Using a cd for talk training ?

[mervyn2233]

Hi guys i just wanted all of your expert opinions on this ,as i have said before that my wife and I do work and are out of the house for at least 4-6 hours a day so i purchased a cd for talking with general phrases on it to play while we are out , after each phrase there is a 10 second gap so just keep repeating the track .Dont get me wrong i am under no illusions that the bird might never talk i am aware of that and he will be loved either way as the family has become very attached to the little fella hes an important member of the family wether hes talking or not .I may just record my own voice as a single track on a disc so the bird may talk using my accent ,anyone else got any ideas ? thanks guys ,

mervyn

[jjcool]

as you said theres no guarrentee that cd or recording your voice will work as some parrots never talk.

also anythink over 15 mins long they just ignore or may drive your parrot insane if its left on allday while your out.

best method is to sit next to cage when you have time and talk to him or her like you do with your children.

 

some parrots talk pretty quickly, some take years before they talk, and some may never talk at all.

 

every african grey is diffrent, time is the key, but dont be dissapointed if he or she dont talk.

 

good luck

[birdgranna]

I have 2 old amazons that learned to talk with recordings. These phrases are pretty much all they say and they don't know what they are saying, just that they are vocalizing. Greys, on the other hand remember, have cognitive abilities and associate the words they learn with an activity or action. So recordings would not be good for a grey as they would just be mimicing and wasting their huge intellegence. They will pick up things you say that they liked the tone of or something that excited you or made you happy. Mine for instance say "Be Quiet Rickey!" whenever my conure is screeching or say "I love you" if they are caught doing something naughty, knowing it will make me melt and laugh. They are too smart for recordings. Even though you are away, they will be listening keenly while you are home. They probably roost while you are out. awaitng your return.

[Connie]

Recordings don't work with CAGs, best thing to do is look like a fool! lol by that, I mean interact with them... whenever you do something in their cage, tell them what you are doing... "time to get more water", gotta change your paper, dirty bird, talk to them when you are in the same room, tell them what you are doing, and repeat it. Momma's cooking supper, doin' dishes, watchin' tv, etc. This is how Spankyh picks up on things. Everyday he says, "gotta go to school", or time for a shower. He is so smart. I tried the recordings thing and nothing. I think they prefer the human (flock)interaction. As a member of their flock, they will mimic you!

[Richardsmommy]

I can try for WEEKS to get Richard, my congo, to say a phrase or word and he just sits there staring at me like I'm an idiot (well...he IS pretty smart). Then he blurts out words or phrases we weren't even TRYING to teach him. He sneezes, coughs, barks, laughs, knocks (we knock on my son, Donny's, door to wake him up). He'll go " *knock* *knock* *knock* *knock* *knock* Donny! Hey, Donny?" We hear this all day and Donny gets annoyed. He says "what?" "Know what?" "You ok?"

 

This is the latest and it's so cute: He makes the same ring sound our phone makes, then has his own conversation with the pauses "yeah!"..."Uh huh"..."ok" and ends with "I love you. OK...Good bye!"

 

Anyone else have a bird who does this? It's so fun to listen to him...AND he'll reveal things to you that you never realized, like words you always say but didn't realize, tones of voice.

 

Do you remember hearing your voice on the tape recorder for the first time and you think, "That doesn't sound like me", yet it did. The bird's the same way. You won't think he sounds like you but everyone around will nod, "Yes he does!" We all went through this in our house. He sounds just like every one of us.

 

My point in all this being, Don't force it. Enjoy every day, talk often and he'll pick it up. Repeating words and phrases to him in his face is just going to make him think you're an idiot. LOL!