Birds are smart, colorful and their sweet chirping can bring a lot of joy to our lives. But let’s be real, sometimes bird noise gets a bit too much.
In fact, chirping can turn into full blown squawking and we know that’s not fun. Parakeet screeching noise is probably my least favorite sound.
How do you make that parakeet shut up or stop your birds chirping all night? We’ve found some easy ways to make your bird quieter. We also look at some easy DIY ways to soundproof your bird cage.
How to make pet birds quieter
1.Buy your bird some toys for entertainment
Depending on which bird you have, they can get pretty bored if they don’t have anything to play with. It’s when they’ve got nothing to do that, they resort to making a racket. Buying them some toys should do the trick.
A lot of birds like to climb on things and peck at whatever they can, so you should find a toy like that for them. You'll want to choose quietest toys though.
Here’s some of the most entertaining toys you can buy for your bird:
2. Train your birds to be more quiet
This is quite a big undertaking but if you can get it right, you won’t be sorry that you did it. Here’s what you can do to train your bird:
- When they start screaming, resist the urge to yell back
One thing that you need to know is that shouting at your bird is never going to help, especially if they’re squawking at you while you do it. The best thing you can do for a bird is ignore them when they start getting out of hand. If your bird happens to be in your hand or on your arm when they start to yell, you can simply ignore them and place them back in their cage.
If they tend to scream when you leave the room, give them a toy or something to chew on.
- Find the balance between giving and spoiling
This might sound a little confusing but basically you want to be able to determine when your bird is going to start screaming and then give them something new or something to work with before that happens. This requires you to be in tune with your bird.
Of course, we know that you can’t be looking at your bird waiting for him to scream 24/7 but you should be able to keep tabs on when your bird is going to scream just by knowing when they tend to scream (for example, every time you walk out of the room).
Don’t spoil your bird though. If you give your bird what they want every time they shout, that’s just going to encourage them to do it each time they want something.
3. Keep your bird well fed
Okay, this does not mean that you should overfeed your bird, but rather you want to make sure that your bird gets the food they need. When birds are full, they need to sit and digest their food so they’re not going to be super active, which means less talking.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t be the one deciding for them when they should or shouldn’t eat. That’s something they need to decide for themselves. It’s really important that you give them good, healthy food though and not just anything.
4. Relocate your bird’s cage
Keeping your bird in a place where you generally need peace and quiet is not going to be a good idea. There’s two places you can put your birds cage that might help to not only reduce the noise your bird makes but also make it less noticeable to you.
Firstly, if you move the bird cage close to a window, it’ll give your bird an opportunity to take a peek outside. Your bird will become a bit more distracted and won’t feel as much of a need to be so loud.
You could also place the cage in the corner of a room. This just helps to keep all of the noise situated in one area instead of throughout the entire house. If this doesn't work then you'll need to soundproof your bird cage.
If you keep the bird cage in a separate room then soundproofing the door will also help reduce bird noise heard in the rest of the house.
How To Soundproof A Bird Cage
Buy an Acrylic / Plexiglass Bird Cage
If you're ok with replacing your bird cage then buying an acrylic, or PlexiGlass, one will help reduce pet bird noises.
What’s so great about an acrylic bird cage?
Well, an acrylic bird cage is made out of plastic. While you may think of words like, “cheap” and “unreliable” when hear the word “plastic”, you’ll actually find that it’s the opposite when it comes to acrylic bird cages.
Acrylic is a thick material which absorbs a lot of noise. And a huge bonus is that it’s super easy to take apart and pack up if you ever need to travel with your bird.
And best of all, besides its noise absorption, an acrylic cage is incredibly durable and tends to not break easily.
Use sound absorption sheets
This is an incredibly effective way to make sure that nobody else, including yourself is disturbed by your birds talking. They’re designed to prevent any sounds from being reflected off of the walls as well as the bird cage itself. The sheets can be found on Amazon.
Cover 3 sides of the cage with the bird cage with the sound absorption sheet material. This will already make a big difference in reducing the bird noise. You could also cover the top of the cage if your bird doesn't mind it being a little darker.
These are also great if you want to soundproof a dog crate.
Use a bird cage cover
Basically a bird cage cover is used to soundproof the bird cage without stressing the little guy out. A bird cage cover is generally used at night when you want to get some shut eye.
The purpose of using a bird cage cover is to keep your bird from being overly distracted by outside influences. This ultimately allows them to rest and stay calm throughout the night.
You could also use the sound absorption sheet material to make a cage cover. Just make sure the cage is still well ventilated.
Add some furniture or décor to the room
Have you ever experienced how loud an echo is in an empty room? It happens because there’s nothing in the room to absorb the sound right? So, we can probably apply this science to when you have a noisy bird. How so?
Well, simply put, the less items in the room, the more noisy your bird is going to sound. So, consider placing some curtains, furniture and wall décor in the room. All of these items can help to contribute to a more soundproofed room and a seemingly less noisy bird.
Use acoustic foam panels
Using acoustic foam panels is for the more serious situations when you really don’t want anyone to hear a peep from your bird. In fact, acoustic foam panels are actually used in recording studios so you know it’s the real deal.
Place the panels up against 3 sides of the cage and even the top part to reduce bird noise significantly.
Spend time with your bird
We know that a lot of bird owners are busy and have work to do, but if you’ve bought a bird, it’s really important to spend time with them.
A bird that’s actually spent time with its owner is going to be a lot quieter than a bird that’s been on its own the whole day.
The key is to exhaust your bird a bit by playing with them and even letting them fly around the house. If you know you’re going to have a busy day then you can try spending time with your bird in the morning which should help a lot.
There’s plenty of options to choose from when you’re looking for a way to make your bird quieter. Try the solution that won’t cost you any money before you try the ones that will. You might just find that you don’t have to do anything drastic to help your bird be less noisy. Of course it helps to choose one of the quietest birds to keep as apartment pets to begin with.
Remember that a bird that’s well taken care of, well fed and that gets some playtime with its owner daily, is less likely to be a noisy bird.