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Environment of Talkative Parrots

Want to teach your bird talk? Learn about and discuss methods for training birds to vocalize and mimic different sounds on cue.

Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby Michael » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:11 pm

This is a question for people who think they have a good talking parrot (relative to the expected talking abilities for that species). What is your talking environment? Why do you think your parrot picked up speech well? Do you talk to your parrot? How many hours a day? Do you say words individually or just talk in sentences? What about other family members? TV? Radio? Basically tell us what you think led to your parrot being a good talker.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby zazanomore » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:03 pm

I'd say that Einstein has become quite a good talker, considering he is a cockatiel. Before he never made a sound but now he's singing tunes and saying various little phrases.

I always talk to my animals. I think he just picked up on what I said the most, like "good boy", "pretty bird", "love you".

Einstein is very fascinated with what I say. Right now I'm teaching him to whistle the Addams Family theme song. Whenever he hears me sing it, he brings his head right up to my mouth. I can see him thinking it through.

I don't know what makes him want to mimic me so much. He probably hears the budgies chattering more than he hears me. But he still prefers human noises over bird noises.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby MandyG » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:23 pm

My Amazon talks very well. I simply talk to him whenever I'm interacting with him. If he's begging to be let out I always ask him if he wants to come out, then I ask him to step up when I'm picking him up. I always tell him he's a good boy when he does something good, I call him a pretty boy, tell him I love him, say hello and good bye to him when I'm coming home or leaving, ask him if he wants a shower when we're on our way to the bathroom, etc. He has picked up on all of those things and he'll speak in context because I say certain things to him when we're in the situation instead of just repeating phrases over and over to him. So when I come home he'll ask 'hello?' and then when he sees me he'll excitedly say 'hello! I love you.'. When he sees me and wants out he'll say 'wanna come out' and when I open the cage he'll say 'step up?'. If he's anywhere and wants to be picked up he'll say 'step up?' and he'll say 'scratch scratch scratch?' while holding his foot up to wherever he wants me to scratch him. I never have to answer my door anymore because whenever someone knocks Mojo will yell out "come in!" in my voice (I've had a few very confused friends call me when I wasn't home while they're standing in front of my locked door asking me why I keep saying they can come in but won't get up to unlock the door lol).

He seems to have a desire to communicate and will pick up lots of different things, but he seems to learn things that are said when he's excited faster. He'll learn things from people he doesn't see very often and even from people he doesn't like. He likes to say 'hi pretty boy' in my husband's voice because that's the main thing my husband says to him. He surprised me one day with 'hi buddy!' when I let him out. I don't say that to him and couldn't figure out where he got it from until the next time my one friend came over and picked him up and said 'hi buddy' to him.

With him, I'd say the easiest way to teach him new things is to say them when he's in a heightened state of emotion. For example, he was always excited to see me and I always say hello when I see him, it was the first thing he learned. Also, I always speak in context so he'll learn the actual meaning of what I'm saying instead of simply being able to say the word, that way he will also say them in context. He has put together a couple things on his own to make new sentences, again this is likely because he has actually associated the word with the actual meaning instead of having him simply listen to a cd of words on repeat or leaving him with the radio/tv on.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby k9shrink » Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:45 am

I have one parrot, Clover, a CAG. We won the 2011 Kaytee Best Talking Parrot contest in the "pro" division. She knew 350 words at time I recorded the video, and most of our video was 4 min. of non-stop talking using many different phrases. At the time I filmed that, she had been talking for less than a year and a half.

I work from home, and spend at least 8 hours a day within a few feet of Clover. I've tried saying words over and over, but she never learns those. She only learns useful stuff picked up in context. I usually say things the same way, like "wanna come out?" or "want an apple?" and she learns these. In the morning, she says "want some breakfast? want kibble? want a banana?" And in the morning, she says "want dinner?"--without any prompting on my part. She just knows breakfast is the first meal and dinner is the last meal because that's what I said every day for a year or so. She also names (begs for!) foods like yogurt, various fruits, nuts, ice cream and chips. So most stuff she knows is regarding stuff she wants from me.

One exception is "dog training words." I train my dogs for performances, and Clover watches me doing this. She has learned all the commands, as well as timing of praise. While I'm training, she'll watch. When the dog does the desired behavior, she says "good boy!" If the dog doesn't do it, she'll say "ahh ahh!" She can also keep up a constant stream of "sit! down! crawl! spin! good boy!"

