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Grey Cognition and language abilities


danmcq

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I absolutely love you calling Gilbert your taskmaster!!! That is exactly what Roscoe is slowly becoming... Being retired and able to be around 24/7 has helped him integrate into our household. It still breaks my heart to think he was shut off in a storage (bedroom) for two years!!! They didn't have time for him anymore!! I also suspect he was only fed bread & seeds... He seems to covet them as if that's all he had.

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Whene i vacuum around Hannahs cage I always warn her by saying loud noise hannah, Yesterday my husband had the tv on too loud and she said Loud noise hannah bird., I also tell her Its ok hannah whene i have to move her cage, she has also picked that up in my voice , I think its so funny I laugh then she laughs also. I just love her, She also likes to call our dog pepper, she says wheres pepper hannah bird, she loves to put Hannah bird or hannah Bo in back of everything she says.

Edited by CathyJr
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Quinn has spoken, he now says Meow. Admittedly it is an easy one, more of a sound than a word but he is pretty pleased with himself. He also does the wolf whistle, and OH. He always announces my comings and goings with a sound and starts the morning with his rendition of the Amazon's horrible screetch. This is before he has been uncovered and the day has begun. I think he is saying time to get going, he is ready to start his day. He was hatched 3/13, so he is on his way to joining the crowd. I have a feeling he will be saying a lot soon.

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She hasn't actually picked up a whole lot of new words/sounds in my home but she has changed the WAY in which she says her old vocabulary!! Has anyone else with a rehome noticed this?

 

With Marcus, I remember once or twice when he seemed to "try on" saying some common greetings/words in my voice, my hubby's voice... but he's apparently decided that, aside from "Hello-o!" (which pops out occasionally in the mornings and/or after we've been gone for a while), most of his old terms are being "kept" by his older voices. Like, his "What?" is really defensive-sounding and kind of harsh, it's actually funny. He'll apparently be making a simply inquiry as to what we're doing, but it always sounds like he's going to bite our heads off: "WHAT?!" Especially if he does have some issue with what's going on, like he did recently with a TV show that he wasn't happy watching. But even for normal stuff, it's like it's his go-to voice and tone, he's a big tough guy or something. Only once (that I can remember, anyway), when my hubby and I were talking about Marcus in his presence--we were debating whether or not to tell him much beforehand about his groomer coming to trim his talons--did Marcus use a different tone of voice for "What?" It sounded a little ambivalent, if I can use that adjective to describe our dear Grey... it was like he realized we were discussing him and wasn't certain if he was happy about the subject! :P

 

And Dee: I like that Gilbert is calling your new kitty a "pretty girl", so sweet! :)

Edited by MarcusCAG
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Scene: Me sitting on the couch with a book I've been wanting to read for a while, Marcus up on his swing above and behind me, my hubby across the house and showering in the bathroom. Marcus is starting up with his "Ross?... Ross!" bit that has become oh-so familiar in our home whenever my husband gets home from work. Apparently, Marcus decides that he is being ignored and chooses to up the ante. He starts making wonderfully irritating, loud knife-on-cutting-board sounds.

 

Me: Marcus! I'm reading a book!

 

Marcus: Well, you could sto-op!

 

...I couldn't help but laugh when he said that!! What a brat! :P

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I love hearing about the responses Marcus has in conversations w/ you!!!! When they reply properly, "contextualizing"; they are understanding & using language skills that pertain to the subject at hand. How wonderfully intelligent these greys are!! Sometimes, Roscoe amazes me for several minutes "his attention span", he truely is communicating!!!

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Although I have heard Shadow make "off the cuff" statements, my husband has not..... Until the other day as he was walking out the back door into the garage and Shadow promptly asked "you going out there?" He was impressed.

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I love hearing everyone's stories, especially Marcus. My fid doesn't QUITE connect things yet...Though there was one incident a couple weeks ago when he was sitting on his play perch flapping his wings and growling. I said, "Oscar! Hey, what's wrong?" He stopped, made a "phew" noise and said (pardon his french) "MOTHER FUCKER" really loud! He then launched into a round of his favorite noises, including the oh so wonderful smoke detector. I said, "Oscar, that's not a nice noise." He responds, "Damnit!" I really need to stop playing video games in the same room!!!

