I have a Quaker, not sure how old, and she will say some things but never when we are in her sight. She will talk when we leave the room - any idea why? Also, some things she says very clearly; other times it sounds like she is rambling on and on and I can't understand a word she says! I've also heard her bark like our dog, which I thought was pretty cool. But if anyone has any advice about why she won't talk in front of us I'd appreciate it! thanks.

Quakers are known to be closet talkers. I've read in some others posts that they like to practice before they talk to humans. From what I've read it comes with time.

I thought mine was the only stinker to do this. QuakerQuaker does speak clearly enough but spends a lot of time talking in his cage with his back turned away from me....thus, I can't hear a lot of what he says.

Yeah, Simon is a closet talker too. My adult kids are here at our house everyday, and they have never heard him say anything other than "hello"....but he actually has quite a large vocabulary. He used to do all his "practicing" out on our balcony before we moved, and that is when we would also hear him practicing new words that we couldn't understand. The ONLY thing he does regularly in front of people (besides mutter in my ear if I'm trying to have a convo with someone) is to laugh, which I do a lot..and he ALWAYS joins in with me.

Sounds to me like you have a closet talker too, and oh yes, I do also...and nothing I know that you can do to change it... Sorry, if you do, please let me know...Harley has been doing that for 4 plus years and the only way I can hear him is to put a recorder near him and walk off....If you do the same, it may be interesting and surprise you at the same time......

cricket has been working on a new phrase the past 2 weeks... i can't seem to make out what he's saying just yet. hopefully it's not anything bad!

do i seem to have the only budgies and quaker that start making lots of noise and talking when water is running?

LOL

My qp likes to mutter under his breath when I walk towards his cage. And ther's something like..."well I oughta......." and something else. I haven't stuck around to hear that sentance as I am sure he's not saying something nice and it will follow up with a nasty bite............I am just sure of it....sniff.

awww... give quakerquaker a little time. the first week or so you had him and he was so sweet. that was the "honeymoon phase". once the honeymoon is over that's when the hard work starts. every once in awhile i'll call cricket "you little b@st@ard" and i'm WAITING for that to come out of his mouth!

kalipso I am laughing so hard. Yeah, b@ast@rd has already been used. I try really hard not to swear....apparently not hard enough though......oops. And then there was the day that he heard hoo-ha on tv and I had to explain to "him" that he has a ding-dang.......I woke up to diiiiiiiiiiiiing-daaaaaaaaaang.
And that analogy of the honeymoon phase totally fits.......I want a divorce darn it.......just kidding.

well... no one can ever say that these green (and blue) little monsters aren't smart! i know you're going thru some biting with quakerquaker but as soon as he knows you're the boss he'll hopefully settle down!

kalipso I think you are right. He is definitely trying to be the boss of the house. He is not the least scared of the cats. And somewhere deeeeeeeeeeep down I knew this is what he was trying to do. I am going to give it more time. I don't give up easily.......I just simply needed someones advice on what to do.....besides clip wings........yeah.

Duke only does his pink floyd performances when I'm out of the room. I'd rather him sing to me all day, but he won't go for it.

Donut likes to practice new things when we are out of the room or busy doing something.
When he thinks that we aren't listening, he goes through his whole routine and adds a few new mumbled things.

On Saturday he said "what ever", (my sarcastic expression) and he hasn't said it since, no matter how much I try.
He will talk to strangers & new people only if we are all sitting around the dining table.

I guess they are all different and yet in many ways the same.

Tricia.

am0z--I'm dying to know, what are Duke's favorite Floyd songs and what is his performance like? You have to record it and share it some day!

My 8 year old Quaker,Sweetie is a chatterbox.She talks virtually nonstop when we're home,even after we cover her cage,all the lights off and just the TV on.She'll laugh along w/ us at a comedy show or blurt out something to make us laugh.My other Quaker,Journey is only 7 months old and is somewhat of a closet talker.He/she says a couple of things clearly now,but does alot of mumbling,which I take to be practicing,and he/she will stop talking when I get close..I'm hoping Journey will have enough confidence one day to chatter away,but if not,we'll take him/her as is

Hi kris,

All my fids chatter up a storm the minute they hear water running in the kitchen. They make a wicked loud racket when I'm vacuuming as well.

The minute the water is turned off, it gets very very quiet

So you're not alone <grin>.

Do your fids get noisy if you're on the phone?? All my guys hate the phone with a passion, and make the most noise then. I can't hold any of them if I'm on the phone, because they will all bite me then.

Deb



Yogi was a closet talker for the longest time.

Eventually he would talk to me, but if anyone else was in the house, he'd clam up.

My family started to think I was nuts, till I caught Yogi on hidden video <grin>.

It's just the last month or so that he's started to talk in front of my husband, and my daughter when she visits, and I've had him almost 2 years.

Really cute how he does it though. He sticks his head in the happy hut, and talks non-stop. Then will look out to see if anyone noticed. If anyone comments on him talking, he clams up.

Silly fids

I'll betcha someday he just be confident enough to start babbling away to you.

Deb

Truman gets in his moods where he sits in his cage and mumbles so I have no idea what he is saying. He is a selective talker too. He knows a lot of words and phrases but only focuses on two or three at a time. For example, I know he says "bad kitty" and "bye bye" because I've heard him say those things. But lately all I can get out of him is "Good boy," "Step up" and "What." He has entire conversations with himself sometimes, but at a sound level too low for me to interpret.