 When I first was teaching my African grade George to talk, I wanted him to say can I have some juice? Yeah, I kind of wanted him to say what's up. I read the book and I just thought I'd try it. I didn't have anything to lose. I kid you not, the next day she's in my fridge and I'm like, oh dude, I forget to get you something. She's like, no, I ever just asked me for juice and I'm like. Hello my fellow snippers, flighters and hatchlings. My name is Marlene McCohen and this is Brando, my mustache parakeet. Oops, did I forget to introduce you first? And this is Marlene. Marlene is my African gray. He's a rescue. You can see the rescue story of Marlene the African gray on my channel. It's a whole series. You actually get to see in the series how I met Marlene for the first time. Marlene, we really would like you in the video. My two grays are so rambunctious guys. It's just so funny. Before we go on, I want to give some shout outs to my flighters club. That's those of you who support my videos on Patreon. I want to thank you guys so much. Shout out to Jane Gil Star-Lee and Barbara Dillgidus. I love you guys so much. I'm really happy to have you on as flighters. If you guys want to support my work, letting everybody know about birds and spreading the love of engaged, not caged in how to live with your birds as family members, then please join my Patreon. Today's video is a very fun subject. We are going to talk about six ways to get your African gray or other parrots to talk. This isn't every way. This is just six of the main things that I put together that I do that I think you guys will really benefit from. Oh yeah. He's telling me to remind you guys if you use hashtag pick me Marlene, then you're essentially submitting to be on my channel. And at the end of this video, stay tuned because you're going to see if you were chosen to showcase your bird and all his beauty and talent at the end of the video. And maybe we'll use it for some other things. So stay tuned. Okay, baby. The first important thing to teaching your bird to talk, constant interaction with your bird. I believe my bird George, who was also an African gray, talked so well and responded and could apply words to sentences because of the constant interaction that I provided to George. Like I told George everything we're doing. Like do you want to have a shower? Do you want some food? It's time for a carrot. Like, oh, do you the yellow marker? Like whatever we were doing, I would describe it to George. I just figured as much information and repetitive information as possible than he would understand. And it was absolutely true. And then a lot of you know that I love to use the time for method with George, which was my personal method. You want to go potty? Go potty. I know it feels weird because I'm holding you a good bird because it was my personal method. So what I would do in the time for method is I would introduce anything that I was giving him with time for so time for a carrot, time for a shower, time for and so essentially to me it was saying to the bird cognitively like this is happening now. If you want it, this is how you ask for it. And it worked extremely well with George. So just constant interaction, bonding, bonding is extremely important for your bird to, you know, learn what you're saying and be communicative. Like I just knew that he was going to go potty. That was me just understanding his behavior because I'm extremely in tune with him. And the more in tune you become, you can become that way with lots of different birds, other people's birds. It doesn't matter, but they also become in tune with us and then they learn how to communicate as well. So my number one thing is constant interaction and involvement with your birds. Number two, association. So this would sound kind of like number one, but the strong emphasis on association would be to associate the word with something that they really love. So let's say you have a great bond with your bird and your bird has been home all day and your bird is excited to see you and you walk in that moment when the bird is hypersensitive and you're like, hi, how's my bird? Can I have a kiss? Whatever it is that you do in that hypersensitive moment, that is something that they will remember because they will associate the words with the action. So in turn, they will also turn around and tell you that they want that interaction by saying those words. So sometimes you have to think backwards too. You have to think to yourself, what did I do the last time they said those words? Like, what are all the things I have done when I have said those words? So for example, if I tell the bird, can I have a kiss and I also have just come home or he did something really brilliant and I was like, oh, amazing. Can I have a kiss? You have to realize that those other actions may also be associated with it for the bird. So if they're repeating themselves, they might be trying to elicit a reaction out of you. This is perfectly explained the way Rocky, when you say proud bird, he lifts his wings, but we keep clapping for him. So at some point he keeps lifting his wings because he's trying to elicit the clapping reaction out of us, if that makes any sense to you guys. But if you use the words that you want to teach them during moments that they love, like giving them treats, giving them food, coming home, saying hello, letting them out of the cage, those are quite often the things that they're going to learn. When you say good morning, how are you or Brando or different things like that? Rocky, he says hello as if someone just entered. He'll