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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.

Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby liz » Fri Feb 24, 2012 7:47 pm

Myrtles past owner told me she never makes and noise and never comes out of her cage. (She was terrified of the CAG who was in the cage up against hers.) Myrtle only goes to her cage to eat and drink. If she is not talking to us she is talking to herself. She rearanges words, like Rambo, and puts them together in sentences that make sence at that time. She is copying words that she does not yet understand. Niether Rambo nor Myrtle will say what I want them to say. I am still trying to get them to tell me good morning but they just say hello in response.

I just talk to them and they seem to understand.

One of Rambo's phrases is "you got a problem ?". I ask Myrtle that one day after a few months of being here. Her answer was "I don't know".

I am amased daily at what their little bird brains know. While Myrtle is learning words, Rambo is adding more to his vocabulary
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby sidech » Sat Feb 25, 2012 10:16 am

I consider Jazz a good talker. In fact I never thought he would talk so much. He really enjoys it and can go through his whole repertoire for a good hour, and on and off during the day.

He started talking when he was 6 months old. He has been practicing since then and has improved his speech and now sounds just like me when I talk to him ! He likes to imitate the dogs as well, and of course kissing noises. He loves kisses.

I talk to him everytime I interact with him, and try to use the same words in the same context, so he can learn them over time. At night, we watch tv together, me on the sofa and him on his perch, and we have a conversation for about 30 minutes. He likes that a lot.

I would say he knows at least 50 words and can say at least 15 complete sentences. He is still very young, not even 1 1/2, and is still learning a lot.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby Lindsey » Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:55 pm

:amazon: Emerald could already talk some when I got her, but she is really slow to say new things. I almost think she practices when I'm not home though, because I never hear her babbling or trying to put words together. There will just be silence and then all of the sudden she will pop out of her cage with "Did you remember my apricots?" or some random thing like that. It always takes me by surprise. She's actually a very quiet bird, and when she does say something, it's almost always something complex. I don't know what her previous home was like, but I do know for sure that she was in a room where music lessons took place, because she will give instructions, and then make a string of piano noises, then critique herself afterwards, lol. She doesn't do that very often anymore, but I love it when she does. That's my favorite thing ever.

:gray: Alex is only a year old, but he has picked up alot of words and short phrases. He doesn't produce long sentences like Emma does, but he talks frequently, mostly when he is really happy or excited about something. He recently learned to answer questions I asked him, but he can only answer 'yes', and if the answer is no, he just won't say anything, lol. "Alex, do you want a strawberry?" "YEAH!!! (sometimes with wing action)" "Do you want to pet the kitty?" Ruffled feathers and complete silence, lol. One thing I wish he never would have learned is my cellphone ringtone. He does it just to make me get up and go to him, and then he will stop until I leave, then he does it again once I can't see him. As a result, I take him almost everywhere in the house with me whenever I am home. He likes to listen to the radio / watch TV but he hasn't memorized anything specific from it. I think he just likes the noise. I do leave the radio on whenever I am gone during the day, but nobody is singing so far.
Who needs people when we've got parrots?
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby issy » Sat Mar 31, 2012 1:13 am

Sheldon picks up on words that I say to him during different activities and times. Hello, step up, pick-a-boo, I love you, Give me kiss, No, Stop it, be quiet, In the box, Night, Go to sleep sleep. Most of these I will say when i'm doing a specific action or telling him to do something. He also loves mixing up words and phrases, his favourite one is "shut up, I love you" :P

He loves it when I yell at him and gets all hyper and starts spouting every word and phrase he has ever said. :D (I only yell at him for fun)

Since I've started leaving his cage outside on warmer days when i'm home, his other bird species sounds have improved. He can replicate the mynah bird call, pigeon sounds and other strange bird calls and whistles.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby druco » Wed Apr 11, 2012 5:57 pm

Ciao k9shrink,
I read yor post, and i do have a african grey tinmeh, and my boy does the same like yours, most of the time he leaves with me at shop, i own a pet shop, based mostly on grooming dogs, and he bargs and change the sounds depending the size of the dog, does say good morning or ciao when someone walks in, does the ring phone, and calles me a lot... But the only problem he has is that he only talks when nobody whacth at him straigth. Many hours of the day he is out of the cage and part of the hours he stays on my shoulder, even if i' grooming... And he stops talking.
I would love to have him talking in my presents... Since i discoverd this forum i promise m y self to train him few tricks to start but do you have any advivce about voicing?
Sorry for my english but i'm italian.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby hooligan » Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:50 pm

My GCC, Luna, has a pretty good speaking voice but (like Andromeda's Bubba) she has a rough, gravelly little voice. While talking to the breeder, she said that her mom spoke and that her offspring often did as well. I'm not sure how much truth there is to inheriting the ability to speak... but at the time I just brushed it off as a weird sales pitch.

