Madness Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I've had Coco now for approx. 9 years and he's a very clever boy! He has an amazing vocabularly and never ceases to amaze us all with his words. The only problem is that he only seems to spill out words when I'm not around! I see a lot of owners on youtube where their greys are happily conversing infront of them, but coco doesn't do that. I personally think it's because he always listening to me for new words and he's usually too desperate to jump on me for a good ol' head scratch! haha!. Why do you guys think he's like this? Is anyone else in the same situation? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I have a good friend whose Grey also only talks when no humans are in the room with it. However, that poor bird is stuck in a back bedroom and not in the middle of the goings-on of the household, though, so it has never surprised me that the bird only vocalizes when no one is in the room with it. And yes, I've begged my friend to move the bird into the center of the household but he refuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madness Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Awww no that's not nice! Coco is situated between two rooms so he's always around people. He does talk when people are around, that's not the problem. It's just as soon as I'm around he stops talking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Ahhhhhhhhh, how frustrating! Maybe you are Coco's favorite person and Coco feels all self-conscious around you, much like we humans clammed up when we were in junior high and the kid we had a crush on was around! :::laughs:::: Awww, I know it's frustrating! But if Coco makes even the tiniest noise, make a big deal so that Coco knows you liked it! Hopefully that will bring Birdy around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madness Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 I definitely am his favorite he loves me to bit. Just this second he was bringing up food for me which is obviously a lovely thing for him (not for me though haha). I really think you're right in that he's mesmerized when I'm around. I do talk to him a lot and he does repeat what I say, just not when I'm around haha. He doesn't even really make a noise when I'm around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morana Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Well, my little feathered thingy won't say this one sentence what I am trying to teach him if I am in the same room. So I carry clicker around the apartment and yell (because I'm in the other room) to him the line which I want to hear response to. So when he says it I click and yell back a lot of praises. I tried it when I was in the same room as him but nothing. Then I tried to experiment. I hid behind the closet ( in the same room) so he can notice my voice is closer but he still can't see me. I repeat the question and reward when answered correctly. Then I hid behind a curtain-so now I am even closer and again, it worked. Next step is in the same room but not watching him. That worked too. We still haven't succeeded when I am looking at him. He looks at me back like I asked him to do something totally preposterous! Lol He regresses a bit because we are still not having real training sessions but I get what I can this way... for now ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 ****Why doesn't my Congo African Grey talk when I'm in the room*** That's a very common thing that greys do. Some will talk around people if the people are far enough away. They're much more interested in being quiet and looking at people when they're around. Many people who wanna record their birds talking will put a recorder nearby and go some place where they won't be seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 My grey is just the opposite, she talks to me all the time. But when someone comes over she is as quiet as a clam! The only way my friends and family know she talks is when they are in another room and Ana Grey doesn't know they are there or when they are on the other end of my telephone call. Ana Grey talks a lot when I am on the phone, very loudly!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madness Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 Haha some great stories. So I guess it's not just Coco who's shy of talking around me! He does sometimes just rarely. I just took him in the shower with me just now and he said "Gimme a kiss". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdnut Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 My Moussa isn't talking yet, but he does tend to make talky/practice sounds when I'm not in the room where he is. My conures who do talk are a lot more vocal when I'm not in the room with them, as well. When I'm in the room, they want me to entertain them. I think it's really common for parrots to be more chatty when they're hanging out to themselves. Sometimes I've wondered with my conures if they see some of the vocal exchanges we do as a kind of contact call. If I'm right there in front of them, well, who needs a contact call then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val27 Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I think this is because when you aren't in the room Coco is calling you to come back to join the flock. Once the flock is together they don't need to call to you. If you are not paying attention to him and in the same room he may talk then. My birds will talk directly to me sometimes but do most of their talking when we aren't looking. They are so smart! They know how to get what they want. The cuter they are the faster we go to play w/ them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Some birds just do not like to talk with an audience around so they only talk when they think they are alone, we call them "closet" talkers, my grey talks with me in the room and hubby too but with most anyone else she doesn't, I guess she has to be more familiar with you before she will talk in front of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madness Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Interesting it does seem like perhaps he doesn't need to talk or call me when I'm there... well... cos I'm there! Some really great replies and I think it's cleared things up. Yesterday he was chatting away downstairs and I was hiding listening to him. As soon as I made an entrance he stopped haha. Oh coco! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvenking Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I suspect Issac of being one of these types. When I am out of the room...I hear words. Though occasionally he will fly over and land on me and say, "hello boyee" the best he can at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliAZ77 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Tricky little bird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val27 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 So funny! I love when you see them making kissing noises. It looks so funny since they do it so different from us since they can't pucker up! Cracks me up everytime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotfaith1989 Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Yes! I can only laugh when I peek in the room and Rocky is giving his toys kisses! He does it with such emotion! Rocky, in the couple of months we have had him, has only talked a couple times really nicely in front of me. The other conversations he has had have been when he thinks we aren't around! My husband and I joke that we need to set up a video camera in our living room while we're gone for the day and play it back to see what all Rocky talks about while we're gone! Now, whistling and making general noises; he does those anytime he feels like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butttaxi Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I feel so lucky, Rorschach talks ALL the time. His vobabulay isn't the largest yet but he makes loads of noises and is learning new things all the time. I will stand face to face with him while he is on the cage door (I'm short) and he will say things like "Kiss" and then make the kiss noise or whistles and my personal fav he says "WOW" really high pitched haha I think what I did to get him into talking to me is I would perch him on my shoulder, sit at the computer and ply some music. If I sing along he will sing too, the louder I sing the louder he gets and the more noises he makes. (when I say "he sings" I mean he is making noises) He has only ever made noises when strangers are visiting like once and it was when he was on my shoulder and I was singing. His favorite song to get him started "Defying Gravity" the Glee version. He does have his private chatters. He will be on the top of his cage and go to the farthest corner away from us so he has his back to us and he will start talking. It sounds like he is trying new words and it sounds like he is having a conversation with himself. Anyway you might want to try what I did with the singing Rorschach LOVES it, put on music and sing to your bird then encourage him to sing with you. He may not sing the actual words but he participates and i tell him he sings a good song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mawnee Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Cosmo will talk while I'm in the room. He'll even talk while on my shoulder. Cutest thing ever is him saying "good boy" with his beak IN your ear. But as soon as I pull out a camera or phone he goes silent. Doesnt matter how sneaky I try to be with it, that little guy knows something is up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butttaxi Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I uploaded this video to youtube. It's Rorschach on my shoulder making most of his noises he does say his name in there somewhere. I would normally sing with him but I was making sure the mic could hear him. This was done wwith my web cam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Buttaxi, thanks for posting that video. I love the sounds he makes at 1:40 and 1:45. I wonder what it is? My girl makes a similar sound and I always wonder where she got that noise and what it is! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butttaxi Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 haha we love that sound too, we first heard him do this when David(bf) had his beak up to his face and made that sort of noise. Rorschach then started doing it too. the noise I love him doing isn't on the video and I can't even explain it. It sort of sounds like "WOW" but not in human speech if that makes sense. He has since learned to say "kiss" which is pretty cute because he will say it then follow with a kiss noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now