Right now Salty is.....

[wrench13]

Just wait. Saltys cognitive skills didnt really kick in til about 6 months or so, ad it seems like they went off the chart fter that. That and the fact that he is right in the middle of it all, his cage and play boing and chain are smack in the middle of our kitchen, dinning and living room, so he is always surrounded by people and talking and family life. I think that important. I feel s bit sorry actually for parrots that may have their own rooms but are not around their families 24/7. Keeping Salty in the thick of this kind immerses him in the familial sound bath, and he picks up language and meaning quickly as a result.... that is my own theory BTW, not a scientific fact or anything. His talking ability has also improved recently too and SINGING.. OMG I knew Amazons like to sing like opera stars, but he will trade phrases with me ( or at least try). So if I or Geri sing a four note la LA la LA, he will sing it right back and wait for the next one... that is really something to witness.

 

[CherylCali]

That's so sweet it makes my heart gush ♡♡♡ I love that he sings, thats so sweet. Amazons are just amazing. Early is with us every meal, every shower, always with us. I am giving her little times like if I have to go outside, where I set her on her cage and say be right back, just started that actually from great advice on here. And I have started telling her how long I'm going to be gone when we leave the house. I also like to mimic her little clicks and chirps , may be a weirdo haha. I just figure I should attempt to communicate in her language too.

CherylCali

 

[wrench13]

Here's a recent pic from today, A shame pic.

" I reduce tablet covers to shreds, right before your eyes"

 

[wrench13]

Cheryl, I was just singing with him, after dinner.

 

[Rival_of_the_Rickeybird]

I must admit, he is pretty doggone cute. The permanent little smile doesn't hurt.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

I really don't teach Amy anything,,and after a couple years being on this forum,and reading about all the stuff peoples 'zons do..I am disappointed in myself BUT she picks up things on her own.

When her nummy bowl is empty,she goes to it and starts talking into it..I think she likes the sound of her own voice. This morning,with her head inside the bowl,she was chattering away,then laughing at her own voice.
THEN I hear her say,very loudly, FOOD! FOOD! it was empty

She is one sharp Amazon


Jim

 

[CherylCali]

We need a singing video! I know he probably stops singing if the camera breaks out. ..I had to just give up on a phone case. Now it's one of Early's toys for the sofa.

CherylCali

 

[wrench13]

LOL, I dont let him near my phone - it's a company phone.
You should see the case from my tablet, the one in the pic is my wifes (new).
Mine has a nibbled frame all around it except on the bottom. One of Salty's favorite
perches is to sit on my tablet, chewing the frame and using his claws and beak to mess with the touch screen.

 

[Anansi]

Just read through this thread, Al. Loved seeing Salty's progress over the last few months!

 

[wrench13]

You have some real patience to read all of it.. If you want a good read, check out Gail's RIckybird Scrapbook. Its like a parrot "War and Peace", with out the crazy Russian names! Much more interesting and comical.

 

[Anansi]

Oh, I've been subscribed to that thread for a while, now. Gail, her Rickeybird and his Rival all crack me up!

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Here's a recent pic from today, A shame pic.

" I reduce tablet covers to shreds, right before your eyes"

Al...Every time I see a picture of the Saltmiester..I can see what an extremely happy boy he is! 'Specially his eyes, they seem to always bright and inquisitive..and his perpetual "smile'

You're doing an amazing job with that fella,and obviously he thinks so too...or he wouldn't be so anxious to please you,and show you he's no "dumb bunny"


Jim

 

[wrench13]

Tkankee Jim. Getting the nod from folks like you and Gail and the other long time owners makes us feel like we are on the right track with Salty. Encouragement, support, information, advice and sometimes the occasional 'hard facts' are what this board turned out to be, at least for us. Our thanks to all that read these long diary type threads, whether posters or not.

 

[Rival_of_the_Rickeybird]

You have some real patience to read all of it.. If you want a good read, check out Gail's RIckybird Scrapbook. Its like a parrot "War and Peace", with out the crazy Russian names! Much more interesting and comical.

Thanks for the generous review. The Mrs. will love it, but Tolstoy is rolling over in his tomb.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Art is sometimes not fully appreciated in its own day, Mr. Rival.

Salty and Wrench, keep up the diary; you owe it to eternity.
And to your fans!

 

[wrench13]

Sorry I have been remiss in keeping up this Salty thread, for anyone who has been reading it ( LOL, prolly just me).

Something in last nights training session made me realize how Salty has been actually training me and not the other way around. I introduced a new trick about 2 weeks ago, the trick is to stack up nesting cups, one into the other. These are small plastic infant to 1 yr old toys from Babies-r-Us, and there are 8 of them all together. We started with the 3 smallest and Salty caught on after 3 times what was expected of him. He stacks them up right and he gets his treat. But after I started to introduce more and more of the cups from the set, he became more and more reluctant to do this trick. He would just wander off on the training table, for all the world looking like some cartoon character looking into to sky, rolling his eyes and whistling tunelessly. Doodty-doodty doo , no thanks Dad, not interested. Odd behavior for him in a training session, when he usually is peeking over the side of the table at the tricks all laid out on the floor, and literally runs to the next trick when I bring it onto the table.

And then I figured it out! He wants a treat for putting EACH cup into the previous one !
So I start the trick all over, biggest one on the table, and put the next smallest one next to it, and let Salty see the treat. He picked up the cup and slams it into the bigger one. I take the next one and also show him the treat and again, he picked up the cup and SLAM right into the previous one. An so it goes for the whole set of cups. he picked up the cups, one by one, perfectly and placed them perfectly into the previous one, getting his little treat after each. The whole set of 8. And I started laughing because he had in no uncertain terms told me that he was not going to work for unfair wages doing this trick, getting one treat for the whole thing, no, he wanted a raise, and felt that he should be getting a treat for each cup.

I hope he doesn't start to apply that thinking to other tricks, like his speed ring trick, where I take all the yellow rings and quickly one by one give them to him to place on the yellow post and he gets a treat at the end of each color. Or some other tricks where he has to do multiple actions to get his treat.

Has he been watching some 'Workers of the World , Unite!' propaganda?
"Parrots of the World, Unite!"?

Now if he was one of those parrots who like to untie huge knots as fun, I could see their slogan as... "Parrots of the World, Untie ! "

Anyway, he is training me on how to train him. Don;t tell me parrots aren't smart.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

"Now if he was one of those parrots who like to untie huge knots as fun, I could see their slogan as... "Parrots of the World, Untie ! "

AL! STOP IT!! YOU'RE KILLIN' ME HERE!!

Like I've said in a previous post..Salty in no dumb bunny!

I truly love reading about his antics!
He is surely showing YOU who's the boss!


Jim

 

[Anansi]

Al, you are definitely not the only one following Salty's antics! Hahaha! Not only is he training you, but he's using a variation of the timeout technique. Turning away and depriving you of his attention for undesirable behaviors! Lol! Most impressive!

 

[wrench13]

Steven,, you have to see him when he is giving me a time out, as described above; if he had pebbles to kick and hands to shove in his pockets, it would complete the picture.
Salty definitely understands what a time out is and how it applies both ways; when I give one to him and just the reverse on me.

 

[CherylCali]

This is AWESOME! what a smart smart boy.

CherylCali