birdhouse Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 Yesterday, Phenix was going a little crazy on a toy . It was already getting kind of worn out & it finally went crashing down. Phenix stopped, looked down at the wreckage & said, "Sorry!" in his best concerned voice. It was very funny to see him apologizing to his toy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusCAG Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I have a new story to add. When my hubby and I came in with groceries the other day, our dog (Dahlia) started barking excitedly. Oftentimes when she starts up, Marcus will whistle and call her, or tell her "Go to bed!" or something like that. But as she kept barking and we started putting the groceries away and stuff, he said very distinctly, "Dahlia, go answer the door!" My husband and I stared at each other, like, Did you just hear that? We couldn't help cracking up... Never mind that nobody was at the door, and that we had never asked our dog to go answer the door for us, ever (haha!). So maybe Marcus thought someone else was outside, still? Who knows. But it seemed appropriate, considering everything, and it made us smile at our little grey man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lydia Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Hi every one, well I'm new to the forum and proud to be here. I have a 6 month old female (Dayzee) very sweet and like her mommy very feisty .LOL I'm concerned that she suddenly began to bite me, its been going on for a few days. I work out of my home so she gets lots of attention so I don't understand the sudden behavior change?? She babbles and whistles all the time when she does this I respond to her as if I new what she was saying she seems to like this I know she said, "What" and "hello" to me during our conversations the other day. When we chat I try to pick her up and she will put her head down while starring at me and then proceed to bite, sometimes pretty hard. She also refuses to eat pellets and is extremely finicky with her food. I would appreciate any advice and so forth with regards to my concerns and a good website for good quality food.. Thanks Lydia & Dayzee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpittman Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Dixie has quite an extensive vocabulary, albeit not the same as Dayo but a good one nonetheless. Beau has just started communicating verbally so this makes me very happy. For over a year now I've been doing the same goodnight routine with the birds, with the exception of adding Morgan to the mix a few months ago. Beau on one shoulder, Dixie on the other and we turn off the lights, put the conures back in their cage, loads of kisses between the bars and then it's Morgan's turn. He has quickly learned that "night night" means go back inside for the night. He is willing stepping up and giving kisses and then heading to his favorite perch. Then it's Beau's turn, he steps off my shoulder onto his porch and gives lots of kisses and then steps back up to be placed on his perch inside his cage. All the while Dixie is sitting on my shoulder. We make one more trip around the room, telling everyone good night and sleep tight. Then it's Dixie's turn. She get's lots of kisses, a swing upside down, a few seconds of rocking in my arms while being sung a lullabye, and then off she goes to her favorite perch. This routine starts at 8:30 pm every night and if for some reason I forget the time, I'm reminded of it immediately by Dixie. There is no clock that chimes the hour so I don't know how she does this. I know many will say that it's the "routine" of the thing, but I believe that they all understand "night night time" since I have absolutely no problem getting any of them to go to bed. The most amazing part of this is when I do forget the time, Dixie's announcement of "night night time" works the same - the conures start heading back to their cage - they usually play on the rope's and swings; Morgan goes to his porch for kisses - he's usually on top of his cage playing with his toys; and Beau starts looking/moving toward me from where ever he happens to be. To me it's cognitive, maybe I'm daydreaming...lol. Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yogi Birda Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I posted in the welcome section about my Yogi making up his first sentence. What really blew me away was that the sentence he made implies that he knows who he is, what his toes are and that they taste good! He knows the cat (at one time we had two and he knew, and called each of them by the correct name consistently) and he can tell by what i am wearing whether it is a work day or a stay at home day. Before I brought Yogi home as a newly weaned baby I did a lot of reading and research into how to rear this little guy and how to help him reach his full potential! He is your classic 3 year old. Prone to tantrums, spoiled, manipulating, curious and very quick to learn, and I just love him!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val27 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I can sooo relate to all of these stories! If Finney ever nips at me she will right away say "OOooo!" after she does it. Exactely what I would do. She does say what alot too. My husband and I always joke that we're going to have to get that bird a bird hearing aide! When my mom pet sits for us she tells me Finney sounds just like me. She would think I was home if she didn't know better. We have a running list of all that she says. Pretty long list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nychsa Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Hi there Dan! It has been a while since we last chatted, but it's great to see Dayo has certainly continued to grow into the smart little guy he promised to be! Your observance of their expectations is spot on IMHO. Bella has plenty of expectations of me, and she certainly lets me know about them LOL!. We were having dinner "together" one day where she had her little bowl of the same food I had on my plate. I noticed she was really enjoying the salad, so I took some off my plate and put it into her bowl. What a mistake! She jerked her head up and went on this tyraid of "NO!, NO! NO NO!!!" then she banged her beak several times on the table, then stormed over to my plate, grabbed every piece of salad I had and tossed it over the side then she glared at me one more time and went "NO!". I had a friend over who has 9 parrots and