murfchck Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 After one month in his new home, Stewart still will not talk. Each day he seems to add to his whistle collection though. On the first day he said " step up " but nothing since. I have read to whistle back to him to open the communication, then i have read not to encourage the whistles. We i talk to him, he cocks his head like he is really listening, but then just whistles to me. I spend as much time as he will tolerate in training with him. I know it has only been a month and i shouldn't expect anything, but i want to be sure and do the correct thing so, do i respond to his whistles or not??? I am so confused now! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 It has only been a month. I don't think you should expect much from him. It can take them months before they show their true colors. I would whistle and talk to him. I am sure he would enjoy the game of getting you to mimic him! It will make him more comfortable that you are willing to communicate in the way that is natural to him. Greys can be quiet for a long time just taking in your words, your tone, etc. They seem to need to really listen intently for quite some time, and just when you have given up all hope, they will repeat a word they have heard. Some greys don't talk, but others can take a while, like I said, a month is a very short time to bond, trust and feel comfortable.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Thank you so much for the info! In my heart i could not, not whistle back to him, it is a game to him and fun for me too. I just didn't want to stear him wrong. Or bonding grows each day, yesterday i was able to tickle him and come away with all my fingers! I have no children of my own and can only imagine that this is the pride they feel with each step their baby makes! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezron Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 How old is Stewart? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 When you talk to Stewart talk to him and not at him that way he will understand. Have a conversation they understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Stewart is 5 years old so i was told. I stay at home so we talk all day in short " Stewart want...." sentences. Poor hubby gets that too when he gets home for about. 30 minutes. He knows what i am saying, for example i will say, " stewart want a kiss." and he will reach out and kiss me. Or, Stewart wanna go home and he will look for his cage. When he poops off the side of the cage, he will sometimes make the bomb dropping whistle. He is pretty smart, if i say so myself lol. When i say hello, he will make a two short whistles, home is one short and nite nite is now the rasberry sound, it makes me laugh so he continues it. Worse, my husband heard it for the first time last night so along with our laughing, Stewart started laughing and bedtime took a little longer than normal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 You should find out whether he mimiced human language at the place he lived in before you got him. Buit obviously, he is and has been talking to you and the hubby alot since you've gotten him, right?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Give him a little more time but if he talked before he came to you then he will again when he feels like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 As Talon said, just when you are ready to give up.... When we put them to bed last night we were about to walk out of the room, had shut the light off and we heard it, " hello". Not sure if it came from Stewart or Oliver but either way it worked! If it was Oliver, Stewart will follow shortly as his jealously will not let Oliver get an audience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Absolutely, encourage the whistles! This is Sophie's and my favorite game. We can be in separate rooms, she starts a whistle, I repeat. She starts another whistle, I repeat again. Each time, it gets more and more complicated. Then I start a whistle.... you get it! LOL Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Concerning the whistles------African Greys are well known as the best whistlers in the parrot world. The one thing that's guaranteed is that your CAG or TAG will eventually whistle. The bird needs no encouragement. It's not a good idea. Encouraging greys to whistle won't entice them to do any other sounds unless they want to. Eventually, they'll whistle constantly whether they're talkers or not. They'll invent their own whistling melodies. Pople will say that their bird does the wolf whistle as well as other sounds and no lessons were done to accomplish that. Eventually, they'll whistle many things with no prompting. And they'll do this for years and years. So basically, it's not a good idea to encourage whistling when dealing with one of the best natural whistlers in the parrot world. Especially if you're looking forward to having your bird mimic human language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I don't usually disagree with Dave but I do over whistling. Whistling is a different kind of communication from talking and will not displace it. It is used more for distance contact and community play. Talking is for more intimate communication. Whistling is a great way to have fun with your feathered friend. Steve n Misty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Utt-ohhh, do? Don't? I am back to square one! Lol Dave- in your earlier post you asked if he has been talking since we have had him. No, he has only said step up on the day he came to live with us, since then nothing. So, i know he can talk and has talked. We did hear a hello two evenings ago, but not sure from which bird it came from.But, we have not heard it since, just the one time. It was raspy, like the macaw but clear enough to understand it, like the gray practicing. He loves to make his noises and " teach " me, even his stretchings in the morning he thinks i should do with him. I tried for a day, when he would whistle, i did not repeat but that seemed to confuse him and he clammed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I think you just need a little more patience. He is still adjusting to his new situation. As you have said you have heard him speak on occasions so you can be sure he will speak more. Stretchings ? do you mean wing stretchings? If you mean screeching I would not encourage that! I think if you use the same greeting each morning with "good morning" I am sure he will start to greet you the same way. In the morning as I get up I hear Misty call out his contact tune and I call back the same way. When I open the door to his room Misty greets me with "Hello Babe" And I say "Hello Misty" but it took a year or so to establish this particular routine. Just keep talking and explaining things but in a simple way and he will catch on. These things can take a little while so as I have said just a little more patience . Steve n Misty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 It is early for him to feel settled and confident to speak a language with you that isn't familiar to you and him. I partially disagree with Dave's advice. I DO believe it is a comfort to them to