encouraging "talking" questions

[Kissed82]

So my B&G Nero talks and makes all types of sounds but NEVER around me.
He says peek a boo, no, hello, barks like a dog, and makes random sounds.
He just turned 2 in December.

As you may have read in other threads or seen in Nero's videos when he is with me he has this CONSTANT coo, cry... I heard it best described as a sheeps "BAH". Never do I heard anything else from him, he refuses any other sound when I am around. Some say I am "mamma" to him because of that sound.

My husband and children are a different story. I will hear everyone in the other room and Nero is talking away. They (my family) reward him for talking. I have even raced in the room when he talks so I personally can try to reward it. If he is in a room alone or in his cage he is also a chatter box.

I could care less if any of my birds ever say a word but since he DOES, why not around me? I have taught Nero tricks and he does them for me whenever I ask, he cuddles with me, grooms me... I think we are friends. lol

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

 

[Mattroma]

I've come to the conclusion that my Mac talks to get our attention. Quinn tends to say more words and his first time saying words in front of my wife. Today for instance my wife heard him say "pretty bird and high five". Both if these were new phrases. I have realized that the new words seem to come when my wife is working from home. Quinn wants to get my wife's attention and is there any better way to do it,than spitting out new phrases.
I come home from working and pick him up and play with him. he doesn't need to get my attention, I'm already giving it to him. While he he will talk to me it tends to be the basics, "step up and hi". I insist on him at least using those two phrase.
Sounds like you spend your time with him playing and teaching tricks. Maybe he knows he will get your attention in another positive way and doesn't feel the need to talk.

 

[Kissed82]

Ah yes... never thought about it like that before.

Nero also does a lot of his chatting when he is excited, like when he is watching sunlight reflecting off of a tablet screen onto the ceiling (loves that game) or if he is beak wrestling or cuddling with my husband. I think my husband offers Nero plenty of attention. So im not sure that is 100% it, but I can certainly see that happening! TY

 

[Kissed82]

any other suggestions, thoughts,input, advise?

 

[Allee]

Have you tried playing word games with Nero? Pick one of the words he uses most often and when you have a few quiet moments call out the word to him and see if he will repeat it. Our five year old U2, we've just had him a few months, was a confirmed screamer. He chooses the word game over screaming more often than not. He isn't a great talker but he's picked up several words since he's been with us.

If Nero is practicing when you aren't looking my guess is he will talk more and more.
Out female quaker came to us with an extensive vocabulary. We were told our male QP couldn't talk at all and he was five years old. I first heard him practicing a few weeks ago. He got braver and braver and his words got clearer and clearer. It's really strange but our talking QP is playing her word game with him. He has learned to say his name from her, he makes her monkey noise, quacks like a duck, whistles for the dogs. Last week I was eavesdropping and our girl kept repeating, pretty pretty bird. The other one got confused and said, pretty bird bird instead. They had quite an argument. I was thrilled and told him so. We've been repeating pretty bird bird back and forth for a week now.

 

[Jumpingtadpoles]

Have you tried playing word games with Nero? Pick one of the words he uses most often and when you have a few quiet moments call out the word to him and see if he will repeat it. Our five year old U2, we've just had him a few months, was a confirmed screamer. He chooses the word game over screaming more often than not. He isn't a great talker but he's picked up several words since he's been with us.

If Nero is practicing when you aren't looking my guess is he will talk more and more.
Out female quaker came to us with an extensive vocabulary. We were told our male QP couldn't talk at all and he was five years old. I first heard him practicing a few weeks ago. He got braver and braver and his words got clearer and clearer. It's really strange but our talking QP is playing her word game with him. He has learned to say his name from her, he makes her monkey noise, quacks like a duck, whistles for the dogs. Last week I was eavesdropping and our girl kept repeating, pretty pretty bird. The other one got confused and said, pretty bird bird instead. They had quite an argument. I was thrilled and told him so. We've been repeating pretty bird bird back and forth for a week now.

When I had my cockatiel, he loved learning new words. He would get close to my mouth, eyes would pin, or he would dance, when he enjoyed something I said, long before he would practice it. He would "ask" to have it repeated by using body language.
So pay attention to him and see what he likes

 

[Allee]

My Quakers are much like toddlers with a new word or phrase. Recent favorites are, back up, can't you fly, thank you, and one all time favorite is unfortunately, pee pee poo poo. We didn't teach her that one but she loves saying it. She's taught it to our other quaker. The U2 is pretty safe, he has a speech impediment. The closest he can get to quacking like the Quakers is a very awkward, frustrated, KWOCK KWOCK KWOCK. It annoys him that he can't talk as well as the Quakers. The QP's know that and like to show off for him.

 

[Kissed82]

I do try and get the family involved with playing word games and rewarding him when he does talk. I talk to him all the time, I try playing word games, I have even shown him other birds talking on youtube. but not one word if I am in the room with him. He will "bahhh" at me and nothing else, EVER. That silly boy. Its something to do with me.

I do have a QP, she doesnt talk either. She does however mimic sounds, I have a funny story about one of her sounds. ~ We had her maybe 6 months, she came from a neglectful home where she wasnt let out of her cage for 7 years before the owner dumped her at a Petco. On to the story...

