Sometimes Dexter freaks me out

[HolliDaze]

I don't remember where, but I remember being told birds, especially cockatoos and greys, have the capacity to learn the meaning of their words. Like Milty, Dexter does this. It's amazing and freaky when he seems to construct new sentences from words he's heard.

My mom, dexter, jasper (my mother's chihuahua) and I were sitting outside. It was 67 f (19 c) yesterday. Jasper kept his distance, never coming closer than five feet of me and Dex. I made sure of this for obvious reasons.

At one point, Jasper ran off a bit too far. My mother and I called him, and he didn't listen. Cue Dexter, who barked at Jasper and yelled his name (As we were doing). Jasper comes over, standing in front of us.

Dexter, clear as day, says "Jasper is there" (might have been 'Jasper there' but those two main words were there)
Not once in my memory have I said anything of that sort in Dexter's vicinity. Obviously, I've said "there" before, in context, to Dexter, but not along side Jaspers name.


My family thinks I'm making up half the things Dexter says. I'm the only one who spends more than two minutes with him each day. I'm curious what you guys think. I know cassie'sdad's Milton says a lot of words i correctly, but has he ever come up with a sentence like that? (I've forgotten how to tag people again if someone can remind me that'd be great)

 

[Shezbug]

Check out Gotcha..... he often talks in context but not always.

They are smart so of course they can put some things together.....humans are often too ignorant to see that they are not the only clever creatures in the world.

To tag someone you use the @ then their name (no space between)

 

[Zara]

Very interesting. Dexter is so clever

humans are often too ignorant to see that they are not the only clever creatures in the world.

I couldn´t agree more


@cassiesdad

 

[cassiesdad]

There are a few 'toos on the internet that express themselves quite well...as @Shezbug mentions, Gotcha is a prime example of one who does. Max is another 'too who talks well.

I have no doubt that Dexter is saying the things you say he's saying! I also have the same "problem"...people just refuse to believe that "that bird" says anything. Milton doesn't help the situation any, because he's not prone to talk much when he's in an unusual situation or place. He's also guarded around new people, verbally-wise. The more comfortable he is, the more likely you'll hear him speak.

Another concern...Milton talks with an unusual "twang"...people who have talking birds know what I mean. Milty's twang is somewhere between a mechanical "buzz" and a typical adult male human voice. If someone isn't used to hearing birds speak, they can find his voice very hard to understand.

I know cassie'sdad's Milton says a lot of words i correctly, but has he ever come up with a sentence like that?

Milty does come up with unusual sentences at times. A lot of them concern the shower...naturally. He talks to the bar of soap...things like, "DAT IS SOAP"..."DAT"S BLUE SOAP" (he calls all colors of soap "blue soap" )..."I LIKE BLUE SOAP"...and "HI BLUE SOAP".

Like Milty, Dexter does this. It's amazing and freaky when he seems to construct new sentences from words he's heard.

It truly is! Don't worry about the doubters...they'll always be with us...even when presented with evidence of something, they'll fume and fret...but we know better...

 

[zoo mom]

I am more impressed with him barking at Jasper then calling him. This means your bird is trilingual. Cockatoo, human English, and dog

 

[Davi]

I'm not surprised at all! As @Shezbug pointed out, humans are just too conceited sometimes to acknowledge that other beings on this Earth are quite capable of expressing thought and emotions, albeit in their own way. Now, if humans really are as smart as we're touted to be, don't you think we all should have learned some "parrot speak" by now? Thank you for your anecdote and for reminding us that parrots are amazing creatures (though I feel for Jasper, the Chihuahua). My Italian Greyhound would have had a heart attack!

 

[pawprintedheart]

Love this. Not a too, but my male GCC has one phrase I still don't know how he put it together. When he wants to come with me, he'll say "With you" or "Baby with you!". Now I've never that to him, but I *have* asked him a lot over the years if he wants to go/come "with me". Just as I've often used "you" in reference to him. Somehow he paired the two.

