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Quiet Quaker: learning to talk?

WillowQ

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Heather Gerbyshak
Hi, I’m new here though I have owned birds most of my life. I adopted a seven year old Quaker after my elderly Quaker, Lucy, passed away. I was crushed because Lucy had been with me for 22 years and was my best friend, my soulmate bird. I bought a Meyers parrot and he was cool but didn’t hit the spot.

Anyhow I adopted willow from a retired lady who was wanting freedom to travel and live it up. Willow liked me right away and wanted to be pet during the car ride home. He was not cuddly with that owner but he’s very cuddly with me. He’s a bit timid, though, and afraid of new objects and toys.

But one of the fun things with Lucy was that she talked and was so bossy and funny. I miss that. Willow has talked a few times, mostly in his cage, so I know he can. He is not very loud; can scream but usually doesn’t; his alarm call is not that bad either.

does anyone have any suggestions how to get Willow to be louder and more vocal? Since I know he can talk and it seems he’s just a shy guy. I have been praising him for touching new toys and he’s getting more adventurous. But when I repeat a word or phrase Willow looks at me and moves his beak. Should I treat him for doing this in hopes that he will get the idea? Cuz if he doesn’t speak I can’t reward him for it.

maybe I should give him a treat when he makes a non-screaming noise? Cuz he usually only screeches at big trucks out the windows or when Jasper has an adventure or is out with me?
thank you.
 

Pixiebeak

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I had a quaker that talked a lot.
But my 3 current girls not so much.

Pikachu a re home came to me 4 years ago with one phrase peekaboo. Just at the end of last year she started to say a few phrases. Like hello. Are you a good girl/ bird? What a good bird. Pretty girl/bird, watch ya doing? Luv you. And baby burd . She just broke out with all of those within a few days after years of saying nothing.

Penny my old rescue just talks when she is in the cage and wants me to come get her out. She will say come here. Pretty pretty pretty pretty buuuurd. Hello! Hi! Good birdie! Aa soon as I get her out she stops talking.

Phoebe says hello. Good boy. Awww baby bird. That's it.

I think its just an individual thing. But what they can or will say can change over time. I never expected Pikachu to suddenly start talking after years of no words.
 

WillowQ

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Heather Gerbyshak
I guess I will mostly keep doing what I’m doing and as Willow emerges more from his timidity maybe he will talk more.

i confess I have been using Lucy’s phrase “it’s o-cage” with Willow. I miss her and I still use that phrase when talking.

DADB19A2-0D04-401D-811D-D0DBD9EC403E.jpeg
 
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WillowQ

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Heather Gerbyshak
Also, I have some little rainbow links that I’ve hung around Willow’s cage and on his basket. I’ve been going over the red yellow and blue colors with him, asking him to touch red and showing the red link, touch yellow…etc. now we’re mostly working on him being willing to touch them.

has anyone here taught their bird colors? Like choosing the yellow link from three links? I have told Willow that he is a blue bird.
 

WillowQ

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Willow definitely talks quietly in his cage and mutters or scolds when I come to get him out. But he is whispery and I have a hearing loss so it is hard for me to tell what he is saying.

He definitely says “come here, come here” and I think he says “baby” and “pretty birrrd”. Also “kish kish”.

Otherwise I still talk or sing to Willow, and he watches me and moves his beak but doesn’t make a sound. I was singing “bacon pancakes” to him and I think he was a bit annoyed.
 

WillowQ

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Today Willow said “good boy” when he came out of his cage in the evening. But he would not repeat it no matter what.

He was NOT a good boy for a while today; he craves avicake much more now that he’s eating Harrison’s maintenance diet (not high potency). He must be thoroughly done with his avicake before he wants any pets or cuddles. Cranky bird.
 

Pixiebeak

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Penny only talks in her cage.
Phoebe says good boy, no matter how many times I tell her she is a good girl! That and hello and burrrrd are all she really says
 

WillowQ

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I need to talk to Willow more when he’s in his cage. Although he definitely feels comfortable on his basket too so maybe he’ll start talking there.
 

Shezbug

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Burt tends to whisper a lot when he is practicing new words and phrases. He is not predictable with when he will talk but some days he literally wont shut up lol. I usually know when a new word or phrase is coming as I hear lots of really quiet whispering.
Maybe willow is whispering until he is confident he has the word right?

I find that mimicking the word back to Burt in an excited way seems to encourage him to say that word out loud more often. There are days where I only hear hello or peekaboo (first thing in the morning when he wants curtains opened usually) then other days he chats non stop and laughs and wants me to beep sing with him- I think it is a mood thing as much as an interaction thing.
 

WillowQ

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Heather Gerbyshak
My last Quaker was the worlds biggest ham for 23 yrs. It is a change to have a quiet little guy who’s scared of things and doesn’t stagger at them beak-first.

I just watched some bird YouTube videos with Willow and “interacted” with the birds in the video. Willow found this very exciting. He started giving kisses back LOUDLY and ‘interacting’ with the video birds too. Especially the very clear and engaging ringneck parakeets.

Willow and I were playing peekaboo and gimmee kiss and Willow was being LOUD! I’m so excited!
 
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