both she and I were just dumb founded! We watched all of this not knowing what on earth to make of it! So, apparently her food is in some kind of order or something - either way, I'm not touching it any more while she's "sorting it out" LOL! Cheers! Terri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 1- Phenix acts like he doesn't give two schnookies & a gum wrapper for anyone. But tough as he, even he isn't that hard & every so often, he has done some things that make me think he's got at least a soft spot for Kura. 2 - Kura travels with me often in good weather. Phenix has never taken any notice of us coming & going before this. I had to take Kura to the vet when she got sick last week. As soon as we got home, Phenix was clinging to the front of his cage. He watched me take her out & get her settled on her cage. It wasn't even what he said so much as the way he said it "Kura!!!!" - with a ...oh thank goodness you're back! tone of voice "Are you okay!!?!!" - with the most genuine mix of alarm & concern I have ever heard from him That was the first time I smiled all afternoon. If he wasn't genuinely worried about her, he certainly put on an incredibly convincing performance!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 LOL Terri!!! It's great to hear from you again and about Bella!!! I find it amusing and annoying at the same time that they throw these tantrums just like a small child. I hope you visit more often, post some update photos, videos and more stories. You have been missed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nychsa Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 it's good to hear from you Dan! Speaking of videos - here's one of Bella and her latest fascination. She's quite a talker, but in this one she didn't talk, she just "listened". She is also using "tools" now. Today I saw her holding a nut with her claw and using it to scratch under her beak! A Valentine video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Terri - You are tormenting Bella with the phone. Very cute! Thanks for sharing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nychsa Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Oh my Dan no! SHE is pushing the buttons on the answering machine! Look at what she is doing with her left foot - she pushes the buttons on the machine then stands there and listens to the different responses. We didn't know she was doing that until friends started asking me what happened to my regular Verizon voicemail. I found the machine voice mail was "mysteriously" turned on. I thought at first I may have done it accidentally, but one day I caught her turning the voicemail on and off on the machine. In the mean time she's figured out she can make it ring, talk, and of course do the handset locator. She'll stand there for some time pushing the different buttons. I think I'm going to get her one of those baby phones again - she broke her last one. She has a thing about "pushing buttons" LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yogi Birda Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I was quite surprised one day when Yogi picked up a shed feather, chewed on the end of it, then used it to scratch with!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krikkit Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I just want to tell you.... I'm devastated this thread is at it's end. It has provided ample delight for three days now. I've been reading bits and pieces, savoring it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Hopefully more members will post on their greys cognitive abilities observed. It is very impressive that you have read through the entirety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nychsa Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Greetings everyone, I believe I have a cognitive dilema on my hands. Frist - I'm wondering if Grey potty training is much like human potty training. In other words, does one have to wait until one's grey is a certain age before they can be potty trained (Bella is 2 years now - will be 3 in May). Here's what we've gone through - I figured if I "demonstrate" that poo is just not something nice, by making faces and sounds when Bella drops a bomb, and then I clean it up immediately she'd eventually understand this is not desirable. Particularly when I make a big reward deal out of poo in the right place! She gets the reward part pretty well. She'll make that poo right on que if there is a walnut waiting at the end of that conversation! But, she's not making the leap that this is the ONLY place Poo should go. When we first got started Bella likened ANYTHING that dropped to the ground as Poo. If seeds dropped she announced there was poo, if food dropped she announced it was poo. But since I didn't react to that, she pretty soon figured out we're only talking about that poo that seems to drop from those red tail feathers! So! Now we're at a place where she will make her Poo, and then go into this elaborate diatribe "Eeeeeewwwww!! DA POO!!!!!!!!!!!!" and then she shakes her head furiously and says "EEEEEW, EEEEW EEEEWWWW". So, she's getting what Poo is. She also knows what "no" means (she tells me "NO" often enough!), so she'll poo in the wrong place do her EEEEEWWWW, fly off, land on her cage and say "NO POOO!!!!". Well, that's just a little bit too late. I know she gets what Poo is, because when I clean her cage, she makes plenty of Poo commentary. She also knows if she poo's on me, she gets bounced off my shoulder, lap or leg pretty quick. She'll even follow that up with "NO POO!" (She says it before I can say it!). So, any words of wisdom anyone? I'm starting to wonder if she's just pulling my leg and is enjoying the torment she's putting me through! