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Do your Linnies talk?

Mek0060

Strolling the yard
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Arnold, my little green man didn't try to imitate much, but he was very social. Aside from imitating the fart noises my son plays for him, Sebastian mostly squawks these days.

Tonight I thought I heard Sunny, the little budgie I just acquired, but it was Sebastian! He sounds JUST like her sweet little chirp! He really can imitate EXACTLY what she sounds like!

Sometimes he still does the sound of an audience at the beginning of a Def Leppard concert. My son likes to play that for him as well a lot.
 

Lady Jane

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When I had Linnies neither the male or female talked.
 

Mek0060

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Dianne,
How long did your Linnies live? I don't know how common it is for them to "parrot ", but Sebastian is pretty good at it.
 

KeriKeri

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Many years ago I had two male Linnies who could say “pretty bird” - but they mostly chose to say it while getting .... amorous. which made it a bit weird. One also could say a few other words when I got him (hi, hello) but seemed to lose the ability other than “pretty bird”.
 

Nejbirb

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Toki and Pickles are starting to cheep out the syllables to certain phrases, like 'step up' and 'pretty boy', and once or twice I've caught them making almost wordlike sounds, but the most they've managed to mimic successfully is the sound my squeaky fridge door makes!
 

suileeka

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Basil used to say "Whatcha doing?", but that's about it.
 

Katnap

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My birds would say a few words but it was what we called "toddler speak" since only people who were around them a lot knew what they were actually saying. Nyla would say "Whatcha doin'? ", "Come 'ere" and "Good girl". The other day I had Gemma on my shoulder and was talking with her. My son came by and stood dumbfounded as he realized that "OMG I just realized that she talks! She just said "Good Bird!" Of course he'd heard her say it a million times but it wasn't until he heard me say it to her and she "toddler spoke " it back to me with the same inflection that he made the connection of what she was saying. Now he is trying to teach her new words and they are bonding much more than before. :)
 

Dona

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I taught my caiques many whistles (wolf, charge, come here) and a few phrases. I repeated those things often and used one of those Mimic things that you record and then it plays back. I have started it with Gigi with low expectations.
 

Dona

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Oh, but this is related. Gigi buzzes at stuff all the time when she is irritated or pretending to be irritated. If she can't reach a toy or a perch, if a swinging toy hits her in the face, or if she trips and falls. Immediate buzzes. So freaking adorable. So her first phrase might be what I say all the time, "What you buzzin' at girl?"
 

Dona

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I've mentioned this elsewhere but Gigi now does a huge juicy kiss when I ask "Gimme a kiss?" or "You got some kisses?" along with the come here whistle and wolf whistle. They are quiet but absolutely clear. She does these sounds along with her regular chortles all day. I bought one of those little mimic boxes and played those sounds a few times but really she learned them from me saying/whistling them to her. I've read that Linnies love to be talked to and that's true for Gigi. She will come to my side of the cage and stay an inch or so away listening to me, as long as I will stay.

I've been thinking about what words to try and have settled on "Pretty Bird" and started that yesterday.
 
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