I've owned dogs in the past, and I always spoke to them in full sentences like they were people, even if we were by ourselves. So from the beginning, I always spoke to her just because it seemed like what to do (not because I was trying to get her to imitate me). One morning, right after I had woken up, I was sitting with her and having a cup of tea. I was being quiet because I wasn't fully awake, and she started saying "Pretty girl," making kissy noises, and saying "what a good bird!" without being prompted.

Now, she usually gets into a talkative mood if she hears running water or if she's being cuddly. She makes kissy noises when she's being affectionate and wants you to pet her. She'll also say "Night, night!" when she's ready for bed, and I think she's been trying to say "bath time" but I'm not sure. She worked on "night, night" for a while before it was clear that's what she was saying. When she's trying to say something and it doesn't sound right, she also seems to have weird volume control issues. I'm not sure if she's frustrated or what, but it's hilarious when she's quietly muttering like she's saying something and then suddenly she squeals for no reason.

She does watch tv with me, but I never leave it on for her and she doesn't listed to the radio either. I live in an apartment though, and it's easy to hear people in neighboring buildings when the windows are open and occasionally people in neighboring apartments if they're being loud. So far, she hasn't learned anything from them though, unless my neighbors make kissy noises too.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby AlbertaAviary » Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:27 pm

Cocoa is a female budgie so I don't expect her to ever talk but when I talk softly to her, she relaxes. She is always most calm when she's cuddled up on my shoulder and I'm talking to her. I talk to her more than Yoshi because he doesn't get scared like Cocoa.

I've noticed in the last week or so, Yoshi has been trying to talk. He is also a budgie. It's very hard to tell what he's saying but he's for sure trying! I wonder if he'll start saying what I say to Cocoa like "It's okay," "are you my pretty girl," "shhh." My second guess is that he's trying to sing the Family Guy theme, as it's pretty much the only show I watch and he's always beside me when I watch TV. My third guess is that he's mimicking what's commonly said on the radio. I leave it on all day when everyone's away. Maybe he's staarting to say, "Roy's record room," or "Voices in jazz!" :|
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby Shadows Mum » Wed Apr 17, 2013 10:02 pm

I believe environment is one of MANY factors that influence the success of "human speech" in birds... For instance, I have a VERY vocal household. Not chaotic, but vocal. With 5 household members (man, woman & 3 children) there is ALWAYS someone talking. My birds are out interacting with the family from 8am-7pm. I have a Sun Conure, parrotlet & 6month old CAG. They all learned early on that talking is helpful in our home. I think comfort level, contentment etc also play a role in talking. My birds truly feel happy & "a part of the flock." But then again, I have known birds with wonderful homes & amazing owners who never uttered a word. Its hard to say if theres a single defining factor for which birds will chat & which wont. I would certainly be interested in knowing if a study is ever performed on the subject of environmental impact on parrot speech.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby GreenWing » Sun Jun 23, 2013 10:49 pm

I basically sing and dance around the house (like others above, lol) and I cuddle and kiss my Sennie A LOT. She has a high pitched call for me and I call her right back when out of the room she's in. She can say her nickname, "love you" and "hey you." She says two-syllable words most often, and especially talks up a storm for sunflower seeds. :D I have heard her say "good girl" and "hi" as well but not often. She mimics kiss sounds and also whistles and clicks. I spend a LOT of time with her.
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Re: Environment of Talkative Parrots

Postby Harpmaker » Wed Oct 09, 2013 5:36 pm

Meyer's are acknowledged as generally poor talkers, but good whistlers. When we got Corsair 9 months ago, the bird store told us she was less likely than most :meyers: to talk, because she was whistling a lot at 4 months, but not making any speech sounds. So I taught her to whistle "charge", and every time she whistled it everyone in earshot would reply with the word. So far "Charge!" is the only word we understand( and it's more of a croak--"Ch-ARRRR-ge!" but she makes me laugh every time).

They do like to get a reaction.
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