Unlike a too his vocabulary isn't wide, but this is one phrase he's come up with himself and has used most of his life. So I DEFINITELY believe Dexter is saying what you think he is.

 

[sunnysmom]

Parrots are amazingly smart and Dexter is a prime example of that.

 

[hrafn]

Both Kamara and Réy conjure up sentences on their own, and it astounds me every time!

Though I have never called any of my fids "bad bird", I have used both words in context, and Aurélie has started saying, "you're a pretty bad bird" whenever I or Taco do anything she doesn't like. It's SO funny.

Kamara comes up with new sentences all the time, usually along the lines of "Kamara is a good beautiful grey", and "Taco is naughty, stop it Taco" when she hears him screaming in the other room. It's incredible just how many words she can string together on her own in completely appropriate context.

 

[HolliDaze]

Check out Gotcha..... he often talks in context but not always.

They are smart so of course they can put some things together.....humans are often too ignorant to see that they are not the only clever creatures in the world.

To tag someone you use the @ then their name (no space between)

It can't help that we spend much of our lives (at least those who weren't raised around birds) being told parrots only mimic. I was told birds understood nothing of what they said, they only mimic and nothing more. Like they had a tape recorder in them or something and they chose their words at random.

and my family still has the nerve to tell me Jasper is smarter than Dexter

 

[Imogena]

@hrafn Wow, they are amazing.
@HolliDaze Many people live under the impression that birds are stupid in general, parrots only mimic, do not understand a thing. When I tell what Edgar uderstands and what he does, I get those looks like: yeah, keep dreaming, girl. Fortunately there are some people who understand or a least want to listen and learn something. I find it worthy to talk to them and explain things to them.

 

[cassiesdad]

and my family still has the nerve to tell me Jasper is smarter than Dexter

...again, I refer back to what I said previously...there will always be doubters! You know the truth, and if others don't want or refuse see face facts..so be it!

Though I have never called any of my fids "bad bird", I have used both words in context, and Aurélie has started saying, "you're a pretty bad bird" whenever I or Taco do anything she doesn't like. It's SO funny.

Kamara comes up with new sentences all the time, usually along the lines of "Kamara is a good beautiful grey", and "Taco is naughty, stop it Taco" when she hears him screaming in the other room. It's incredible just how many words she can string together on her own in completely appropriate context.

Milton knows the concept of "good" and "bad" extremely well...especially when he's upset with something...usually me. You can go back in the posts I've made and see what I'm talking about.
I'm constantly surprised when Milty uses "WHATEVER" and "YEAH RIGHT"...in correct context. Just a few weeks ago I took him over to the bank...and when I told him that it was time to leave, he said "YEAH RIGHT"...loudly and clearly. Even customers in the nearby line asked me if that's what Milty said...

It's like I have an unruly child...with feathers...

 

[cassiesdad]

I am more impressed with him barking at Jasper then calling him. This means your bird is trilingual. Cockatoo, human English, and dog

...this is true.

Milton knows some Dog...he learned it from his first person's dog. He showed his language skills at the baseball park last year...

 

[HolliDaze]

...again, I refer back to what I said previously...there will always be doubters! You know the truth, and if others don't want or refuse see face facts..so be it!

Milton knows the concept of "good" and "bad" extremely well...especially when he's upset with something...usually me. You can go back in the posts I've made and see what I'm talking about.
I'm constantly surprised when Milty uses "WHATEVER" and "YEAH RIGHT"...in correct context. Just a few weeks ago I took him over to the bank...and when I told him that it was time to leave, he said "YEAH RIGHT"...loudly and clearly. Even customers in the nearby line asked me if that's what Milty said...

It's like I have an unruly child...with feathers...

I had Dexter ask me if he loved me the other day. I said of course, and he said "I love you too"

 

[cassiesdad]

I had Dexter ask me if he loved me the other day. I said of course, and he said "I love you too"

...that's a Milton favorite phrase... he uses it when he wants attention from you...