be like, hello. And he does it when someone entered because that is when he learns that the moment to say hello is supposed to happen. He may or may not like it, but most likely he enjoyed the entrance of whoever it was. So if that makes any sense to you guys. All right. The third way this is really important and sometimes people notice it and sometimes they don't is to put an emotion behind the word. So if you just repeat things to your bird, like how you doing? How you doing? How you doing? It's not that interesting. But if you're like, oh my God, how are you doing? I know that sounds so crazy. I'm exaggerating for you guys. You see like how he stops and he's like, what the heck is wrong with you? That desire for what's up? That desire for them to analyze the behavior, it may or may not elicit excitement in them that makes them want to see it happen again. So often when they're talking, it also means that they want to see that behavior out of you. You have to really consider that as well. It's very interesting. So that's why a lot of birds learn cuss words and they learn if you see cockatoos and they get very angry at things. I think it was the Max the cockatoo that like didn't want to go to the vet and he starts yelling. Like he's imitating something that he saw previously. A lot of cockatoos, they see people arguing and they get heavily involved in it and heavily, even if they can't say the words, they start screaming. It's because they love emotion and drama behind things. Often that's what they choose to imitate. So sometimes the one time you said a bad word, you said it with so much emotion that they were like, Oh, I like that, you know, it's interesting to them. They see a lot of the same and then suddenly they see something different. So it's interesting to them. Right. Number four. This worked really well for me when I got my first African great George. I used Irene Pepperberg's model rival technique. I suggest that you all research Alex the African Gray and the current African Gray is that Dr. Irene Pepperberg has. She's an amazing scientist that really just showed the world what birds can do. And I don't even believe she knew herself. So it's pretty amazing to read her books and go on that journey with her. But one of the main things she used was a model rival technique, which means that essentially to teach Merlin how to talk or Brando, I would use one of them as the model and the rival. And that could be another bird, but it could also be a human being. So for example, when I first was teaching my African great George to talk, I wanted him to say, can I have some juice? Yeah, I kind of wanted him to say what's up, but I decided to have him say, can I have some juice? So I read the book and I just thought I'd try it. I didn't have anything to lose. And he hadn't really spoken so much at that point. You guys probably heard me tell this story, but basically I would take like some juice and I handed it to my friend. So in that case, she had the water. She was the model slash rival. And I would say, here, hold this, and then I'd ask her for juice. I'd be like, can I have some juice? And she would hand it to me and I'd go, thank you so much. And the bird would be watching wanting to be the model who is now the rival because the rival is getting praise. And we did this back and forth, switching off between me being the model and the rival and her. And kid you not, the next day she's in my fridge and I'm like, oh, did I forget to get you something? She's like, no, I never just asked me for juice. And I'm like, the fact that it didn't even affect her, I was like, what? I mean, that was my, my first African gray stuff, right? By the way, did you guys see how they both associated the water noise? Brandon knows that this is water and Brando is thirsty and he knows it's water. That's why he made the water noise. So birds do know what it is that they are talking about. Okay. Yeah, you do. Moving on to number five. Be consistent. Make sure what you are trying to get out of the bird you consistently do. So example, if you want your bird to say hello at a certain time, make sure you always say to the bird hello at that time. Jersey is really particular about anytime somebody enters them saying hello to her and she will always say hello to them. Like, I could have entered the room 20 times that day. And every time she's like, hi, because that's what she learned is appropriate in the house. And they will treat you just the way you treat them. So for example, even great parrot companions always forget to consistently greet their birds. I think that's kind of why I have a special bond with them because I don't walk by any of them without telling them hello in every new interaction. So I could walk by Jersey and be like, hi, baby. And then leave the room and come back in 10 minutes later. I won't just be like, oh, there's Jersey assuming she's by the way busy and hanging out on her stand or whatever. I'll still walk by and always acknowledge them. And that kind of acknowledgement really just teaches them to acknowledge back, which is a huge part in learning, talking and communicating. Because remember, we're not just talking about talking. We're talking about communicating. And if we really treat it like that, treat them like human beings, family members, yeah, then they will respond to the best of their ability. Oh, Marla, right? For example, in the morning when I go to wake them all up, there's a lot of them. So I have to go to like all the cages. Most of the time they're already awake, like George already woke them up. Obviously, I