Silly birdie!

I have only had him for a week, so i'm not sure when / if he has been to a vet, but this is not a serious problem.

I was just wondering - my parakeet has been pretty silent, though he is quickly warming up to me. Today, i vacuumed my room for the first time and he started singing and clicking and whistling and imitating noises, it shocked me! But when i turned it off, he stopped. Silent. Nothing more.
He was instantly happy when i vacuumed ... it was so strange. I leave the radio on for him all day to a soft station, but he never really makes much noise besides maybe a couple of little tweets a day. I tried turning the radio up a bit, thinking he likes loud noise but he seemed a little bothered by it. How can i help him feel more comfortable to sing happily at any time of day? And why does he love my vacuum so much?! Thanks

Basil & Ali

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Be Patient!  Give him a couple of months.  If possible,  leave your TV on to Animal Planet, or get a bird sound CD and leave it on for him.  The TV or the CD does not have to be loud.  Birds have excellent hearing.  I don't know why the sound of the vacuum starts him singing but are you sure he likes it or is he complaining?