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What is my Grey trying to communicate in this video?


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Hello..Maggie is a little over 1 Year old. She does not say a word but whistles...loudly all the time. She is very affectionate towards me only..actually cuddles with me. She blows kisses and also lets me touch her wherever I want. I just am not sure what she is trying to communicate in this video. All thoughts are greatly appreciated. This happens when I have her on me and she is just walking around on me.

 

I never posted a video so I hope this works.

 

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Classic Grey horn dog. Mine is similar to yours, she will let me do anything with her. When mine gets like that, which is rare these days I put her back on her hanging perch till she settles down.

 

The usual advice is don't pet them anywhere below the neck but I've found they can differentiate between playing and misinterpreting you 'making a pass' at them. Mine has watched me hand wrestle with my Caique so much that she has learned how to hand wrestle which doesn't lead to the panting horn dog behavior. I've learned what types of petting lead to that behavior and avoid it.

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Lori... practice some contact calls. Many just babble still trying to find their voice.They are equivalent to a toddler at this age. Some talk sooner, some are just " absorbing".Sophie's vocabulary took off more around late twos to three. Greys are all smart. Encourage vocals with interactions, and asking questions. Sophie still babbles if she can't find her words. Nancy

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Thank you Nancy. The smoke detector sound is really annoying and I am trying to ignore it and change the sound to a whistle instead of screech!

 

Thanks again.

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SterlingSl she is 1 1/2. Will she ever talk? It is not why I bought her but is there still hope?

 

 

Not sure how I missed this...

 

I have a theory about talking Greys: I contend that a lot of them begin talking because they are either caged and/or clipped and flightless. They adapt to the extreme boredom from what they are hardwired to do (fly in the forest with their flock) by plucking and/or learning to talk, maybe some other behaviors too. What else is there to do?

 

I came to that conclusion because I've watched all three of my birds go from starting to talk to dropping it completely as their freedom to behave like birds has increased. The last time our GreycieMae talked with any frequency was just before I completed the outdoor aviary last year. Both my Caique and Jardines both stopped their mimicking of words at the same point. But they are excellent at copying the blue jays, crows, etc... almost exclusively other bird calls. They do not mimic non-bird sounds like the firetrucks, dogs etc...

 

Just my theory though and I've seen no one else come to that conclusion. One thing that would be interesting is to see if Project Perry has seen similar in their flock of Greys. From the videos I've watched they sound like a wild Grey flock. GreycieMae also makes a lot of the wild Grey sounds that I hear on Project Perry videos.

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I understand where you are coming from StelingSL, but my CAG Gracie is neither caged, clipped, or alone much. She talks a lot. We talk together. The majority of what she says has meaning and we "converse" in a sense. I think you will find that many of the people on the forum here who have verbal greys spend a lot of time with their birds and don't clip or cage them. I have heard a similar theory outside of this forum before, so others have come to a like conclusion, but it just hasn't been my experience with my grey. I tend to think it is just individual variation. Also, I think my Gracie knows that words get her what she wants. She uses language instrumentally, so it encourages her to continue. I have watched your videos, and your fids seem super happy and full of fun. Maybe they are too busy enjoying the thrill of life to waste time talking about it. In fact I am amazed by how your GracieMae takes to being picked up and tickled and bounced around. So much trust there. My Gracie is much much less open to that. I think if our respective fids were in school, mine would be in the library in a reading discussion circle while yours would be winning the dodge ball tournament. I have shown my Gracie your videos to encourage her to be more adventurous, but it hasn't made a dent in her core personality.

Edited by JeffNOK
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Wow..SterlingSl and JeffNok they are both great perspectives. Maggie... I feel is a combination of both. She is cuddly with me but she is still a little shy and not fully trusting. She is out of the cage most of the day but is also very content if she is in her cage...unless she hears me in the kitchen and then she makes her call! This call (smoke detector sound) is annoying and I have been trying to make other calls back to her and she does respond to them but she always goes back to that loud screech. I guess only time will tell if she will human talk or not but I will continue to enjoy her every day.

