Hi again,

I'm just wondering how to keep getting Ness into
wanting to learn new words, her newest word
is saying "Meow" its so cute and always cracks me
up... I've not been able to get her to say it on command
yet but have done with boppy girl and good girl...

so I was wondering does anyone have tips on how
to get a bird interested in learning a vocabulary? do you
think birds only want to pick up words that they want to
and if so what words would be easier for them to learn?

I'm even trying to get her interested in songs and so far
she really likes twinkle twinkle little star but hasn't picked up
the words yet, she'll **** her little head to the side and then
do her hyped up laugh when I know she's listening ^^

any advice would be great

I think it all depends on the indiviual birds preferences. Birds learn most from repitition.. that being said we'll also bore them if we repeat the same word over and over... When Kiwi's just finishing learning a word (he pics which word lol) i generally introdce a couple of more i'd be happy with him learning. He is the main decider on what words he likes.. He seems to like songs with his name in them and anything that is really upbeat.. ie. if your happy and you know it, the quaker song etc. You can also try to associate different things you do for Nessie with words.. like Would you like to come out? Good Morning when you uncover, singing a special song before bed, want some fresh water? then i'll say in a bowl when i take the dish out... she'll catch on!

I don't think there a particular words that are hard.. except maybe words with an L or S at the beginging because i read somewhere its harder to form those words cause we actually have to use our tongue or something..

As for getting them to say things on command.. treat rewards may word but they have their own lil personalities and i can say "good parrot" over and over and if kiwi isn't in the mood he is not going to say it... It also takes him ahile to talk around new people.. he usually starts opening up and getting friendly with laughing or saying "ohhhhhh" hehe

I too, wish I could get my bird to speak on command but he just won't. Except for peek-a-boo and hi. Once in a great while he will, and it gets my hopes up ..... only to be dashed to the rocks!

Clyde only says what CLYDE wants to say when Clyde wants to say it. I've tried and tried to get him to talk to Grandma (his grandma, not mine) on the phone, and the best I can hope for is a chuckle or sometimes a kissing noise. He won't say "hello" no matter how I beg. He says "hello" when he wants me to pick him up off his cage and it gets steadily more strident the longer it takes me. "Hello. Hello. Hello! HELLO!!!!" He won't say it to Grandma. He won't learn new words unless he happens to like them. I've given up.

well i agree. they will say what they choose to say when they choose to say it. i think it's more of them training us than the other way around. the best you can do is keep talking to nessie and hope that eventually she will talk back to you. for instance, i am trying to get louie to say his name when we ask, "what's your name little green bird?" sometimes he'll say, "looooouieeeeee" and other times i just get a squawk. sometimes when i approach him on his playstand, he will say, "gimme a kiss?" because he knows when i come over i'm gonna kiss him lol. last weekend when ian came in the room, louie said, "peek a boo!" as he entered the room. i think it's all a crapshoot with my little booger.

my grey, OTOH, will normally tell you a doggy says, "woof woof!" when you ask him. of course, the kitty says, "woof woof!" and so does the duck (even tho he knows how to quack) lol.

just keep talking to nessie like she's a little human kid - explain what you are doing, what things are, etc, in context so she gets the concept. she'll choose what she wants to say, and it will continue to melt your heart regardless of what comes out.

kris

I've found that by just talking to my Quakers as I'm working around the house,it seems to encourage them to talk,too.I have tried trying to get Sweetie to say paticular words/phrases,but she difinitely has a mind of her own and picks and chooses what she wants to say.I've tried repetition with little success,but let me tell ya....one "slip of the tongue",one "bad" word,and she's got it in a New York minute~! Not only that,but it often becomes her "word of the day."The little stinker....her latest new phrase is "get out~!" She says it to the Boxers as they're being let out of their crates in the morning,and she says it with authority...She heard me say it ONCE,and now she uses it daily to remind the Boxers that they need to"get out" Too funny.

i don't sit with cricket and have "training" classes. i just talk to him like he's really a baby. since i live alone, it took me awhile before i really felt comfortable talking essentially to myself but cricket has learned so many new phrases this way. when he finally gets around to repeating something i'm usually so surprised because it's not something i find myself saying a lot... at least i didn't think i was saying it a lot.

cricket's newest phrases are: "are you okay?", "what are you doin'?" and "thank you, baby".

Yeah, Simon won't "talk on command" either..in fact, I don't think anyone who doesn't live here actually believes he can say anything...hehehe. He is a major closet talker! Right now he's in the living room going thru his vocabulary saying "peekaboo, good boy, good boooooy, buddy bird, hello hello, step up...good BOOOOY" but I guarantee you if I walked in there with someone else, he'd not say a single word! All he will do when people are around is laugh if I laugh. His only new word in the past 3 months has been "poop" which he will say when he poops, or even sometimes when he sees Pogo poop!! Man I wish I could share that with friends and family cuz it's just too darned cute!

I say
"bombs Away"
every time T-Bird poops, but he still doesnt' say anything. I think it would be hilarious for a bird to say BOMBS AWAY when he goes, but mine never will, I am sure.

I too felt weird talking to him, but not anymore, he obviously isn't going to talk, so he will become a great listener!

If I am in the other room, you wouldnt' even know I HAD a bird, in the same room, you'd only know because you saw him, and if I am outside, sometimes I hear him SQUAWK real loud, but that's it. Oh well, he is a really sweet bird and that is OK.

It is interesting that he responds to what I say,
"give me a kiss?" ( I get one)
"Going up?" He's allowed to run up to my shoulder,
"wann go to the kitchen?" (he runs to the edge of the cage for a ride.)
"figgy Newton?" starts spinning in circles and leaning toward the cookie jar..
But he won't talk, at least he understands, OH and he knows his name too, if I say
T=Bird, he'll look up at me, but not if I call the dogs.
Lori
Lori

I notice that Verde picks up words fast,when I use repetition and alot of emphasis on words. It's all about the tone of voice with him.

He also loves me to sing songs that have his name in them. Gets his interest right away to mention his name with the word. Or to ask him Q's by using his name. He is vain...lol.

We have a happy hut for luigi. He likes it alot in there, and he likes to whisper alot when he is excited. If he feels threatened he will talk alot too, along with when he is happy.

I reccomend talking to her when she is in her happy hut if you have one.