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reggieroo Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I'm starting to wonder if she's just pulling my leg and is enjoying the torment she's putting me through! Sounds like a clever little girl to me, who enjoys winding you up with her poo games. Unfortunately I don't have any advise other than get some wet wipes to clean up the poo......"EEEEEW, EEEEW EEEEWWWW" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nychsa Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 LOL I think you may be right Reggieroo, We have plenty of disinfectant wipes, in fact, when ever I reach for them - poo or no poo, Bella yells "DA POO!!!! Eeeeewwwww!". She also will say "No Poo", or she'll say "Bella Poo-Girl" LOL As you can tell, I"m doing my best to come to some kind of an accord with her around this poo thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusCAG Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I have something new to post that Marcus just said maybe twenty minutes ago, I figure it'll do better here than as a solitary thread, but I just have to share this!! My husband had just come home from work, and our dog (Dahlia) was jumping around to go outside. I was folding laundry in the hall, near Marcus' cage by the open bedroom door. From his spot, he can see straight through the house to the back door. He watched as my husband opened the door to let Dahlia outside--but the door to the patio had blown shut from the wind, so my hubby followed Dahlia into the relative darkness of the porch to open the patio door again. From within his cage, Marcus suddenly piped up and said very loudly, and with an up-and-down intonation, "Is he gonna STAAAY out theeeere?" How did I not show him that my mind had totally blown up upon hearing that question??? Yet I just replied casually to Marcus, "No, Daddy's just letting Dahlia outside, he'll be back in a few minutes." But--wow!!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 He watched as my husband opened the door to let Dahlia outside--but the door to the patio had blown shut from the wind, so my hubby followed Dahlia into the relative darkness of the porch to open the patio door again. From within his cage, Marcus suddenly piped up and said very loudly, and with an up-and-down intonation, "Is he gonna STAAAY out theeeere?" What a great example of their cognitive abilities. Thanks for sharing this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenabrd Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 kallie did the same thing!! she had this feather, was looking at it from all the angles she could turn it, then scratched her head with it. then she'd look at it again with the strangest look, it was a cross between, wow-this is really cool and hmmm-how does this work!!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly Yokum Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 OK I have to add my 2 cents worth. I don't have my gray at home yet, for it is being weaned. I have done tons of research (nothing as helpful as here) they can be as smart as a 5 year old. Now the 5 year old's that I know can carry on a conversation, they know things. I have watched video's of Einstein, the famous one, and the not so famous one on youtube.com. The doctor put things inside his beak, and he could name them by feel and taste. The have been know to have a 1000 word vocabulary. They may not know exactly what the word means but I think they can grasp the concept. If the bird ask for a grape, and you give it a grape, and one day ask for a grape and you give an apple, I think they can know the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nychsa Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Greetings everyone, I'm wondering if Bella and I have come to a critical communications point - for the past two days when ever I have something she hasn't seen before, she flies to where I am, stays an initial cautious distance away but then asks "What's that?" I wondered if she's saying something because she's heard me say it, or is she really asking me what it is? So, I answered her. Lately I've been planting my garden vegies in doors for later transport into the garden. So, Bella has been watching me VERY carefully. Today she finally couldn't resist and she got closer and closer until she came within beak distance of taking a little nip off one of my newly sprouted plants. I told her "no", and she said "What's that?" I told her "a plant". She then says "ooooh" (very scientifically of course as if she were pondering the very molecules of that plant!). We'll see if she calls it a plant on her own if I keep repeating it every time she asks me! Has anyone had success with this yet? Cheers! Terri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusCAG Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 (edited) ^^ I hope your Bella decides to keep learning with that useful phrase of hers. It would be nice if Marcus asked "What's that?" but so far... In any event, this little exchange happened this morning. My husband and I had to go out of town both today and yesterday, and early this morning when we were getting ready to leave again and I was getting the boys ready for another day without us, I think they got a little irritated at the thought of being left alone again (which, of course, is understandable). Anyway, I was checking the locks on their doors, and Marcus was sitting on the perch we have affixed to the inside of his cage door. I've taught him and Beaker both that if they sit on those perches, it's an indication that they want to come out, and usually I will open their cage doors for them when I see them resting there. So it ran through my head, Okay, I can give him a quick kiss and I opened his door. For the first time ever, Marcus said, "Love you." I wasn't even thinking about the ramifications of that statement, my mind was focused on how we had to leave ASAP. So I just said, "I love you too!" and I bent down to kiss his wing. I can kiss him virtually anywhere, usually I ask permission beforehand or generally state my intentions, but not this time--and I pulled away just quickly enough so that his beak only grazed my cheek. I felt my eyes grow cold and my face set into a hard expression. I closed his cage door silently and walked toward their bedroom door. When I was at the door, Marcus' little voice wandered up behind me, "You okay?" Of course, I turned immediately. I figure that's as close to an I'm sorry that he's likely to give me for a while, if ever (he's never verbally apologized for anything yet). So I replied simply, "Yes, I'm okay. But it's not nice to bite people." I know he was angry that we were leaving again, and it was my fault for presuming to kiss him under such circumstances without permission, but I'm still rather thrilled with our little conversation. And he told me he loves me! Awww! He's my boy! :) Edited March 20, 2011 by MarcusCAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munch Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 MarcusCAG-- That Marcus of yours is an amazing little guy! What practical application of words and insights into his understanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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