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Its important to encourage both styles of JeffNOK and SterlingSL... Sophie has open cage, I wish, she had a tire to swing from.. I think she would have no problem... give her 24 hours. While Ryan and Sean are BOTH coming home in less then ten days... Sophie will be in overdrive. Her best friends will be home. Ryan will be playing the guitar, Sean will be playing hide and seek! Sophie will be talking non stop, and if she doesn't have the words, she will babble!

Who could ask for anything more, than a Grey that has their entire family home and is thrilled! BEST Christmas ever! Nancy

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I have 3 greys that talk and one that doesn't. Bongo, who doesn't talk anymore, is the easiest for me to understand. Because he shows me what he wants or acts it out. He is a great sound effect kind of bird and does have a few loud ones like a truck backing up or the ever popular fart, which 2 of them will do whenever someone bends over. Hate to say I would choose the smoke alarm over that one any day! Bongo studies everything also, you will see his little head tip to the side when you talk to him or if you are talking to another bird. One day I fully expect him to just look at me and say "Okay lady, I have been watching you for years now and I think it is time for me to tell you a few things". lol

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he shows me what he wants or acts it out.

 

That's definitely what me and the GreycieMae have going on. She knows how to get what she wants through certain behaviors. My favorite is when she'll flop herself off my shoulder and hang there as if I should know it's tickle birdy wrestle time. Another cute one is when she'll get a toy and fly it onto my shoulder and start bobbing her head on my cheek. Then she'll try and stuff it in my mouth.

 

I've been reading about the model/rival technique for training. Might try to see if we can get a breakthrough and get her to talking a little more. Maybe I should be careful what I'm wishing for :) Nahhh....I can't stop watching Einstein (TTTP) videos. Her videos tickle me everytime I watch one, even if I've seen it a hundred times.

 

Merry Corn!!!

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I based my language training with Gracie on the methods used in the book "Conversations with Cosmo" by Betty Jean Craig. Basically this entails using language to describe everything going on as it happens. Every detail of life is narrated using the same key terms, usually with simplified grammar. I am an English teacher for international students, so this is 2nd nature for me. Since the language is meaningful and meant for communication, it tends to stick in Gracie's mind. I have been amazed at how well it has worked. Gracie can logically convey all the key aspects of her day from the morning greeting, if Daddy is staying home or going out, food issues, sleep issues, potty issues, play issues, greetings of known family members by name, likes and dislikes, even moods (fear, happiness, even grumpiness) to a degree. She also has word labels for most things in her surroundings (cage, perch, toys, specific food items, couch, car, water bowl, computer, daddy's hand, daddy's head, Daddys shoulder lol). I think when the parrot realizes that the words refer to real life things, they latch on to them and use them appropriately.

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I may have to check that book out. The problem is we've already gone the route of describing everything to her as it's happening - no dice. I'm thinking she needs to see someone else getting the reward for saying the right word (model) and once she gets the idea she can compete for it (rival). We're considering seeing if we can use cheese to get her to breakthrough. She'll sell out for a piece of cheese.

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Looool--the magic of cheese! At night after Gracie is asleep and behind her cage cover, if I tip toe to the kitchen, open the fridge, and reach for the cheddar cheese, i immediately hear from Gracie's cage, "Gracie want some cheese. Want some cheese. Yum Yum Yum cheese!" The little Judas would probably sell me out to Pontius Pilate for 30 pieces of cheese.

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Sophie would " sell her soul for cheese"... as kids coming home, and are telling me they need meat and cheese... I am delivering! Sophie is going to be very happy and give a cluck of approval!

I completely understand how JeffNOK associates " words", with their true meaning. We have done this forever! Its no longer even a second thought! I was very amused though, when Sophie focused this year, on Sean and I greeting each other WAY too early. We say " morning!". Sophie started to say it ( as a greeting), morning evening and night! Sean pointed out, sophie is NOT understanding the greeting at the correct time. I told him to " let it go"... let her greet us with " morning", day evening or night! She does. Her new favorite word. Nancy

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Pookie, Smokey Joe, Michael speak often and many times with meaning. Whisper is a sound effects girl has a few words of our language, Smarty Pants only speaks near days end and mutters under his breath in an old man voice, Sparrow loves to makes noise after her cage is covered she gets quite vocal but very few human words. They all meow and bark.

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