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All of these stories are great. This site takes me right out of reality and calms me down from stress. Quinn makes lots of imitating sounds and has suckered me a few times into thinking my cell phone was dead, or the dog whining and even the ringer on the home phone I tell him Quinn you got me again. He picked up got you from that. His vocabulary is very large for his age, he will be 3 on the 12th, which I can't wait to post on that room!!

The real amazing thing is that he speaks in three voices. Now when I say this I mean my voice of corse but the amazing part is my husband speaks with an electronic voice due to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. So Quinn copies this and sounds just like him, the third voice is also my husband who will sometimes speak esophageal speech without the speaking device. So we hear all that he has to say three times each. This was beyond my expectations it's sooooo cool! I just love him so much. :D:cool::rolleyes:

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You obviously have never met Sophie! LOL While Sophie call me " Rom", instead of mom, she certainly lets me know, when I don't meet her needs. I have to remind her sometimes, " I need to let pups out!" She tells Ollie and Zoey,,, " go out now. Time to pee!". She knows exactly what she is saying. Occassionally, Ollie escapes under her cage. She's okay with that, saying..." Ollie... do you want a peanut?" If he pee's on her plastic under the cage, she totally freaks! Screams Ollie! Ollie! Outside now! He runs away.

Sophie rules! Birds, dogs, whatever.Sophie is our queen.We're okay with that. Nancy

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  • 1 month later...

The last two weeks, Dayo has began addressing me by full name. He has evidently picked up on this via my phone conversations and my answering when someone asks for it.

 

The interesting thing is, he has never called me Daddy, but he does for my wife such as "Where's Mommy?" or comments "Mommy's in the garage" or "Mommies watering the flowers" etc.

 

He now calls for example when I go to my home office to work and says "Dan McQuilliams, come here", "Dan McQuilliams, want out!" or he will ask my wife when I leave "Wheres Dan McQuilliams". He is also now starting to call himself Dayo McQuilliams and that is all on his own, not by myself or my wife ever calling him that. He also greets my son as "Jeff McQuilliams" now, although he has always just been Jeff. I suspect it is a bird flock thing that comes instinctively such as they each have a unique individual name and a name for their entire flock respectively in the wild. I suppose he thinks we are all "McQuilliams" flock.

 

Anyway, I thought this was interesting cognitive abilities I should mention. I would also like to hear from all the others members here, because I know with out a doubt you have much to share. :)

Edited by danmcq
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The last two weeks, Dayo has began addressing my by full name........

He now calls for example when I go to my home office to work and says "Dan McQuilliams, come here", "Dan McQuilliams, wan tout!" or he will ask my wife when I leave "Wheres Dan McQuilliams". He is also now starting to call himself Dayo McQuilliams and that is all on his own, not by myself or my wife ever calling him that. He also greets my son as "Jeff McQuiliams" now, although he has always just been Jeff. I suspect it is a bird flock thing that comes instinctively such as they each have a unique individual name and a name for their entire flock respectively in the wild. I suppose he thinks we are all "McQuilliams" flock........ :)

 

That is simply amazing Dan. As I live alone with Misty I am not even sure he knows my human name. He knows my brother "Tony" and my cousin "Ruth" and my daughter "Robyn" but he rarely if ever hears people call me by name. I think his name for me is "Babe" as that is how he greats me. Dayo must surely have heard you called Dan McQuiliams at some point and also Dan ? That said it is amazing what our fids seem to pick up on. Misty tends to be the one who decides when it is time to retire at night. He will start to say "Bed time" and he will get quite insistant. The other night I was watching a film on the box and his lordship decided it was "Bed time"

but I was not ready and wanted to see the end of the film. So Misty after a few insistent "Bed time"s or "It's bed time" only to be ignored comes out with " It's bed time NOW!" It's a sad state of affairs when a 66 year old man gets bossed around by a parrot !!!:o:)

 

Steve n Mistyparrot

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Brutus knows me as "momma" and also "Sharon." I think that it is remarkable that he knows more than one name means the same person.

 

It is indeed! :) I assume Brutus heard your husband or someone else call you by your name.

