G'day Falconeer, Thank you for your question. Positive reinforcement of rewarding behaviour that you want to see can also prove helpful. Parrots do not respond to domination so punishment is not a good way to train them. If the parrot does something you don't want to do ignore it but reward it when it does something you do want. It will gradually change its behaviour. As far as screaming is concerned, it is the natural sound of a parrot. What you should do is ignore its screaming but reward it when it says hello with a soft whistle. You might also want to look at these attached tips on training parrots and books on the topic. References Screaming parrot http://www.naturalencounters.com/faqnew.html#screaming training your pet parrot http://exoticpets.about.com/od/behavior/a/birdtraining.htm Training parrots http://www.birdtricks.com/ Amazon Bonnie Monro Doane, Parrot Training: A Guide to Taming and Gentling Your Avian Companion http://www.amazon.com/Parrot-Training-Taming-Gentling-Companion/dp/0764563270

Parrots are very individual. They have their own personalities. My friend has one that loves her daughter so much that it bit the daughter's son for getting to close to his mother. You will have to wait on him to accept you. He may never do it, or he my do it grudgingly, or he may become your best friend. Good luck with him.

With what you've given for information, the bird is normal. It's the top bird in this flock that needs to do some work and make a few changes. That's you. He's not screaming because he's frightened, he's screaming because: 1/ That's what parrots do. 2/ That's what parrots do when they're bored. 3/ That's what parrots do when they're lonely. 4/ That's what parrots do when you don't play with them. 5/ Thats what parrots do when they want you. They all, for the most part no matter the species of parrot, are noisy. What can you do? You say it's not biting, so I assume by that you mean that you're actually handling the bird. This is good. Do it often. They have the emotional state equivalent to a five year old human. They will toss tantrums if they don't get attention, just like a human child. If it's not biting , it's showing trust. Work it. His hiding may actually be a game. My guy likes to play peek a boo. He'll hide, then pop his head out and, yup, say "peek a boo". Laughs his arse off and finds another spot. One very important thing here. Have that bird in an area of the house that sees a lot of human activity but not in the kitchen. Fumes in that room can kill a bird. If you find his screaming starting when you leave the room you've a few options. He may settle down in a few minutes by himself.If it's close to dark, you can always blanket his cage. If it's during the day you'll have to teach him that you WILL be back. There are numerous ways to do this. I use a verbal cue that I taught my bird. To start with my guy, I started saying "bye bye" and leave but came back within 10 minutes. I gradually extended the time between saying bye bye and my return.If my guy was quiet, he got a treat. If he wasn't he got nothing. The bird will get the idea that the word you use means that you are leaving, but you also return and if he's been quiet, you have a treat for him. Parrots aren't stupid, they can associate words with actions. He now says bye bye to me when I leave the room. I have to say it back or that would be rude. :) You can also use the stern approach and teach your parrot "No". If you see a undesirable behavior, say "No", sternly and a little louder than normal speech. It'll take time but all parrots are capable of learning and associating NO with an action they shouldn't be doing. Other than that, that's all I can glean from what little you have posted.

Falconeer. There's no need to ask your question twice. Questions you ask will show back up on the front page or be at the top in the individual categories for some time. That's actually the best place for them as people who are experienced in the subject you ask about, usually visit the categories regularly or have all new questions in that category emailed to them once a day. Your question will get heard. http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/160462/496504