Teaching Your Parrot A "Context"

[Kathleen]

Do you think your parrot has picked up vocalizations in context?

For example, if every time you walk up to their cage, you said, "wanna come out?", did they start saying that every time you came up to their cage to let them out?

[MandyG]

Mojo will say say 'wanna come out' and 'step up' when I go to the cage and open the door. I don't think it's really in context though, I think it's just because I always say it when I open the door so me coming to the door is just a cue for him because he says it and I 'praise' him by letting him out. He doesn't always say it if I'm in another room but he can see me from his cage. He'll also say it when he's playing and chattering to himself without looking at me, so it's not like he's actually asking if he can step up. He's still just a baby though, I'm sure his intelligence will continue to surprise me

[Mona]

Yes, definitely.

When I get home after work, Phinney is in her cage. I always change the papers and then let the flock out to fly around. Phinney is in her cage and says, "Out. I want out. Come on, let's go. Hurry up"

Phinney also has a lot of conversations about water and they are appropriate to the context. I turn on the faucet she says, "fresh water". I give the birds water and she says, "fresh water". She really only chats about water in context and the context is always different.

Babylon also speaks in context. She has a much more limited vocalbulary but the words she says are usually appropriate to the situation. With her, it isn't always what she says as how she says it. Her tone of voice will change and fluctuate depending on the context. For example: If I cue her "Hi Baby" she will say it very curt, sharp and fast but if she wants out of her cage and I'm near, she will say "Hi Baby" in a very flirtatious tone of voice. You can't write this. You have to hear it.

Thanks

Mona

[windharper]

Context is definitely possible.

I'm not sure that I actually intentionally taught Tamber this, but, I do talk to him in context all the time and he does know some things in context.

He will only say, "Good morning" first thing in the morning.

When he smells cooking he says, "Good stuff." I originally only taught him "Good stuff" as what I say when I give him a special treat and only in the morning. He has generalized this to all food and any time of day.

He now says, "Hey! Cut that out!" to ~all~ loud obnoxious sounds. It started as his imitation of my husband yelling at Teyla's screaming.

When he's on his swing, he'll say, "I'm a swinger!" or "I like to swing" and also "Weeeee." I taught him these. Now all I have to do is say one of those things and he will get on his swing and start swinging.

He invites me to pet him by saying, "Mommy pet." (He doesn't always like to be pet, so this was a bit of a breakthrough of understanding on his part of our training sessions.)

He will ask to come out of his cage by saying, "Wanna come out?"

I can ask him if he wants a nut and he will shake his head up and down. Conversely, if he wants a nut and I am not offering one to him, he will still shake his head up and down.

If he drops something on the bottom of the cage that he wants me to pick up, he will say, "Help me." (This one was a misunderstanding. I was trying to get him to say "Pick up, please." But, I used "help me," many times in a different context when he flew somewhere and needed help at which time I'd pick him up. He is the one who generalized it.)

These are just a few of the things I can think of off the top of my head. I could easily list another set of things that we are working on trying to learn in context and haven't quite made it yet.

[windharper]

This happened this morning and it was just too cute not to share.

I was cleaning up Tamber's cage first thing this morning.

I'm hungry.

Me: I'll get you something soon, so you just wait.

Apple?

Me: Yeah, I have apple for you.

Good stuff.

This was a first in such a lucid stream. I really have no idea whether this revealed a deeper understanding of context until he repeats the behavior. Still a cute interaction in any case.

[MissLady9902]

The other day I was adding new toys to Marvin's cage and he kept climbing out. So I was talking to him about how he doesn't have to climb out of the cage every single time I open the door for a few seconds and he looked at me and said "whatever"! Ornery bird! I told him was being rude and he did his "uh oh" whistle.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Does the ability to understand context vary much with species? Are green-cheeks known to vocalize words in context? Scooter does seem as if he is going to be a good talker for a green cheek -- he has two sayings now, "Pretty bird" and "What's up?". I'd like to think he's using the latter in context, as he does seem to use it more often when he's excited and investigating something. OTOH, he learned it from me asking him "What's up?" when I'm out of the room and he's calling. I think I may be expecting too much from a bird that is not supposed to be a talker at all. His voice is a bit hard to decipher, it's true. I wonder a bit if its like "facilitated communication" with nonverbal humans, where it is really hard to tell if the child is really speaking or if the parent is expressing what they wish the child were able to say.

[Suzzique]

Alex does quit a bit in context. He says Hello when someone comes in the door. When he wants me to come and get him he says Alex step up or comer Buddy step up. When the dog barks he will yell at her to shut up! He will yell shut up for other stuff but it is always in responce to a loud noise. He picked up a whistle from Martini and they both only use it when I am leaving the house and telling them good buy. While this is not a word it is a sound that is used in context to what I am saying/doing. When he sees the dog walk into a room that he is in he will say Hello Rox. I don't know why he shortened her name because he can and does say Roxy. If one of the other family members brings him to me in the office when he steps down he will say Woo-Hoo! This is an excitment that I say when I get him to do something I want him to do. So now he uses it when he gets mom. For some reason he loves my youngest daughters name and though he will just say it when he is doing a "talking" sesion. He will also call her over and over when she is home until she yells back WHAT? Then he stops. I really think he thinks it's funny to get her to do that.