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Foot Preference And African Grey Vocabulary


JeffNOK

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I recently read an article concerning African Grey foot preference and size of vocabulary. It was published in the UK about 15 years ago. I'm not sure if there have been any other studies of this nature, but I found it interesting. According to the results, right-footed greys appeared to have vocabularies significantly larger than left-footed greys. I'm just curious about the greys in this forum. Are your greys left-footed or right-footed? How would you assess the size of their vocabulary relative to their ages? (obviously younger greys have smaller vocabularies). My 14-month old CAG Gracie is right-footed and her vocabulary has expanded from 7 words to about 40 words in the last month. It seems she will be a prolific talker, although it is still early days. I have posted the link to the study below.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9204496

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According to the study, the researchers gave some specific "tests" to determine right or left, but I'm not sure what they were. In my case I notice that Gracie steps up with her right foot first and always holds food or toys with her right foot--never left. When it comes to resting--she alternates.

Edited by JeffNOK
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Interesting Jeff!

 

In regards right or left footed. Dayo steps up raising his right foot and perches on his right foot with left foot raised up and curled in. He eats and plays with toys using his left foot. I presume him to be left footed, since that is the foot he uses for items needing precise articulation.

 

Dayo is 6 and I stopped counting his vocabulary at over 500 words, over a year ago. He learns new words in one day and has since he was around 3. He also uses words of 5 syllables, which is another indicator of vocal abilities in advanced stages. He is a very vocal grey and has 100's of sounds as well that include household, other outside birds, whistles, melodies and he sings as well using La la la and do dee do dee do's. Oh and sound effects for beat-boxing, which he loves to do as he dances and bobs his head.

 

My best advice to all, is to talk and interact with your birds just like you would with a human from infancy onwards and they will come to greatly value the ability and necessity of being able to effectively communicate their opinions, wants, needs and even humor to us humans, as their flock that they rely on and love.

 

You are in for a very exciting and interesting lifetime with Gracie. :)

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Sophie is right footed.Funny though.... I have an 18 year old coming in daily to play with her, get to know her, since he will be taking care of the birds in two weeks when I go on vacation. She stepped up to me with her right foot, offered him her left foot. One foot on me, one foot on him. Back to me of coarse, but we praised her, she blew him a kiss! Nancy

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Intresting thread and I'm about to start studying Alfie, i think his left footed as he can wave and shake hands (claw) which he does with his left, he is 7 months and whistles come here and woof whistle lots of chatter but not words yet.

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Gracie was about the same at 7 months==wolf whistles and mumbling. She said her first words at 10 months, but suddenly at 13/14 months she just started talking up a storm. I mean she runs her beak all the time. She speaks "human" more than bird now. She doesn't just repeat what I say either--she mixes and matches words and makes new sentences that I have never said. It's almost eerie.

 

Regarding the study-- I also want to emphasize that there seems to be a lot of individual variability. While right footed greys on average have larger vocabularies, we have greys like Dayo who is left footed yet has a vocabulary of more than 500 words--which is extrememly high (300 words was the high mark in this study). Dan mentioned things we can do to enhance grey vocabulary and I think they are valid, but according to the study, overt teaching and effort on the part of the "owner" didn't seem to affect the vocabulary. One thng that bears mention is that this is one study that only researched 76 birds. That is a small sample. That's why I wanted some feedback from the forum.

Edited by JeffNOK
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One thing on teaching that I did not explain clearly. I do not, nor should anyone else just sit and repeat words over and over thinking their grey will pick them up. They learn on the fly through consistency. When you give them an apple, just say apple or want apple? Just talk about what you are doing, what you are offering, what you and they are seeing, hearing etc. They will pick up what THEY wish to learn based upon their interest and desire to be able to describe what they are seeing, hearing or want for example.

 

Jeff, it is amazing listening to them in word play and making up their own sentences to get the mechanics down. Sometimes it will have you rolling on the floor laughing.

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heh ... very interesting now Im going to have to go home and watch Marco I think shes a rightie ... but I could be wrong I know Ive seen her definately use both for when shes perches but I think she steps right and maybe plays with right ... I'll have to check it out ... shes right at 10mo old now (god I cant believe it) and shes stuck on peek a boo and tickle tickle as her fun words for the time being LOL :D

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Biscotti is a righty and you all know if you have watched his videos that he is a real chatterbox! Jeff, he also started talking around 7 mo. and has never stopped! :D He is 3 now and I haven't tired to count his vocab, but it is huge.

Edited by chelseaB
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ok so I watched last nite Marco holds herself with her right foot and eats/plays with the left.... sleeps on left foot with right raised and steps up using either leg depending on which hand I put in the cage ............... :eek: is that funny? I did it over n over again ... I used my right hand she stepped left, i used my left hand she stepped right ... :eek: omg whats that mean LMAOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

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ok so I watched last nite Marco holds herself with her right foot and eats/plays with the left.... sleeps on left foot with right raised and steps up using either leg depending on which hand I put in the cage ............... :eek: is that funny? I did it over n over again ... I used my right hand she stepped left, i used my left hand she stepped right ... :eek: omg whats that mean LMAOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I think that is what Maverick does, also. Step up just depends. Any other time he seems to favor his left.

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I have utilized the enviroment of " no cages closed", to assimilate the enviroment in the wild. Alot of success! Different birds of different species, get along quite well.Dogs here, also love our birds. I am struggling now, because I don't have kids home that have always been available for birds to stepup. When I get home now, I have three birds with their foot up... want me to pick them up! It is getting very difficult to satisfy everyone's needs the moment I walk in the door. Nancy

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I have utilized the enviroment of " no cages closed", to assimilate the enviroment in the wild. Alot of success! Different birds of different species, get along quite well.Dogs here, also love our birds. I am struggling now, because I don't have kids home that have always been available for birds to stepup. When I get home now, I have three birds with their foot up... want me to pick them up! It is getting very difficult to satisfy everyone's needs the moment I walk in the door. Nancy

 

You leave your cages open all day when you are not home???!

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