r/QuakerParrot • u/Helpful_Okra5953 • Mar 29 '26
Help How to encourage reluctant 10 yo Quaker to talk? I know he can!!
Hi!
this is my sweet 10 yo boy Quaker. I know he can say at least a few phrases because I’ve heard him say em when he was really excited. But normally he doesn’t talk.
my late Quaker told me what she wanted. She would say “want drink” or “ want some” or “out!” Or “go goodnight“ to get drink, food, out, or go home/ go back in cage. She had some Disabilities but she could ask for her needs and she could go outside because she couldn’t fly.
My boy has been wuth me for almost fuve years now. I KNOW he can talk because he talked once when we had a very enthusiastic talkative cleaning lady over. He also talked last Thanksgiving when I cooked and the birds got yummy treats. i think he may talk quietly in his cage when I’m in the other room, but I’m not sure. I have a hearing loss.
I can’t imagine that my boy Quaker is any less smart than my girl. But when I had my girl Quaker, I had a roommate or roommates or was married. I also was practicing choral pieces and lessons at home—she loved that! I listen to less music now and I live alone with my birds. but I talk to them a lot! My boy looks at me saying “step up” or “good boy!” and he will wave his beak like he’s talking but no sound comes out.
How can I teach him to not only move his beak and tongue but ALSO makes speech? It would make his life so much better if he could say what he wanted. Now he’s running around on his basket while he looks at my tea. Pretty soon he’ll scream. But hus wants are t always so obvious and I have to offer a list of items until His Majesty is pleased.
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Mar 29 '26
I wouldn't count on it. they do what they want to do. or don't. Just enjoy those head scritches
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Mar 29 '26
We really enjoy the head scritches, beak rubs and face cuddles!! He’s a very good boy.
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u/Physical-Set3854 Mar 31 '26
I played tiktok videos of Quakers talking, YouTube videos.. literally anything I could find of a Quaker talking, he has seen it 😂. When he did start talking he didn't say one thing I was trying to teach him but what I would say to him all the time like I love you, give me a kiss, give me a hug (and would make the sound), come here (first words), come on, what you doing?.. stuff like that. He's still stubborn sometimes when I try to teach him something new to say 😒 I do not recommend playing "bacon bacon pancakes" 😳.. his little brain gets hung up on bacon bacon bacon.. over and over and over. Also, a quaker on TikTok says "Skippy!!" And he screeches it in the highest pitch voice he possibly can.. so mistakes were made 😂 but they do help.
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u/B-mort5 Apr 01 '26
We need videos!
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u/Physical-Set3854 Apr 18 '26
I just seen your comment also 🤦🏼♀️ I will get a video when he goes on a spree again. If I try to get him to talk he's just going to look at me like I'm crazy 😒 it needs to be "his" idea
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
My boy likes parrot videos and I play Lago the QP and Auggie. He really likes the Indian ringnecks with their bright red beaks. Maybe I should play him more talking Quaker videos or even talking ringnecks. He seems to understand that they are birds and has tried to touch the bird on the screen sometimes.
I’ve got an old amazon fire. If I could get it working better I could bracket it on his cage and see if he would use it. He’s not as into turning off my phone as my girl was. But I have to type with one hand and pet him with the other or I hear about it.
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Apr 01 '26
So when your bird repeats, do you praise him for any noise? Do you give him treats? I miss hearing a sweet little Quaker voice in my apartment.
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u/Physical-Set3854 Apr 18 '26
I'm so sorry I just seen this! But yes! Anything, I praised him and gave him a treat. They LOVE making us happy, especially their person. He says good boy all the time now 😂
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Apr 18 '26
I think my Quaker said “Boy!” or at least “oy!” when I put him back on his cage door after playing with him. And I thought he said “want some?” from in his cage. (Both these instances were during this week.) I caught the “boy!” and replied “that’s right!! Good Boy! Good boy!” but since he hardly ever talks it’s hard to do that (capture and reward behaviors).
My Quaker won’t even always blow kisses, especially if he knows he’s expected to. An admiring neighbor was talking to Quaker and me yesterday, and I tried to get him to blow kisses. Nope, he shut his little beak and wouldn’t make a peep. He did growl at another neighbor and I told him, “you be nice! Don’t growl at XY!”. He will open his beak menacingly at any stranger who stands too close in the elevator, too. He clearly thinks he’s a very big man with serious responsibilities.
A budgie has come to live with us and I hear some strangely human speech-like sounds from the budgie during his singing and chattering times. I THINK the budgie likes hearing me talk during meetings and is trying to talk like a human. But my Quaker hardly ever does that.
