New purchase

[amberinga]

Hi! We are sooo happy to have added a green cheeked conure to our family, last night. My 3 yr old named him (we were told it's a male) Mikey.
This is our first bird purchase. Mikey is SUPER affectionate and has already adapted to "stepping up".
Can you give any advice for teaching him words?

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Welcome to the forums, GCCs are great little birds.

For talking first realize that a GCC will not likely ever talk like a grey or a macaw. Some happy healthy conures never learn to say much of anything, but they certainly can and many will pick up a few words over time

If you want to encourage his speaking abilities there are a few things you can do. One suggestion is to record your voice saying something and set it to play back on repeat so he hears the word over and over again. While this can work I am not a fan of this method for a couple reasons I will address in a moment. One aspect of this method that is worth noting is that it is to increase the salience of the word. Parrots pick up on the most significant, salient, or 'meaningful' sounds. There is more than one way to increase the salience however and repetition may not be the best way.

The best way to increase the salience of the word is to use it in context and with "feeling". There is a reason many birds learn to laugh quite easily even if other words take time. Laughing may not be heard more often but it is more emphatic. Laughing is associated with a whole set of other behaviors and expressions that signal its significance. This is why parrots also pick up on "bad language" far faster than any owner would want them to.

Parrots also often learn various "kissing sounds" for similar reasons. In addition to the emotional aspect of kissing sounds there is also the social context. Most people don't make kissing sounds at random around their bird, they do so when they get close and usually touching. This social context gives the sound more meaning and salience so it is easier for them to learn.

Now for what I see as problems with the simple repetition method: First off it can work quite well... depending on how you define 'working.' The bird may start saying the word quickly, but the word will have no meaning at all. This is not a form of language in any way, it is just "parroting" (which is a bad name as parrots do not actually do it very often).

The first problem with the repetition method is that it can sometimes be counterproductive to actually learning the repeated word. The repeated word becomes like background noise - by habituating to it it will be a familiar sound but it will be learned as something that has zero meaning. If it means nothing why try to say it?

Secondly is, as already alluded to, that at best they will simply learn to say the word. Most of us would prefer our birds can use words meaningfully which can only be done by learning them in context.

So, I recommend making particular words part of your interaction with Mikey. Emphasize the words you want him to know. Associate them with the appropriate emotional or social contexts, and as much as possible exaggerate these contexts.

Also realize that birds vocal learning flows in two stages - they do not simply repeat what you say. First is the sensory phase where they listen. They listen and they start forming a mental 'sound-image' of words that seem important. Then is the sensory-motor phase where they experiment with sounds or 'babble' and fine tune their babbling until it sounds similar to the previously acquired mental 'sound-image.' This means that you should not get them to say something CLOSE to the word then change it by fine tuning the cue you give them as by the time they start trying to produce a word they already have a complete 'image' of what it should sound like memorized. This also means just because he isn't trying to mimic on a given day does not mean he is not learning. In fact I have often seen Auggie look quite curiously in response to an interesting sound or word - he will not try to mimic it then and there, but these are the words he will later practice.

Anyhow, to boil this down my recommendations are: 1) be patient and don't be disappointed it Mikey doesn't become much of a talker; 2) use words you want him to know in context and emphatically; and 3) realize that his 'word-production' may come several months after his 'word learning', so even if he is not making any attempt to mimic yet he will still likely be learning words.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

I have had Auggie for several years now - the whole time it has been just me and him so he has not heard me interacting with someone else (which can be a very good way for them to learn), yet he has still picked up a number of words including "Good boy", "Auggie Bird", "Thata' boy", kissing, and several whistles and 'contact calls'. These are not by far the most common words he has heard, but they are the ones that signify something meaningful or express something so they are the ones he uses, and he uses them not at random but properly in context. Just a minute ago he walked over to my hand while I was typing and made a kissing sound as he tapped his beak to my hand.

If you want him to use words and sounds to convey meaning they must be learned in context.

 

[amberinga]

Awesome...thank you!
I have another question. I know that GCC have a "big" personality for small birds. Well, I think that I'm seeing the rebellious side.
My daughter and I were playing earlier and Mikey was standing on his perch outside the cage and wanted to play, with us. He ever started making his way down the side to get on the floor; but , couldn't make it because of the design of the cage. I didn't pick him up and bring him over because it was Mommy/Daughter time and we have been playing with Mikey all morning. Now, he won't step up to come with me.
Should I just "give him time"? He's even pecking at my fingers more so than before

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Perhaps Tex or one of the other GCC owners will chime in on this one better than I can, but I'll offer my first thoughts:

Mikey was, as you noticed trying to express that he wanted to be with you and you ignored that expression. This is not a bad thing per se, but obviously from Mikey's perspective it is. His mode of communication - ie he asks to get picked up, then he gets picked up - has failed. It's not so surprising then that he is unsure about being picked up. He needs to learn that the mode of communication works the other way - you ask him to step up and he does.

In practical terms I would recommend two things. First be patient and wait for the next time he steps up on command; when he does shower him with praise and treats or toys and give him lots of attention. He needs to see that when he does things your way and on your schedule he gets lots of good stuff. Second try to solidify an appropriate means by which he can ask for attention. The simplest (but not best) way would be for you to honor every such request of his when he is out of his cage, so for your bird-free family time he would go back in his cage. This way he does not have access to "ask" to be picked up so he will not feel like his requests are being ignored.

There are better ways of doing this though than putting him in the cage as the more out of cage time they can get the better - he should learn he can be out on his perch or playstand but that does not necessarily mean you are willing to pick him up when asked; to do this prevent him from asking. One potential mechanism is to use some sort of object - perhaps a bell would be handy. Whenever he rings the bell you pick him up and give him lots of attention. The bell would be his way of saying "Hey, come get me." And to make that method stick you should ALWAYS honor those requests. When you don't want to pick him up (ie mother/daughter time) simply take away the bell. If he cannot ring the bell his ringing will not be ignored.

This way the training is two-fold: he learns that you understand and respect his requests for attention, but he also learns that he is not at liberty to make these requests at all times.

The bell of course is just one example, other tools could be when he stands on a particular perch and that perch can be taken away when you are not going to pick him up.

Whatever the case he should learn that signal -> attention. This relationship ALWAYS applies. He will never give the signal and be ignored. But sometimes the signal is not accessible.