speak their language thru whistles, but to ONLY whistle would not encourage him to speak. I split my whistles and words in somewhat equal amounts. In the beginning when I first got Talon, I spoke more than whistling, but when I did whistle back at her, we had a fun game going on, one that helped the bonding and trust process, I think it gave her the confidence to try speaking my language. I do still whistle back to my 3 birds and they enjoy trying new whistles and watching me at my failure to copy them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) Utt-ohhh, do? Don't? I am back to square one! Lol Dave- in your earlier post you asked if he has been talking since we have had him. No, he has only said step up on the day he came to live with us, since then nothing. So, i know he can talk and has talked. We did hear a hello two evenings ago, but not sure from which bird it came from.But, we have not heard it since, just the one time. It was raspy, like the macaw but clear enough to understand it, like the gray practicing. He loves to make his noises and " teach " me, even his stretchings in the morning he thinks i should do with him. I tried for a day, when he would whistle, i did not repeat but that seemed to confuse him and he clammed up. Greys talk all day long. They talk to their owner about many things and they talk to other birds. As soon as the bird is settled into a new place, they're start talking to the owner. As soon as they become familiar with certain things, they'll make sounds that apply such as giving a certain fook, wanting to come out of a cage etc. The big difference is that they may not talk in human language. Your bird is talking to you. They'll talk to the TV and the radio and musical sounds and voices and other pets. So, the big trick is to understand what they're saying in their language. It takes a while to learn what they're sayiing but as time goes on they will talk to you in their language. This especially applies to greys who are much older and don't mimic human language. I have 2 greys that don't mmic words and they never will mimic words. Both are adults. But they constantly communicate with me. I understand all the sounds they make because it's the same sounds that they apply to different things so I do know that they're talking to me. They direct that bird talk to me. In the arrot world it's known as parrotese. This whole process can also be compared to body language. After learning a parrot's body language it's very easy to understand what the bird is doing. So that's why I asked you if your bird was talking to you. It also was because of the bird's age. That's why I asked you to find out from the previous owners whether he was a human language talker. Just ask other experienced owners of older greys that don't talk whether they understand what their bird is saying all day long and whether all those sounds apply to certain things. Edited February 21, 2012 by Dave007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Nicely said Dave. My Rikki prefers to talk when she is alone in the room, but it is loud enough so we all hear her. She has her own parroted language, she has a coo sound when it's time to go to bed, a certain whistle she uses whenever I put her in her cage and I have to leave etc. Talon has her own whistle when its bedtime, and a different one when she wants me to get her out of her sleep cage inthe am, another one when i am too loud in my bedroom and i disturb her sleep, if i ignore that one, she starts banging her bell in anger. Those things take time to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Their language is not always our language but they sure can communicate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Dave, I am sorry for my misunderstanding you when you said "talk". I did not catch on to your meaning of it. Yes, he talks as you say almost all day about me i am sure, and to me, to Oliver and the dogs if they get to close to his area. He is very easy to read because of his consistancy to circumstances. I would also like to add to everyone that i am not in any way, expecting anything from Stewart. My question was, do i or don't i whistle back, in that i do not want to lead him in the wrong direction. He is a rescue that is older and i am more experienced with younger birds, so i have no expectations one way or the other. I just am looking out for him and wanting to offer him all i can in the right way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I believe that whistling games with your Grey help to establish empathy between you. It certainly has not affected Misty's use of human speech and he also uses a variety of small sounds and body language to comment or communicate. He will use what ever works best for the occasion but he seems to pick up on new things all the time. I don't think your whistling with Stewart will lead him astray but it will help bring you all closer together. Steve n Misty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burak Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Concerning the whistles------African Greys are well known as the best whistlers in the parrot world. The one thing that's guaranteed is that your CAG or TAG will eventually whistle. The bird needs no encouragement. It's not a good idea. Encouraging greys to whistle won't entice them to do any other sounds unless they want to. Eventually, they'll whistle constantly whether they're talkers or not. They'll invent their own whistling melodies. Pople will say that their bird does the wolf whistle as well as other sounds and no lessons were done to accomplish that. Eventually, they'll whistle many things with no prompting. And they'll do this for years and years. So basically, it's not a good idea to encourage whistling when dealing with one of the best natural whistlers in the parrot world. Especially if you're looking forward to having your bird mimic human language. Experience is everything so Dave is absolutely right. He'll eventually whistle by himself. Our former African Grey (which we lived more than 20 years together since I was a child), was a great talker, singer and whistler. I grow-up with his whistles (I was 1.5 years old when he came to our family - in 1984).His whistles are still in my ears all the time and sometimes I find myself whistling his melodies I really miss him too much:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 They tend to learn and repeat what ever appeals to them so each bird may select their own set of sounds. Our Greys all have words, sounds, whistles and song in their vocabularies. Each bird seems to have their own strengths and preferences. Pookie talks and sings mostly, Smokey Joe has the largest word collections but also whistles and makes some great sounds. Whisper my love bug her preference is sounds =wild birds Sparrows, Blue Jays, coffee pouring, pop tops and whistles but she does use a few words and Smarty Pants little Timneh is our whistle expert but also talks and makes human sounds-sneezes, coughs, clears throat and other less polite sounds. I think the more emotion is sounded in your words the more likely you may hear them repeat them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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