She learned lots of whistles and environmental sounds on her own. Our cat often yowls loudly for food (despite us ignoring him), and Clover does a perfect imitation of that. When out on her balcony aviary all summer, local shopkeepers all point her out to their customers as the source of the cat yowling or car alarm noises.

After I filmed the video that won the prize, she slowed way down in learning new words, though her lifestyle is the same. Now she only uses the ones that earn her attention, coming out of the cage, or food. It's very rare that she learns a new word now. In the past year, the only ones I can think of off-hand are: want ice cream? want a chip? wanna snuggle? fly... you can fly.
Last edited by k9shrink on Tue Apr 03, 2012 5:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby liz » Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:09 am

Rambo came to me from a woman who was married for 11 years and had no kids. He was her only child. An only child accumulates more info from it's parents. Rambo not only learned his words but could use them in a conversation. I was shocked the first time he initiated a conversation. I knew him before I took him in. He is stil surprising me with learning more.

Myrtle came to me quite suppressed. At a year old all she could say was hello. I was please that she would tell me hello. I talked to her the same way I talk to Rambo but she started copying Rambo before me. She said most of his words and soon learned what they mean just like a child. Since then she has learned from me. She knows enough words to get her point acrossed but still does not hold a completly verbal conversation. To break her from saying "hello Myrtle", I tried "hey baby what's up". She has chosen just the "what up".

I think they learn just like kids.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby Munchy » Sun Dec 04, 2011 11:56 pm

Disney talks more than I thought he would. I tried repeating words when I first got him but he never seemed to pick those up. One day out of the blue he said pretty bird. I was so surprised, but realized I was always calling him a pretty bird. Then it was What? then Knock knock, then Good Morning, then trick or treat. That was it for awhile, then he started saying step up when my husband was asking him to do so. Now he says Come on as that was what I would say to him to get him to fly to me. He mumbles all of these and mixes and makes his own sentences. Like Good Morning Pretty bird Disney. I say almond when I give him one, and I think I heard him say almond tonight.
When my husband is telling our dog, who comes in for an hour or so in the evenings, to sit and come, Disney yells that at the dog.
Once I was at the computer and Disney flew to my shoulder and reached up with an excited look and said "What are you doing?" I said working on the computer, then He made some sound like oh and flew back to his cage.
I think he learns so much because we recognize that he is a member of our family.
My favorite is in the evening before we cover him up when he is tired he mumbles himself to sleep repeating the things he likes... "Good boy pretty bird Disney sweetie good boy such a good boy pretty good morning good good boy disney etc..."
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby liz » Mon Dec 05, 2011 2:18 pm

Mine are stubborn little kids. They will not say a single thing I want the to say. I want them to say the names of things so they can ask for them. They won't even say peanut.
They ask questions, give answers, make sentences by rearanging their words but will not repeat what I want.
Stubborn.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby laducockatiel » Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:56 am

I reckon Ladu is a fairly good talker. Usually whenever someone in my house is going out of the room, they say good bye and if someone is entering the room they say hello. After a month of us doing this, Ladu picked up how to say hello when someone enters the room and goodbye when someone leaves :lol:
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby Alex » Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:19 am

I would say Mr Parrot My Alexandrine is an ok talker. He has a very clear/sweet voice (he only can say hello, and what's that - well that's all that is clear). He also has a lot of gibberish (things i can't understand)

But I would say he picked it up from me when I was talking to him. When I see him in the mornings, get back from somewhere, I usually say "Hello, or Hello Mr Parrot". And when im changing his foods/water/toys, I usually say "what's that".

The noise level in my household is average. It's not loud or quiet. Tv is usually always on.
I also say many sentences to him, like how are you, etc.

But it seems he knows what "what's that means". The other day he touched a new toy and said "what's that". I didn't even say that before him. He just said it out of the blue.

I spend many hours a day with my birds, got no job/just finished school. So im at home 24/7.
My other family members just say hello to him from time to time.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby animal_lover » Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:41 pm

My Meyer's is starting to be a pretty good talker considering we have only had him 3 months and is 6 months old. He says (usually only to my husband or if he is alone).."Jojo" "pretty bird" "whatcha do?" "weeeeeeee" and starting to say "love you". Trying to teach him "thank you" because I love good manners lol. :meyers:
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