.
This will teach her, that when she wants a snack, she screams and gets it.
She would thereby have conditioned you,
It's strange, you may notice her screaming when you enter the room,
and when you leave the room. Just make sure not to yell at her,
they don't understand that, and it only makes them scream more.
She is screaming for a reason/s. Once you find the cause of the screaming
you need to modify her behavior.
Every bird and their situation/surroundings is different,
there are many different reasons for the screaming.
She could be happy, angry, in need of something.
or it could even be that something has changed
in your home.
Birds have nothing to do all day,
except tp stare at every little item and nook
and cranny. They pay close attention to detail.
One woman installed paneling in the room that
the bird was kept. The fact that the white
wall had changed to brown was seriously
upsetting her.
Cockatoos can be wonderful, loving creatures, but they take a big
commitment. They are very intelligent, and therefore very complicated.
They can live up to, and perhaps beyond, 80 years in age.
But, Cockatoos are best kept by, say a retiree who can spend
a good part of the day with it, or paying attention to it.
ATTENTION
A Cockatoo needs to be a part of your daily activities whether you always want it there or not. You can’t turn its need to be included in your life on and off like a switch. No matter how exhausted you are when you get home from work, no matter how much you might want peace and quiet and time for yourself - like a small toddler your Cockatoo will demand your attention. That is why it is important for your bird to feel that it is being included in your activities – especially when it is in its cage. Also try to develop a steady pattern. Cockatoos can adapt to a less than velcro lifestyle, but it's not a lot of fun during the training period.
Cockatoos are very needy birds, they think the world
revolves around them. When they are not given the attention they want,
they will scream to get it. Some will pluck their feathers out as well.
They look for the attention they are used to constantly receiving
the only way they know how to get it, is to scream.
They are flock creatures, and their people must become their flock for them to be happy.
If you understand and accept a Cockatoo’s need to be part of the flock,
you can prevent it from developing the habit of screaming for attention.
Their reaction to any problem is to scream, to warn the flock, and to beg for help.
You must become their flock for them to be happy. They are very social and need
lots of human interaction. You have to establish a working relationship with them.
They are the most active of all large birds,
and they are the loudest species of parrot as well.
Their calls (loud screeching) can be heard up to three miles away.
About twice a day, it's normal for a Cockatoo to "Display" (Scream).
Anything more than that, and there is one or more problems to solve.
Generally, the problems are easy to deal with, once the source of the
screaming is discovered. Birds simply do not scream all day unless
there is a reason or we taught them to (or both).
Cockatoos are supposed to be noisy. This is the way they demonstrate joy, fear, anger, excitement and a host of other emotions.
They often wind up two or three times a day and scream out of sheer energy and because they are happy to be alive. A Cockatoo
will nearly burst with excitement when you come home from work, at mealtimes, when you're on the phone, when kids are being loud, etc. Also when the conversation is animated or when there is an action movie or commercial on TV. The noisier your household is, the noisier your Cockatoo is likely to be. This is the normal, exuberant, but usually short-lived screaming that isn’t negotiable.
If you yell at your dog because you’ve had a bad day, it will curl up quietly in a corner until your mood improves. A Cockatoo will home in on your energy level and shriek back at you! If a family member regularly becomes angry when the Cockatoo is noisy while he or she is trying to talk or watch TV, the bird will pick up on the emotions and may develop a perverse enjoyment in pushing that person’s buttons at every opportunity –just to get a reaction. (Parrot behaviorists call this a “drama reward”.) It is imperative that all family members are committed to the Cockatoo’s well-being and are willing to work together to prevent unwanted behavior.
Consider the following possible causes/solutions:
BEHAVIOR - CONDITIONING
Try using a heavy blanket to cover her when she starts screaming. When she
quiets down for a few minutes, uncover her, talk to her, praise
her. Get her out and play with her, give her a treat and toys, etc.
Slowly over time, increase the time she has to remain quiet before getting a reward.
Withhold the reward unless she stays quiet after uncovering her. Slowly increase the
amount of time. If she screams before she gets rewarded, immediately cover her again,
and let the "timer" start all over.
Negative reinforcement is worse than useless with parrots - if you yell or react
strongly when they scream, they'll realize that they can get a reaction out of you,
and they'll scream all the more. The bird would have you trained instead.
If the only attention she can get is negative attention, she'll take that,
she figures, at least I'm getting "some" type of attention.
SLEEP
Adjust the sleep hours for her, allow 10-12 hours of dark.
Cockatoos need 12 hours of sleep each day and may be noisy
and a bit temperamental if they don't get it.
ENVIRONMENT
When a bird's home is always noisy, they will scream. If the TV is on,
someone's playing, yelling, etc. You could move her to a more quiet spot.
It's possible she may then, only scream when you're in the room and she wants attention.
CAGE
Is her cage too small? A small cage will drive them bonkers!
Giving her a large cage with plenty to keep her busy.
Lots of wood toys to chew up (make your own) and also
cardboard or paper tubes, etc. She can make a big mess
with them, and enjoy at the same time.
Spend time with her out of the cage. You can put her on a playstand as well.
Set up a play area away from the normal cage area, different territory.
Identify the time period that your bird tends to screem the most, set that as
feeding time. Occupy the bird, toys, chewables and more toys, wood, paper, etc.
Is her cage too low? Try moving her up higher, so she can feel safe.
DON'T keep the cage too high either. Birds like to be higher than you,
but when the cage is too high, it will try to dominate you and exhibit bad behavior.
Try placing her in an area where there is more people traffic.
If that's not possible, you need to try and ignore her screams
for a little bit. Give her lots of attention when she is quiet
to reinforce that she can get attention by being quiet.
Also, when she starts screaming you can talk to her from afar.
DIET
Is her food or water dish empty? Is she on a seed diet?
Put yourself in her shoes, it makes her angry. Keep the dishes
full. Also try changing her diet by slowly introducing it into
her normal food.
BEHAVIORISTS
Another route is to bring her to a pet behaviorist, although this
could be time consuming and most likely expensive.
I hope this helps.