We have had a 10 year old African Grey that suddenly started amusing
himself by squawking, singing and in general being a PIA.  No obvious
reason for the change.  Is there any known way to control this?  We do
not want to get rid of the bird.

Hello marinero_joven,

I’m very glad you have decided not to get rid of your grey! While
researching your question, I have come to the conclusion that these
intelligent birds, when living domestically, enjoy and crave human
contact, and seem affectionate and highly sensitive. By any chance,
has your grey seen and heard other birds singing and squawking, either
live or on radio or TV? Greys are known mimickers!
http://www.petsmart.com/acme_pet/features/pets___their_people/articles/article_4194.shtml

Being prey animals, parrots react differently to stimuli and their
surroundings than predatory animals and birds. These very
characteristics make parrots more prone to what we would call “bad
behavior” when faced with stressors such as loneliness, anxiety and
fear of abandonment.
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww30eiii.htm
http://www.vdnent.com/pages/articles/part_behav_bite2.htm

Have you recently moved, rearranged the furniture, or changed the
bird’s diet? Perhaps there is a new member of the household, or
someone the grey was fond of has left the home? Changing shifts,
taking a second job,and being away from home more than before can
cause your grey to feel lonely and neglected. Just as young children
act up to get a parent’s attention, so too do parrots. Could it be
that you are not giving your bird as much attention as you have in the
past? (Or as much attention as the parrot thinks he needs?)
http://www.parrothouse.com/sf3.html
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww30eiii.htm
http://www.leofun.com/greyparrot/articles/garry.ag.htm
http://www.itsagreysworld.com/articles/faq.htm#react

African Grey Parrots are reported to have the intelligence of a
5-year-old child, while possessing the emotional stability of a two
year old. With this in mind, African Greys require a great deal of
attention and a fair amount of toys and playthings. By rotating your
bird’s toys, you can keep it supplied with a regular stream of “new”
toys, avoiding toy monotony.
Greys are reticent when strangers are around, and seem to sense and
act on the emotions of family members. As very social birds, Greys
enjoy and require daily and regular interaction from their human
“flock”.
http://www.itsagreysworld.com/articles/about.htm

http://www.itsagreysworld.com/articles/misconcept.htm#attention

http://www.itsagreysworld.com/articles/faq.htm#toys

http://www.ruffledfeathersaviary.com/poicephalus.htm


“Small parrots can live 25 years; large ones up to 75 years and may
well outlive you. Many of the species are endangered, so the decision
to buy an exotic bird is not one to be taken lightly. While an Amazon
may not require as much scratching and cuddling as a cockatoo, they
are all genetically social animals and need to be played with and
talked to every day. To fail to do so is nothing less than cruel, and
may turn your sweet, interactive little pet into an unpleasant house
partner”

http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/care2.htm


Home improvement projects, with pounding, hammering and other “scary”
noises can cause insecurity in your parrot, to which the bird may
react by squawking and screeching.
http://www.africangreys.com/articles/behavior/insecurity.htm

Does your parrot get plenty of “free” time, outside of its cage? Some
birders recommend having a roost in several rooms of the house.
http://www.africangreys.com/articles/other/breeding.htm

This post states that some squawking is normal for a parrot,
particularly if there are other birds in the home.
http://www.landofvos.com/wwwboard/messages/781.html

This site makes singing and squawking appear to be a normal part of a
grey parrot’s routine as well.
http://www.parrotchronicles.com/novdec2002/parrotpeople.htm

The African Grey parrot is described as a usually quiet bird on this
site
http://ottweet.com/parrot_breeder_african_grey_parrot.htm

African Grey parrots can become temperamental!
http://www.petbirdpage.com/breed.asp?breed=grey

Parrots are highly susceptible to chemicals. Second-hand cigarette
smoke, incense, and household cleaners can bother and even kill
parrots.
http://www.kookycongos.ca/livingwithgreys.htm

For further information about your beautiful bird, this site has a
list of articles:
http://www.birdsnways.com/cgi-bin/articles.cgi

Some beautiful pictures of an African Grey Parrot, in a private home
http://www.shawnbennett.com/African%20Grey%20-%20Bonnie.html


Well, young sailor, hopefully you will now have an idea of why your
grey has suddenly become so vocal. If none of the scenarios above seem
to be what is affecting your parrot, a visit to your grey’s vet may be
in order, to rule out a physical problem.

If any part of my answer is unclear, please request an answer
clarification before rating,, and I will quickly respond.

Regards,
crabcakes-ga 

Search strategy:

African grey parrot care
African grey parrot behavior
African grey squawking

I have a 7 year-old Congo African Gray (CAG) and wholeheartedly concur
with the researcher's advice. You might also want to visit the
newsgroup where Gray owners congregate, as I'm sure you'll find
someone there who's had exactly the same experiences you're having
with your bird and figured out what to do about the problem:

alt-pets.parrots.african-grey

nautico-ga

Perhaps it wants a mate?

I had an African Grey!  :)

My colleague, crabcakes has given you a wonderful answer.  I'd like to
add a few things:

You stated: "suddenly started amusing himself by squawking,
singing..."

The first thing that popped into my head was the bird needs more
stimulation, such as being out of it's cage and interacting with your
family or an addition of new toys and things to amuse.  I am just
assuming, but I think it's bored.

They will talk and amuse themselves to a great degree, but when left
alone for long periods of time, disturbing behavior such as feather
plucking, screeching, and squawking can occur.  If you've had the bird
for 10 years, then something is bothering it.  Please check with your
vet also, as crabcakes suggested.  Sometimes a physical ailment isn't
evident and the vet can advise.

To me, it appears to be an emotional issue.  So... interact, play,
amuse, scritches, talk, toys, clean cage, food and water.  They don't
need much to be happy.  :)

Good luck to you,
tlspiegel

The skwaking may also indicate distress. Keep in mind that some things
which humans consider beningn are quite dangerous to birds. For
example, have you recently started using a new teflon coated
(Polytetraflouethylene) pan to cook with (or other teflon coated
item)? Fumes which we humans cannot detect are sometimes toxic to
bird. There are many other appliances that emit these fumes. You can
see a list of them here.

THE SILENT KILLER
http://www.theaviary.com/teflon.shtml


regards;
tutuzdad-ga