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That said it is amazing what our fids seem to pick up on. Misty tends to be the one who decides when it is time to retire at night. He will start to say "Bed time" and he will get quite insistant. The other night I was watching a film on the box and his lordship decided it was "Bed time"

but I was not ready and wanted to see the end of the film. So Misty after a few insistent "Bed time"s or "It's bed time" only to be ignored comes out with " It's bed time NOW!" It's a sad state of affairs when a 66 year old man gets bossed around by a parrot !!!:o:)

 

Steve n Mistyparrot

 

I love this story Steve! It is impressive that Misty understands the emphasis "Now!" places in a sentence. They do seem to think they rule us, don't they? :)

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I haven't got my AG yet it's only four weeks old but I'm reading up on this forum, I am a childminder and have done many course on c & l abilities for children and loved your post it's soooo similar in our children always answer, never say" it just does!" or "be quiet! " always make sure you give an acceptable answer so they can move on to the next step un confused. Can't wait for our new addition to our family . Love the forum cant read enough.any help appreciTed.

 

Tamar.

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LOL! They DO know what they are saying! I swear by it! Sophie gets very offended when Ryan my son's girlfriend comes over. They are both away in college in different states. When they DO get together, Sophie sits between them. Sophie is quite possessive of Ryan. Ryan shows Sophie " first choice". His girlfriend understands. We have been working on Sophie's behavior when Kayleigh comes over. She sits in the middle, say"s NO! NO!" They have been dating for five years. I told them it was time to get her use to Kayleigh. ( I've been telling them for years!)

Kayleigh is coming over tomorrow. Ryan back in school. I'm going to introduce Sophie to Kayleigh, without Ryan here. Any thoughts? Nancy

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Hi Nancy - They are possessive of their favored ones. You are doing the right thing in trying to get Sophie and Kayleigh on more friendly grounds. I do uinderstabd though, when your son is gone away and comes home, Sophie wants him all to herself. Sophie is just so happy to see him and has obviously missed him much.

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Well Kayleigh came home. She came to see me without Ryan being here. Within a minute, Sophie cameout to hang with us. Kayleigh was opening her Christmas gift, but Sophie was more interested in Kayleigh! Her pupils were NOT dialating and constricting, as if threatened. It became a war of the females in Ryan's life. Sophie climbed up on Kay's shoe. Pretended to bite, but didn't. I removed her from Kay's shoe, to hangout with me.She was totally exerting her " status", with Kayleigh. Where should I post pictures of Sophie loving Ryan. Way too cute! Nancy

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Hello Dan and everyone, I've been carrying around in my head a couple of things Marcus said recently, and since I have the time and everything now I just want to share them here before I forget them. :P

 

1. My husband had our Quaker parrot, Beaker, with him on the couch. Beaker can be aggressive at times with me, but he just loves his daddy, so he's a bit of a velcro bird whenever he gets shoulder-time with him (which is not as often as he'd like!). My hubby wanted Beaker to step-up off his shoulder, though, and Beaker was absolutely refusing. After a moment, he turned to me and said, "Mommy, can you make Beaker step-up off of my shoulder, please?" Something to that effect. But as I stood up to comply, Marcus--who was hanging out down on the cushions of the couch--suddenly bowed his head and said, "OooOOoooh! Don't do that!" It was kind of cute, like he was remembering Beaker's reactions to me at other times, and was warning me so I wouldn't get bitten! (As it was, Beaker lunged and my hubby decided to just get him off his shoulder, himself.)

 

2. This happened yesterday, actually. I thought it was very sweet... Our neighbors have a new baby girl in their household. She was crying loudly yesterday and could be heard from inside our house, so I turned at one point to Marcus, who was up on his Boing, and asked, "Do you hear the baby crying outside?" To my surprise, Marcus asked, "Where is it?" I said, "It's next door in the house." Marcus asked, "It okay?" And I laughed then and said yes, she was probably just hungry. And that was the end of it, but it made me wonder. Unless in one of his former homes he encountered a baby, I think the closest thing to a 'baby' that Marcus has ever met while living with us has been my young nephew, who's almost two (and whom we unfortunately don't see very often, Marcus only met him once). Anyway, it just tickled me that Marcus showed this apparent concern for an infant crying next door. Dan, it made me think of your Dayo and his interest in Dakota (if I remember her name correctly, I'm sorry if I haven't). It's just neat to get these little glimpses into these Grey brains. :)

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