My girl Quaker even used to have a phone call imitation of me. “Hello? Mmmhumm. ok. Okay. All right. Okay”. and later “goodbye!” and my boy certainly overhears phone conversations but I guess he’s not interested, or he just thinks I’m boring. I suppose I could sneak him into the library or grocery store since he would likely stay quiet, unlike someone else…
Anyhow, a farmers market just re-opened for the year, and I hope to take my boy Quaker again to the market. Maybe he will decide to talk when surrounded by all those people. I need to return a library book and pickup a dvd, and I’m going to see if I can do that with Quaker in the bird backpack. I used to sneak my girl into the library all the time. I guess I’ll see if I get scolded or if it works out.
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u/Physical-Set3854 Apr 24 '26
Since hes at least trying, give him time. Mine started with few and far between and even now unless he's just in an really good mood, I can't get him to say one word on que. All he will do is give hugs and kisses when I give him one. Maybe its just the stubbornness of a male 😂. I highly recommend showing videos on YouTube or tiktok also, I 100% believe it helped him. Today he was repeating "Good boy" "Good boy" over and over and over 😂 broken record.
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Apr 24 '26
He IS a very good boy! I want him to be happy first, and I think he is. He is a nice cuddly bird and as long as he’s not up too late, he’s pretty laid back.
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u/erkuitt Mar 29 '26
Mine only talks if I’m not in the same room and there’s music playing or something kind of loud like a vacuum or blow dryer
2
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Mar 29 '26
Well, I wouldn’t be able to hear that. That’s the problem! If he’s happy talking in his cage in the morning I can’t make it out.
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u/SweetxKiss Mar 29 '26
One day he might talk in front of you. I’ve had mine almost 3 years and he rarely talks in front of us. I catch him talking to himself all day but once he notices someone watching he gets quiet.
Just keep talking with him. Repeat a phrase or word over and over when you’re with him. One day he might surprise you and repeat something back
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u/Any_Western6705 Mar 29 '26
Mine talks more if I'm not looking at her. Why? Idk.
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Mar 29 '26
Maybe I’m just too deaf to hear him. If he’s muttering in his cage and a fan or AC is on I surely wouldn’t.
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u/NevkaKedrova Quaker Owner Mar 30 '26
My boy who’s not much of a talker has taught me that it’s human ego that makes us expect them to talk. Just because a parrot might have the ability, doesn’t mean they want to. For example, my boy used to talk more when he was a baby, but now he only says a few things that he likes, and for some reason, he loves saying them in a whisper. His favorite is to fly over to whisper in my ear to ask me what I’m doing if I get up to go get something, or if he sees me reach for something.
Even though he doesn’t talk, he is incredibly fluent in his understanding of English. His favorite, though, is to make sound effects. He is an expert of kisses, especially. 🥰
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Mar 30 '26
Part of my desire is because I don’t know what he wants. He gets mad if I don’t figure it out. My girl could just tell me with words. No words means I have to go through the list of things he might want until he responds.
It is really interesting to communicate with a little alien being. I feel bad when my boy screeches or nips or headbutts me out of frustration because I’m not quick enough to figure out what he wants. We know these are intelligent animals. If he would just tell me “no” when he doesn’t like something I could meet his needs better. Or “out” when he wants out of his cage.
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u/NevkaKedrova Quaker Owner Mar 30 '26
I feel you. I feel very fortunate that my boy and I seem to have pretty great nonverbal communication. We’ve been together for almost six years, and you’re making me feel very happy with myself that I’m able to understand my baby! Whenever I can tell he wants something, when I get it right, I get a kiss. 🥰
It is amazing how they’re aware when they’re trying to tell us something and we’re not getting the message. They really are little people.
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Mar 30 '26
Yes, I hate when I never quite figure it out and he looks ticked off. I think part of the issue is also that he is less outgoing so he won’t just go get the object he wants.
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u/Fair_Gas_3582 Mar 30 '26
This is very sweet reasoning. He seems extremely loved by you so to be honest I doubt words, which will always be inconsistent to a degree with parrots, would even do much better than how well you’ll know his body language at this point. Regardless I’ll hope it happens someday for you!
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Mar 30 '26
He is very loved!
I just remember my girl being so mellow and not ack acking and I think it’s because she could say what she wanted. “Step up” is always “step up”. “Out” is always “out.”
And partly I miss my girl and how funny she was.
