# Re-training my 6 year old



## kat89447 (May 23, 2008)

Hi all, new to the forum and thought all of you experts might have suggestions. Eddie is 6 and has always been a pretty good whistler, but since his buddy Skuttle died he has become very vocal with hundreds of tunes we have never heard. He came to us when he was about a year old from a lady that didn't have time for him and she complained of his screeching. She never took him out of his cage and he was alone in a room all of the time. Over the years he has become a great bird, although he is not the cuddliest (except with me) and rarely screeched while his buddy was with him. 
It has made us wonder if he might become a better talker and if we can shape his whistling to something below a million decibals lol We leave the tv/radio on when we are gone so he has noise around him and we talk to him even more than we used to when there were two of them. My hubby and he whistle back and forth to each other so I know he listens and repeats whistles (oh the things my hubby has taught that bird to whistle lol). Any tricks that help with the talking? The only word he ever said was years ago, and that was GRANNY. (My MIL watched the birds while we were on vacation.) Even after we get a new buddy for him, I figure we have a couple of months where he might be interested in getting our attention, before he we become 2nd class citizens to him again. lol


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Tiels are known more as whistlers than talkers, but many of the boys do learn to talk well and it sure sounds like Eddie is vocal enough to learn words! :lol: I would just pick a word or short phrase and repeat it throughout the day whenever you walk by the cage. I am not a fan of repeating one word over and over and over in a birds face to get it to talk, can you imagine how annoying that would be?! :rofl:


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

Dooby talks quite a lot, the way he's picked it up is by association. When I uncover him in the mornings he says "Good morning" when he gets covered up at night, he blows a kiss and says "Night night" although I have to admit, just lately it's been a kiss and nothing else. lol. If I say "What do you want?" he'll say "Tickle tickle". The way he learnt that was just by always doing the same thing, at the same time. Now, having said all that, I think Dooby has a mind of his own because he seems to come out with the right things at the right time!! I would do as Bea has suggested, just say the same thing to him at the same time, like, when you walk in the room say "Hello" hopefully it won't be too long before Eddie realises that when you walk in the room that is what you say, so he will say it as well. Good luck and let us know how you get on.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I would say the same things at the same time as well. That is how Spike learned to talk, now when he is tired he will ask my budgie if he wants to go to bed  Just keep trying and see what happens


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

Just keep in mind that there are some good talkers but on a whole cockatiels are not known for being good talkers, but most males are good whistlers and pick it up quite easily, also usually if a male is taught to whistle tunes first they tend not to pick up as many words, its not impossible but because Eddie is older now and more set in his ways it might be harder to get him to talk.


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## kat89447 (May 23, 2008)

Progress already! He is screeching less and whistling more. He even started getting back to his old schedule a little bit. He seems to have a pattern on what he whistles and in what order lol. Hopefully he is getting over Skuttle a little more. We hope he might learn a few words, but don't really care if he doesn't. It's very interesting with the way he behaves now that he is a loner bird. I didn't appreciate how two birds keep each other company until he became alone.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

kat89447 said:


> I didn't appreciate how two birds keep each other company until he became alone.


That's the way i discovered the benefits of birdie companions. I thought Cookie and Bailee hated each other until i tried to take just one from the room....  Talk about distressed!!


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

Bea said:


> That's the way i discovered the benefits of birdie companions. I thought Cookie and Bailee hated each other until i tried to take just one from the room....  Talk about distressed!!


Thats the way Minnie and Lee are even if there in the same room and are not beside each other they call and call to each other and I am like come on guys your right near each other get closer if it bothers you that much  I had to laugh at Georgie I took her out for some one on one the other day and I left Ollie back by himself well!!! soon as I left with her he called her and called her to the cows came home and she never once called him back I laughed so hard at her the big meanie


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Spike is an only bird but if I leave the room and he is out of his cage he will follow me  He could care less about the budgie, poor Icarus


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## kat89447 (May 23, 2008)

Eddie lives in our bedroom since his buddy died, we thought there would be more action in there for him. My daughter gets the biggest kick out of him, lately he's taken to wolf whistling whenever anyone is changing clothes and then he giggles. He has three different versions of his ww and thinks he's very charming when he does them lol.


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