can't get to every single one of them at the same time. And I try to like respect the pecking order. So when I go down there, Merlin while he's waiting, he'll be like, Marla, Marla, what about me? Which is like the cutest thing to me. So I know what he's communicating. And I find it very impressive. Make sure you're very consistent about the things you want them to learn. The best way to do that is just to treat them like family members and just communicate. You have to communicate. And animals are beings, they'll be responsive. Okay. And the last thing that I have, and by the way, these aren't the only things, just the last thing that I put in here, I'm sure you guys have a lot of other ways that you taught your birds to talk. Positive reinforcement and rewards. Whatever the reward is for your bird, give them that reward when they do what it is that you want them to do. For me, I don't focus so much on it being treat based while talking because I really want them to be communicative with me like a really deep family member bond. But you absolutely can do that when you are teaching a bird to talk, you absolutely can use clicker training, you can use treats. But what I love to do is give them the reward of the thing that they asked for, I love to teach them to ask for things and give them that reward. So for example, when George would say, can I have some juice every single time I would give him the juice so that he learns, wow, my speaking, these words elicited this reaction. Kiss? You're welcome, baby. It's completely logical that a bird would understand that, right? If he asked me for a kiss, I would absolutely always kiss him. If I could right now, when he made the water noise, I would have gave him the water. So things like that are extremely important for them to understand that they will get what they are asking for. If they don't get what they're asking for or you're lazy about it, then it's like, okay, I'm just a talking bird. Merlin, when he sees us eating something or going to the fridge to get something, he'll always be like want some. And when he says want some, we always get him something, something of what he's asking for or something else. If we can't give him like maybe we're eating something he shouldn't eat, then we'll get it for him. And what's brilliant about that is that when he came to me, he was already 21 years old, and that was his first way of communicating with us that he wanted something and we understood. And he came to us and said, want some? To me, imagine just the fact that he probably gets what he wants. I don't know, maybe 80% more of the time than other birds that don't ask for things, not in my house, but just in general. I mean, I can tell if a bird of mine wants something just by a movement or like Leo, he's not very vocal, but he'll be like, and that's it. And I have to pick up that, okay, he wants what I have. I always offer it anyway. If Merlin hadn't been able to communicate that way and he went to a different home and he couldn't say those things, would they have shared with him or would he have been there like, wait, you're eating that thing? I kind of want that. Oh, I missed my chance. It just breaks my heart thinking about birds in that manner. So we have to do better. That's why when Rocky asks for a treat, he'll come up and he'll go treat. And I'll always give him one, no matter what. And I remember the lady that gave Rocky to me, she told me like, that was the least I could do. Like, you know, she wasn't bad with her birds. It just didn't work out between them. And sometimes that happens. And at least she recognized it. But she did say to me, she said, if he asked me for a treat six times a day, or he asked me once, I always gave it to him because I figured he had bothered to ask he needed that. That just stuck with me. Those are my six things. I hope that you understand where I'm coming from with these. These are the ways that I personally teach my birds to talk. Remember, guys, do not get a bird because you want them to talk because for example, you may not know how to train them to talk. You may get lazy. They may not talk in the first place. A lot of birds known for talking don't even talk. These birds are also great for different sounds and noises and beeps and all that kind of stuff which you hear, which is very interesting. So these are the ways that have worked for me. They're all really based off the core of knowing and growing up with birds since I was a child and just having that that bond and communication. They don't have to be able to talk for you to communicate in that way for them. So make sure you're really listening to what your birds need and their desires. If you guys have any more ways that have worked for you, let me know in the comments. If you guys love my merch, I'm wearing the men's tank in medium. I probably should be wearing a small, but I just put Georgia's on today. So check out our store, ParrotStation.com. We have lots of bird toys and other enriching things for your birds besides for the best parrot merch in town because we just don't slap logos on things. We really make it soft, fitted, hot. Like, I love it. I'm really excited about what I do. I always love this kind of stuff. I want to thank you guys so much. Please make sure to subscribe. Subscribers mean to me that we are just 200,000 people that care about birds and want to spread the Engage Not Cage. You know, just living with your birds as family members, that's what it means to me. I love you guys so much. Thank you for watching. Enjoy this video that I love of the Pick Me Marlene Birdie. Bye.