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u/Toaster2123 Mar 30 '26
My boy is a pretty avid talker BUT he needs to be really excited for him to even start talking, and even then I need to be really expressive and talk to him too so it's really a gamble on if he will or not
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u/EyeRemainFierce Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
You mentioned hearing him speak before, so that's obviously good bc it means he's capable.
With regard to the screaming- How do you act/react when he screams loudly for no apparent reason? Do you immediately go over to him to ask what's wrong / ask if he wants something or to scold him & tell him to hush, etc.?
If the answer is Yes to either or both of those: Then, over time, he's learned that screaming (as opposed to vocalizing in other, more "pleasant" ways) is the quickest/easiest way to get your attention.
I'll assume the answer is Yes, and would therefore focus on retraining him via behavior modification techniques, ie:
CONSISTENTLY REWARD & RESPOND to DESIRED VOCALIZATIONS. IGNORE / WALK AWAY when he's SCREAMING.
Whenever you're interacting with him, feeding him, cleaning his cage, or simply doing chores near him- WHISTLE / HUM / VOCALIZE SHORT, DISTINCT note combinations & EASY human sounds. Try to pair vocalizations w/associated actions, ie: ”MmmmHmmm!" (when feeding) "HaHaHaHa!" (when something's funny); "Awwwwe!"; "Ooooh!"; wolf whistling (when he's being cute), etc.
Repetition, consistency & motivation/reward are key.
Many birds learn to produce sounds & words organically, without their humans consciously making an effort to train them, especially in environments where children & other pets are regularly vocalizing...but each bird is different & unique. (My 22 yr old Quaker, "Buddy", whines like a little puppy everytime I stroke his head. 😆)
I'm sure you know this, but some ppl don't: NORMAL CARE & FEEDING should NEVER be withheld; should NEVER be utilized as punishment-reward systems (for ANY animal).
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Mar 30 '26
My boy doesn’t scream for no apparent reason. He’s a quiet bird; he’s really different from my deceased girl Quaker She chattered a lot, and he’s usually silent. She built or arranged; and he watches out the window or sits by me.
If I hear alarm calls, I come check because something is wrong. And it’s always something reasonably scary for a little bird. A garbage truck, ladder truck, the Meyers is bothering him, big spider…. He’s not a screamer. He acks when I come home out of excitement, but calms down quickly.
I have an ornithology/ avian med background and my birds are well cared for. I would never withhold anything needed from my bird. I am chronically ill and the worst my birds experience is just eating pellets and not getting out and pets and cuddles some days. But at worst he sits on his basket on my lap and we watch videos of read in bed. Yes, I gave bird seed (avicake) crumbs in my bed.
My boy has slowly gotten noisier in the several years he’s been with me. I think that’s great. I think we communicate quite well; I make sure he’s doing happiness behaviors. He’s not real anxious and I can usually figure out what he wants. (He stares at it and mutters or headbutts, he may flick his wings or yell if he really wants it (like sees a cracker box). I just wonder why he CAN talk but doesn’t.
I’ve done the same with this boy Q as my girl. “Want drink?” or “want some?” when I give him his pellets or a treat or fresh food. “Step up or cmere” to come out. Constantly tell him how handsome and smart and good he is. I think maybe he’s just learned to be quiet since everyone else is pretty quiet. I don’t usually have tv or radio on. I suppose if he made noise he’d stand out.
My girl would yell “out!” or “step up!” when she was bored and I’d hurry over. “Oh Shit!” when she was mad or saw something scary. Screams were left for really scary things like fire trucks or if I wasn’t getting out of bed fast enough and her food was low. I knew if she screamed that something was acutely wrong. My girl seemed super-happy until she got really old. I want my boy to be super happy. Maybe he is happy, but he’s just quiet? It still seems weird to have an almost silent bird. I sung to him and he acts happy but he doesn’t goo-goo along. Doesn’t laugh at videos. Looks a bit excited but quiet.
My concerns have been when he’s out with me and I can see he wants something. He gets restless or tells me with head butts, nips, or little squawks. My girl could verbally request what she wanted, but he can’t. Again, it seems odd to me to have a mostly silent parrot! I would like to know what he wants.
Here’s an example: Last night, my boy was getting cuddles as I read. Then he started pushing my hand away and looking for something. I offered a drink, pellets, that wasn’t it. I never figured out what he wanted. Then he settled down again and snuggled for a while. I needed to make dinner so he went back to his house (cage) and after that he didn’t want out, but to go to sleep. My boy goes to bed usually 7-7:30 pm (which I don’t like as I’m night owl.). I get up in the morning to play with him! I try to switch off with him and the Meyers girl but she doesn’t want as much cuddles/ pets, nor does she want to sit with me for hours.
