Do your birds talk?

[rheashard2]

Snakeman, I can't remember my CAG not talking or mimicking something. I almost envy you. But my CAG has me well trained. Audio silence is a sign of potential trouble.

 

[Guest50018]

Snakeman, I can't remember my CAG not talking or mimicking something. I almost envy you. But my CAG has me well trained. Audio silence is a sign of potential trouble.

She certainly isn’t silent lol she makes a lot of noises but doesn’t talk yet. She mimics a few things right now. She has picked up a few cartoon sound effects and whistles as well as mimicking the sound of the dremel when having her nails groomed.
I try to expose her to different music, sounds, cartoons, nature shows, movies. She likes to listen to me play guitar. I even read to her sometimes, but so far no speech mimicry.

She is approx 17 months old now, is there a general time period where if they haven’t spoken they never will? I know some speak earlier on, but didn’t think it was a big deal that she hasn’t spoken yet…

 

[rheashard2]

Good! No it's not a big deal that young. My first CAG mimicked a few sounds until about a year. I didn't give it much thought. Then the beak gates burst! It was hysterical. I came home one morning from work. The gates were open. Hope you play guitar well. My sister didn't. The sound of discord still causes me to grind my teeth.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I had a cockatiel that loved to whistle tunes- off key! Charlie was musical but tone deaf.

 

[rheashard2]

I had a cockatiel that loved to whistle tunes- off key! Charlie was musical but tone deaf.

Tone deaf maybe not. Mimicking a tone deaf human? High probability!

 

[Guest50018]

I had a cockatiel that loved to whistle tunes- off key! Charlie was musical but tone deaf.

We keep playing the old spice theme on our phone for them hoping one of them picks it up.

 

[GaleriaGila]

He talks, sings, mimics sounds... all in a very shrill, nasal, "parroty" tone... links below have examples, if you wish to submit your eardrums!

 

[Pickle's Mom]

Piccolo participated in our conversation while my husband was on the phone this morning. First he said awww jeez! Then came WTF, and laughing, with perfect timing. He is always eager to be part of a conversation and seems to understand a lot of it. It is not a surprise that he is picking up words he shouldn't be saying when he listens in to my husband's calls. Never a dull moment.

 

[rheashard2]

I have a report that is amusing and kinda irritating. A few days ago Nameliss started mimicking my computer game sound effect. It's my character's death scream. Distracting and irritating depending upon what I am doing. This morning she started repeating sorry over and over until I was done changing her paper. I tried but couldn't stop laughing. So she's going to be doing that for awhile. I started telling her she could change her own paper. Then she wouldn't have to be sorry.

 

[rheashard2]

I heard a strange alarm sounding in store. My first thought was thank goodness Nameliss wasn't here. I wasn't even aware of that mental alteration. So how many of you have similar thoughts about sounds?

 

[Jcas]

I heard a strange alarm sounding in store. My first thought was thank goodness Nameliss wasn't here. I wasn't even aware of that mental alteration. So how many of you have similar thoughts about sounds?

I’ve been surprised that my Quaker doesn’t mimic my Guinea pigs’ “ wheet! Wheet!” Noise that they make when they want treats. It wouldn’t be the worst sound but pretty shrill! Sometimes he makes a whistling noise that sounds similar and I think, “uh oh, has he finally picked up on it?”

 

[Geslina]

I think it is important when deciding on getting a bird to not have an expectation that the bird will entertain you with a wide vocabulary. So many people have that expectation. When I tell people I have a parrot, almost always, their first question is, “Does he talk??” Probably, back in 1993, when I first saw Max when he belonged to my brother’s roommate, I probably asked if he talked. But some birds, even the breeds considered to be great talkers, are not. When I got Max, I decided to love and accept him for who he was. It would be so cool if he talked more, but he doesn’t, and I am fine with that!

 

[Thechoplady]

Sophie (her nicknames are Mama and Eagle) says:

Hi!
Go Bears!
What 'cha you doing?
What do you got there?
Your beautiful.
Wow
Eagle
Eagle Wing
Peek a Boo
Tickle Tickle Tickle
Boop boop boop
(laughs)
(kissy noises)
Your so good mama
Hi mama
Hi good girl
Here we go
Hi babe
Oh!
Doo doo doo
Hi Eagle
Water?

The majority of these she will only say when she is chilling in her cage and she thinks no one is looking at her. However she does say four or five of these in front of us at anytime.

 

[rheashard2]

I got my first CAG because I wanted company. Someone with a life expectancy longer than my dogs. It didn't bother me that he didn't talk. Then the flood gates opened. He preferred sound effects over words. Nameliss my current CAG is a talker. I am entertained and embarrassed. My one wish is that she stop asking me if I went to the bathroom before lights out. Granted I am well into my seventh decade. I don't have that problem yet.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

My little girl budgie Joey doesn't talk but she makes sweet little sounds like peeps, beeps and tweets when she's trying to communcate. I think it's her way of "talking". I say something to her and she responds with a few little sweet "peeps". However, when she wants attention or out of her cage or just wants to make noise, she makes the typical angry budgie "squawks" to make it known.

 

[cupzealous]

Only one of my 5 birds talks. CoCo the Quaker. He actually speaks in context and uses speech to communicate things. It's a mixture of quaker sounds he has taught me and english he has learned from me. He says around 80 words/phrases, and he has a few dozen quaker noises that I understand.