 

[simon777]

I've finally stopped being amazed at how much Simon understands. I expect him to understand everything I say to him and he does. Once in a while he'll tilt his head to one side, the same gesture a human makes, when he doesn't understand. Then I'll always rephrase what I was saying and then he understands. I make it a habit to explain the meaning of a word when I haven't used it to him before. I read many years ago that a human transmits a psychic message along with the words that are said. It could be that birds, and other creatures, receive the psychic message making understanding us easier.

 

[d_msparkles]

Waffle is a GCC and as such doesn’t talk like a ‘Too but one time I was in the kitchen cutting apples for a recipe and she said, “For baby?” She has also said “I’m baby” (I call her baby all the time but she clearly has some recognition of self to put this all together).
I have zero skepticism anymore when it comes to parrots!

 

[FlyingMacaws]

I was outside in the garden when this exchange happened between Jeff and Cotton.
Cotton “Dad can you come here”
Husband “Give me a minute, I’m busy”
(Jeff was making coffee, Cottons favorite thing to steal a sip of if you leave her unattended)
Cotton “Come here, No Coffee, Mom Outside”
Jeff: Yes your mom is outside, I’m making my coffee and she will be done watering in a few minutes.
Cotton “want to go outside”
Jeff “No you’ll bite me”
Cotton “mom outside, no bite mom” “outside now”
Jeff “I know you won’t bite mom, you’ll bite me”
Cotton “Help garden now” outside now, Cotton gardens” Dad outside now” I won’t bite
Husband” Okay don’t bite me and I’ll take you outside to mom”
Cotton “I won’t bite dad, outside now”
Finally convinced that Cotton won’t bite him, Cotton jumped on his shoulder and joined me outside in the garden.
As the husband was walking inside Cotton yelled “Love you, I’m outside now” “can I bite you now dad”


Cotton and Scallywags are the two talkers in my house.

 

[cassiesdad]

I was outside in the garden when this exchange happened between Jeff and Cotton.
Cotton “Dad can you come here”
Husband “Give me a minute, I’m busy”
(Jeff was making coffee, Cottons favorite thing to steal a sip of if you leave her unattended)
Cotton “Come here, No Coffee, Mom Outside”
Jeff: Yes your mom is outside, I’m making my coffee and she will be done watering in a few minutes.
Cotton “want to go outside”
Jeff “No you’ll bite me”
Cotton “mom outside, no bite mom” “outside now”
Jeff “I know you won’t bite mom, you’ll bite me”
Cotton “Help garden now” outside now, Cotton gardens” Dad outside now” I won’t bite
Husband” Okay don’t bite me and I’ll take you outside to mom”
Cotton “I won’t bite dad, outside now”
Finally convinced that Cotton won’t bite him, Cotton jumped on his shoulder and joined me outside in the garden.
As the husband was walking inside Cotton yelled “Love you, I’m outside now” “can I bite you now dad”


Cotton and Scallywags are the two talkers in my house.

 

[Nancy B]

Yes they can learn correct English if they care to. My friends have a very large umbrella Male cockatoo, Jefferson. When I first met Fred, my Galah, is when I first met him. I was immediately taken with him, and he knew it. My friends are always warning me that he's nippy, so I always watch his body language but he has never been anything but kind. When my fiancee, Joe, first saw Jefferson he was out of his cage. Jefferson's talons are about the size of my hand. So when he climbs up on me, he reaches out for my wrist. As Jefferson was climbing down to me and onto my arm, I said HI JEFFERSON, THIS IS JOE....Jefferson replied, WELL HELLO, JOE, MY NAME IS JEFFERSON. He speaks clear as a bell too. We were both so shocked and all Joe could say was WOW. He knew to introduce himself. I have to get some pictures of him. He's 22" tall, he's just breathtaking. I have never seen his wings outstretched, he would probably scare me to death lol.