My husband was napping on the sofa, I ran up stairs to use the computer real fast. My QP Ocha was on her stand in the living room. I took longer than I thought on the computer. All of a sudden I heard an INFANT baby crying, full blown, pissed off, hungry baby cry. I dont have an infant. I raced downstairs where my husband started to call for me, both of us with the look of shock.... Ocha was crying, she even included the baby trying to catch its breath between screams. Amazingly creepy!

Can you imagine my poor husband being woken up to such a panic cry? That was the first time we ever heard it and she only does it if she is feeling lonely, maybe once or twice a month. I have the cry on video but I had to hide to get it, so you really cant see its her making the sound.

Anywho, yeah I cant seem to get my Nero to want to chat it up with me. Its no big deal, I love him the same, just wish he would share with ME sometimes. :O)

 

[Allee]

Nero probably knows how much you want to chat with him and he's just playing you. Parrots are devious like that.

I can imagine hearing a bawling infant! Our quaker does that and so does our cockatoo, if one cries, both of them do. We don't have infants either. The Quaker heard a cat scream outside one night and she mimicked it perfectly. Now when the cockatoo flock calls the quaker howls like a cat, then the cockatoo howls like a cat. We don't have a cat. The cockatoo mimics a coffee maker gurgle and I have no idea where he learned it but, he makes a noise like a person being slowly strangled, it starts in his inside voice and gets weaker and weaker. I'm pretty certain no ones ever been strangled in front of him. maybe I should be careful about what they watch on TV. Very strange noises. My birds are a little disfunctional. I love their nuttiness.

 

[Kissed82]

This video is about a week old. Nero was very very hyper and this is the FIRST time he has made any sound other than "bahhhhhhh bahhhhhh" with me in the same room.

[ame=http://youtu.be/WpZPne1pX5U]B&G macaw nero hyper chatty - YouTube[/ame]

But I can talk to him from the other room and he will respond to me. Silly bird

[ame=http://youtu.be/d2mmZd5zMMc]Nero, b&g macaw, Hello how are you - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Kissed82]

What a silly boy. Wish he would talk like that with me in the same room. " bahhhhhh bahhhhh"

 

[strudel]

My galah is not a "big talker", but she was talking a lot the other night. She was inside and I had to keep going in the other room where she is and she was nattering away. Also, she does say her "hello" when she wants something. If you have some food, she goes hello over and over (as in, you could give ME some of that) and if you are doing something she'll go hello (as in, what's that you're doing?) I think she definitely talks more when I'm not focussed on her wanting her to. I say things to her over and over that maybe one day she'll say back, but I don't care whether she does. I did get a surprise when I heard her saying all this other stuff, but it was quite soft, like budgie talk, not like her "normal voice".

 

[Birdman666]

Both of mine just blurt stuff out when they feel like it. I haven't trained any of them to do that on command. There is a way to do it by cuing, but it's too much work, and it's boring...

Besides, I would rather teach them things in context. That is way cooler than say this on command...

Two years old is still young. Give it time.

 

[Kissed82]

well its not a matter of him talking, I love him either way. He just talks when I am not in the room and the rest of the family is. Those videos were just the first things he has done with me other than "Bahhhhhhh Bahhhhhhhhh Bahhhhhhhhh"

silly boy!

it is neat to see birds talk in context! Simply amazing when they do! Closest thing to that in my house would be the quaker crying in a human cry for attention. lol

 

[Birdman666]

well its not a matter of him talking, I love him either way. He just talks when I am not in the room and the rest of the family is. Those videos were just the first things he has done with me other than "Bahhhhhhh Bahhhhhhhhh Bahhhhhhhhh"

silly boy!

it is neat to see birds talk in context! Simply amazing when they do! Closest thing to that in my house would be the quaker crying in a human cry for attention. lol

I have had two that were cognitive enough to speak conversationally.

My evil little dusky conure was one of the smartest birds I ever head, and he used words and phrases appropriately and in context. He even once apologized for biting me... actually said "AAAww, I'm sorry!" WITHOUT CUEING!!! Unfortunately, he just wasn't smart enough to stay away from Owls...

The other is my CAG.

All my birds say some words and phrases in context.

Hello. Goodbye. Time for breakfast. Want some. Is that good? Wanna go outside. Wanna go for a walk. and Thirsty.

For my greenwing, any drinkable liquid is "water" and any food product is "cracker."

So, they all do it to some extent if you teach them the phrases while you are doing stuff with them. If you use language with them appropriately, and in context, they pick it up appropriately and in context...

 

[Kissed82]

Those are all things that I do with my birds. I tell them what I am doing or the names for things that are around. Just as if I were talking to a 2 year old. Its kinda funny when someone is over that doesn't know my birds or how I care for them. They look at me as if I am insane ( they are probably right!)

My little conure is very persistent with talking, too bad it comes out in bird gibberish! It is very cute though!

Simply amazing how smart these beautiful creatures are!

 

[strudel]

My little conure is very persistent with talking,

I was looking at my bird yesterday when I was talking to her. Her main word is "hello", I say "hello" and "I love you" and "giss a kiss" and blow a kiss. Yesterday, I was doing "giss a kiss" and 3 lip smacks and she was doing 3 (silent) "lip smacks" back. It was only because of your thread that I noticed it. She was definitely mimicking me, I did it several times and she did 3 beak moves and then stopped, she wasn't just doing her normal beak stuff. It's nice when you feel you are getting a direct response from your bird, even if it's just an imitation of what you are doing. I can understand why you'd like her to talk to you directly.