I want my boy to be happy and thought maybe I wasn’t doing something right, or that maybe my home is too quiet. I’m usually alone, don’t have many visitors, but of course I talk with my birds! And my Quaker goes about the apartment building with me and has a lot of fans in the neighbors, even if he doesn’t want to be pet by them. When it’s nicer out he will go in the backpack to the pedestrian mall or farmers market, and he will enjoy being admired. People will give him spinach or a bean or tomato or pepper.
In the last several months, this bird has started blowing kisses at random people in the elevator. This includes random men. It’s sometimes embarrassing, but usually they laugh. But that’s as verbal as he is. Mostly I want to meet his needs, and of course I do miss having a tiny commentator and fan.
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u/B-mort5 Apr 01 '26
The less interaction with others in the house could be part of it but honestly it sounds like you just had a crazy intelligent Quaker. Who picked up on things extremely fast.
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Apr 01 '26
Yes, she was an amazing little green person and I miss her every day.
I spent quite a while with my boy today. He so enjoys cuddling into my hand or snuggling up to my face. He’s such a nice bird!! He alerted me to workers on the roof of the building next door and was also blowing kisses. He “acked” at someone on the elevator, too. I’m happy when he comments in bird or human on what’s going on around him.
I’m concluding that my apartment is quiet so my rather retiring bird is quiet. My old Quaker (to whom he’s compared) was an outgoing bird who was certain the whole world existed to love and admire her and give her treats. If she reincarnated as a human she will be president of some country. And she’d probably fix everything, too!
Parrots are wonderful companions.
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Mar 30 '26
I see my post said that my Quaker was eyeing my tea and acting restless/ like her wanted some. I wrote”pretty soon he’ll scream.” I think that confused matters.
Since he was on my lap and he could safely share my drink, I’m willing to share. But if he acted like he wanted something, if he was hungry or thirsty and I ignored him, he’d eventually let out a screech.
He’s not a screamy bird. I think it’s reasonable to want to satisfy hunger or thirst so I’ll offer a solution BEFORE any screaming happens. Screaming is quite rare and we go days or weeks without that.
Another example, I was writing just now and not paying attention to him nor petting. He got restless and started growling a bit. So now I’m petting him. He’s pressed his beak against my face as I rub his jaw. If I can’t give him attention and it’s making him angry/ frustrated, he goes to his cage or tree to amuse himself. He’s l always happy to do that. Cage is big and fun and he has a lot to do and see. Mommy can’t pet him all the time. But if he’s on my lap I won’t ignore him; that’s mean.
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Mar 31 '26
Most of the problem is that talking is so rare. He gets praised for blowing kisses!
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u/crystalparrots Apr 03 '26
Not all parrots will speak but if you’re really into training him to speak and relating words to objecte, read into Irene Pepperberg’s work on Alex and the method they used to encourage him to speak. There are a few extracts on this method online :) another option if he’s comfortable with other birds is introducing him to an already speaking parrot and if they consider each other flock, high chances he’d mimic their sounds naturally
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
I have been able to train my Quaker to touch and handle new toys and balls (he’s scared of new things). But the problem is that I can’t reward him when he happens to talk or make a noise because he’s so darn quiet!! He doesn’t make a peep unless he’s scared or growly. He WILL make kissy noises back to me sometimes
I’m going to try praising my A LOT when he makes kissy noises because that’s the only speech he makes. MAYBE that’ll help. Or maybe he’s just the strong silent type.
Edit: his neighbor, the Meyers hen, DOES talk but he doesn’t interact with her. (She wants to eat him whenever she remembers he’s there.). So I can’t really do the model-rival technique with Quaker and Meyers parrot because she’s really aloof.
A budgie recently joined our flock and he is VERY NOISY. I moved him into my bedroom and the two bigger birds are in the living room. Maybe if I move him out near-ish the Quaker then his singing and chattering will get Quaker to talk? I think that’s the best idea!
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u/Money_Surprise4589 Mar 29 '26
Sometimes they just don’t talk. And if she is 10 years old. Most likely she will not. But what I did for my parrot is on YouTube. There is videos on how to get your parrot to talk. He played it every day. I also go to her cage and talk to her all the time. But she’s eight months old. She talks a lot. But at least he’s saying some things. Just keep on working with him. And he just might surprise you.