Speaking in context

[DustyTheGrey]

Hey I thought this was a cute story of my asking for something in context, it was the first time he's done that and I wanted to share the story.

Ive never trained Dusty to talk, infact I would love him just he same if he didnt, but I do "broadcast actions" before I do them, meaning I say things like yummy apple when I give him some, but he never uses those kinds of words, only things like"good boy" or "step up" or "JASPPPERRRR!!" (the dog).

So Dusty has a large living cage and then a separate slightly smaller sleeping cage in another room of the house.
I keep pellets and water in the sleeping cage for him to munch on if he wants.

So workdays I wake up early etc, but weekends I sleep in till about 7:30-08:00, ever since I got Dusty that's very late, oh the luxury!

Dusty usually quietly plays, and only makes a noise or two if something stirs in the house.

But the other morning on the weekend he woke me up at 7am loudly and playfully, but not screaming or scared, "*gurglegurgle (the sound of water running)" and then "water" "water" and then continued to make the water running sound.

I got up to check that he's okay and sure enough for the first time ever I had forgotten to put in his water bowel in his sleeping cage.

I felt so bad for forgetting water, of all things!
But isnt that cool that he knew the word even though he never used it before and when the water running sound didnt work he must of remembered what I call it!

[liz]

It is wonderful when they talk and even better in context. Your baby is growing up.

The only thing I have tried to teach is "hey baby what's up". They say "hey baby" or "what's up". But they have learned from conversation and will even yell help if they need it.

I just love it.

Of course there was a time when Danta was at the vet and he announced "Daddy's a poop". I don't remember what thread that is in but you can imagine how embarised he was.

[hooligan]

Of course there was a time when Danta was at the vet and he announced "Daddy's a poop". I don't remember what thread that is in but you can imagine how embarised he was.

Hilarious

[DustyTheGrey]

Of course there was a time when Danta was at the vet and he announced "Daddy's a poop". I don't remember what thread that is in but you can imagine how embarised he was.

Haha that is very funny!!

[Khadija]

My little Budgie Johnny is a BIG talker. His favorite phrase is "Johnny is a GOOOOOD boy". He draws out the word good. He usually wakes me up at 6am with this phrase and then chats other things too. Well, one night I went to put them in their roosting cages in my bedroom and Johnny would not cooperate. He was flying all over the bedroom playing 'catch me if you can'. I was trying repeatedly to get him to step up with millet, but after some frustration I started telling him he was a bad boy. Then, finally I convinced him to go in his cage.
Well, the next morning, wasn't I awoken to a newly learned phrase...."Johnny is a BAAAAD boy". I couldn't believe he could learn that phrase so quickly. And, I laughed all morning. He is back to saying he is a good boy every morning and hasn't played 'catch me if you can' since. LOL

[laducockatiel]

My little Budgie Johnny is a BIG talker. His favorite phrase is "Johnny is a GOOOOOD boy". He draws out the word good. He usually wakes me up at 6am with this phrase and then chats other things too. Well, one night I went to put them in their roosting cages in my bedroom and Johnny would not cooperate. He was flying all over the bedroom playing 'catch me if you can'. I was trying repeatedly to get him to step up with millet, but after some frustration I started telling him he was a bad boy. Then, finally I convinced him to go in his cage.
Well, the next morning, wasn't I awoken to a newly learned phrase...."Johnny is a BAAAAD boy". I couldn't believe he could learn that phrase so quickly. And, I laughed all morning. He is back to saying he is a good boy every morning and hasn't played 'catch me if you can' since. LOL

That made me laugh lol.

[AlbertaAviary]

Birds are so smart !

[Elizebird]

My cockatoo mostly baby mumbles ATM, but whenever I stop scritches, he always sticks of his crest and says "HE-LLOO!" (not a scream, but not quiet, either.) I haven't taught him this, but I find it funny.

[Maria]

It is very true Dust - - - - they learn best by actions associated with words. I beleive your bird is associating the fact that you say water when he sees your bringing the water bowl. This is in relation to showing them everything as well.

Examples: - - my parrot - - -

morning:
Every morning when I wake up, and only when he has waken up, I go to the cage, and say, "scratch" "scratch" "scratch", while sticking my finger in the cage to scratch his neck. When I do this and say this, he immediately puts his neck up against the cage for me to scratch it and cuddles, etc. He associates the word scratch with my scratching his neck. This is his morning love scratch routine.

when come home from work:
"Look what mama's got!" "OOOOooohhh boooyyy!" His feeding time. He associates these words and says them when he knows I'm getting his food, when I've taken his feeding bowls from his cage. Because when I'm getting his food, I've been saying, "Look what mama's got!" . . . . .etc.

When I walk in from work:
"HIIIII ! Mama! - Mama's home! - Mama! come on!"

When I bring back his feeding bowls:
"Ooooohhhh boooyyy ! Mama eat, Baby eat"
(part of birds natural bonding, loving, and loyalty behavior is they tend to eat when you eat and sleep when you sleep).
There are times when I would put his feeding bowls back into the cage here, then fix my food for dinner and sit down and eat when I'm finished fixing it - and he would not go to his bowl and eat until he saw me sit down and eat. There are also times when we can be in the middle of eating, and I'd have to get up for something, and he would stop eating, calling me, like that, - "Mama eat, Baby eat" - - until he saw me come back and sit down and finish eating; then he would continue finishing his food. There are also times he eats without me there, etc. He learned these words from when we're eating together. This is what he's associating.

"night night" -
Every night when it's time to go to sleep, I say to him, "Baby, ready to go night night? Mama sing". I close the light, I sing him a verse of a song twice, or a few times, while scratching his neck, as his eyes drift closed slowly, and you can clearly see how soothing and relaxing it is to him. So these days when I say, "Baby, ready to go night night? Mama sing" - - he says (right away), "Mama night, night; come on sing."

See the associations?

They get very connected and they're so intelligent and adorable.

[liz]

Rachel, my daughter, was telling Myrtle no because she would not stop what she was into. Finally Rachel got tire and asked her "what did I tell you". Myrtle said "NO". She understood and answered the question.

She loves to baby blabber but will sometimes slip and let us know what she is learning.