Talking

[bubbles23]

What the earliest time to teach a congo to talk.?? mine congo billy whistles but we are tryna get him talking but no joy as of yet.?? and help greatly appreciated

andy

[judygram]

Andy you don't have to "teach" a grey to talk, if they are gonna talk they will do it on their own in their own good time, you can't rush it, just talk to him a lot and when he is ready he will speak.

[bubbles23]

Many thanks thats all we are doing lol he whistles and says a few things but u cant quite understand it yet.

[lovemyGreys]

All greys have the ability to mimic speech but not all do,please enjoy your grey for everything he is & if speech comes just think of it as an added bonus, Greys have so much more to offer other than speech.

[Dave007]

You shouldn't be whistling around or at him. That's their most famous natural sound and in the future, you're gonna be sorry you did that. Expect loads and loads of whistles in the future. Just don't egg him on.

[judygram]

The wolf whistle was the first thing that Josey did and she learned that from my hubby but she talks up a storm now and occasionally she throws in a whistle or two.

 

Should I be sorry that he did that Dave because I don't think so:huh: :dry:

[bettyboop]

Andy , as everyone has given great advice .You might consider leaving on the radio or TV on a talk show while you are away , that way they are hearing words while you are gone .

As strange as it may sound my Alexandrine Parrot started talking when I would sit her on my shoulder and watch you tube for about 30 mins. per day .She watched and listened to the other Alexandrines and started picking up their words.Strange but it helped , now she and my Grey say back and forth "whatcha doin "? about 50 times a day and argue who is a good bird ...

Good luck and just keep on talking like you would if he were a child and you explain everything you do , washing dishes , cooking , etc...

Good luck .Mary

[GandalfTheGrey]

Always talk to your parrot; even when they are younglings they are absorbing that like a sponge. Most greys start talking at around 1 year if they are talkers. Gand was a 'sound' bird (oven beeps and kittens on TV) and didn't pick up words until much much later...but now he's very versitile and learning new things all the time.

 

I have found though, that it is near impossible to 'teach' him to say anything. Despite my consistant use of the word 'food' whenever I refill his dish, he refuses to use it so far. He has, however, learned a number of things he's only heard once ("flavor flave!") and things that he enjoys using in context since they were always used in context (saying "good morning!" when he wants his cage uncovered).

 

So, yes as others have said here already, make talking part of your together time. Talk about what you are doing when you're in another room so he can hear your voice. Even if they don't pick up on talking, it's a great way to keep them calm. :cheer:

[siobha9]

GandalfTheGrey wrote:

Talk about what you are doing when you're in another room so he can hear your voice. :cheer:

 

Exactly... in the beginning I felt like a complete idiot asking Liath "What are you doing?" as if I expected an answer and telling her "I'm getting dinner" etc. I always thought if anyone hears me they'll think I'm mad. And I know the kids had a few laughs at my expense.

 

But eventually Liath learned "What are you doing?" Then instead of my rambling, I could actually answer her questions. Interestingly a lot of her early phrases were questions... Whatcha doing? Do you wanna step up? Where are you going? Who are you? and of course WHAT?:laugh:

[Talon]

I disagree here. Talon said actual words at 4 months old. I spent a lot of time talking to her, and teaching her words. She picked up many on her own as well, but she is easy to teach a word to. Some words, she's just plain stubborn and won't say for many months, then one day, she will just come out with it. But other words, she has learned in as quick as a day-2 weeks.

 

 

 

So you see, all greys are different, and some will never talk. <br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2008/06/05 21:27

[Sevi]

I have found though, that it is near impossible to 'teach' him to say anything.

 

Haha! Same here. Edison is very vocal, but it's always what he wants to say. No matter how much I want him to say something specific, and how often I use it, if it doesn't interest him he just won't care.

Like your Gandalf he won't say food or any name of any food and I make sure to say them all the time. Any sort of food is greeted with an "Oooooh..." or sometimes a "yum" which is what I always used to say when I'd give him a treat.

 

Also, every CAG starts talking at a different time and some will just favour sounds over "speech". It's really hard to pin down an exact time frame.

[judygram]

I think they tend to pick up words and phrases that there is an emphasis on how it is spoken, like for instance Josey picked up shutup because when it was used it had much emphasis on the pronunication.