Talking!!!

[Raiderbabe]

Hey everyone! Well Malibu will be a year old on April 10th. I can't believe it! I have never owned a bird before and now my baby is going to be a year old. He is soo good at making noises (fire alarm, my boyfriend's fire pager, the puppy barking) but he has not spoken a word yet. The most I have ever heard him say is "Hi." It seems as though he is working on "Hello" but has not managed to say it yet. When I talked to the breeder the other day she asked me if I am talking to him enough. I talk to him as much as I can when I am home. I repeat the same words over and over so he learns them (breakfast, hello, veggies, Malibu). He has just not learned anything yet. I am really getting scared he is not going to talk at all. I mean I will still love him but I really thought he was going to talk. Is there anything I can be doing to help him learn? Can anyone suggest if they know of anything? Do you think he will talk even though he is going to be a year old soon? Any suggestions will help, please! B)

[Char]

A lot of Greys don't start talking until they are a year old. It won't be long now. I just talk to my bird in normal conversation.

[Tycos_mom]

Try leaving the tv on childrens programing when your not home Tyco loves it she can sing the bestfriends song from barney the dinosaur all the way through.The kids show are colorful and repeatative so they are a good learning tool for kids and Parrots.If not the tv even a radio will help

[Christina]

Sorry, Tyco's Mom, I'd rather Finnigan not talk than sing Barney songs. Anyway, Finnigan is going on two years old and like you, I repeated the same darn sayings over and over again to no avail. Sometimes she would pop out with things and I just knew she would start talking, but again, nope, she stuck with her sounds like your bird, and said her lone word now and again. Just recently, she has decided to talk. She has a bunch of sayings now, which, do not include any of the things I have said to her over and over. She just picks up on what we say to each other and says them. Here are a few things she says, and it came up all of a sudden. She just decided to talk and away she went. So, be patient...it will happen.

Hello

Hello Loki (our other bird)

Be Quiet Loki

Come over here

Where you going?

Are you hungry?

You wanna Eat?

What?(said very forefully, like you are yelling it across the house)

Finnigan

Loki

Be Careful

You're gonna fall

Oatmeal

Erik (my son, again, yelled)

Gone to school

Step up

[Acappella]

Just like kids, our fids do things like speak when they want to, not when we want them to. Holding them up to compare with other birds is only going to make their parronts nutty In my experience, the only guaranteed way to get your bird to speak is to have someone say a word you'd rather not ever hear repeated:P

[HeatherStrella]

AnnaBella was already talking when we bought her from the breeder at 3 months old. I know her talking abilities has nothing to do with anything I've done with her, I think she's just really good at it. One thing the vet mentioned about it, though, was to make sure your bird can see your mouth when you're talking to her. I guess they like to see how you form your words. It doesn't really make any sense to me, but I'm no pro. She also said that they'll only say things that sound good to them. The last thing she said was to never say "say hello"...or "say I love you"...just say whatever it is you want them to say. Don't say "say" with it. With AnnaBella, just us talking to her and each other, she picks up things. There are a few phrases I've taught her on purpose, she learned it in a few days. I think once they learn a few words, they just take off. That's what I've heard anyway. Good luck!!

[danmcq]

Don't worry about talking abilities yet. As others have said, most do not talk until 1+ years old. They practice, calibrate etc. under their breath and while no one is around. Then one day "Hello", "Whats Up?" etc. and then it just starts rolling out. As they learn how to pronounce different letters of the alphabet, they become faster and faster at blurting out words and complete sentences.

 

My Grey did not start talking until 1yr. Now he will say a new word or sentence that has been appropriately applied in 2 to 3 days. Just make sure your words are associated with an action or item and it will make them want to use them. Most will not just mimic a TV show due to it having no meaning. The only things they will pick up from it are sounds that they like.

 

Just hang in there and happy early Birthday to Malibu!!<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/04/08 16:03

[Raiderbabe]

Thanks everyone for responding! It sounds like I am getting a little nervous over nothing. I know Malibu is smart, I just want him to talk He does mumble alot and it is really like he is practicing. I am just going to keep working with him and repeating alot of the same words. Hopefully, he will speak to me soon! The little bugger will prob. surprise me one day, I hope! Thanks again!

[Raposa]

Oh, your grey will talk ~grins~ You won't be able to STOP him! And he will say things you do NOT expect at the strangest times! Hehehe

[Tycos_mom]

Thats for sure Tyco loves to get in on every conversation she has to get her 2cents worth in and most of the time she says the right thing at the right time. Sometimes I wish she would just mind her bussiness. That wouldn't be Tyco then.:laugh: