I had to go out of town for over a month to sit with a terminal relative a few months ago. I came back home to find out my husband had taught our two year old cockatiel some... choice words. How do I get my bird to stop cussing? It was so embarrassing, my grandmother came over to dinner the other night. She is EXTREMELY religous. Everytime Spike let loose with a stream of explenitives, she would cross herself and say a little prayer. Halfway through the meal, she suddenly stood up and said,"Well, little ma'm, I think I've had quite enough of your birdie, he cusses worse than a sailor." grabbed her cane, and she was out the door before I could blubber any excuses. HELP PLEASE!!!
2006-07-28 07:01:47 · 11 answers · asked by munesliver 6 in Pets ➔ Birds
You have to retrain those word into something similar - but different.
My dad and his brothers taught my grandmother's bird Christopher to say "Christopher's a birdbrain".
She couldn't Un-teach him - so she worked on modifying it to "Christopher's a birdboy".
You'll need to do something similar, and say it to him over and over, until he replaces the objectionable vocabulary with the new word/phrase.
2006-07-28 07:07:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋
Okay so yo have a biride with a bad mouth, I say give it some soapy water everytime it uses a certain word. Make a tape of yourself talking and play it over and over and over, well you get the point, of pleasant things, try to make it fun bad words. STOP using bad words around the bird. I was just kidding about the soapy water, but take away a favorite toy or food dish when the birdie pops the bird. Don't freak out, they are like a kid, they now when something is bad. You can say no, no bad birdie. If all else fails it can be a sequal to Paulie, the parrot with a slang mouth. It would be called cocky
2006-07-28 07:10:53 · answer #2 · answered by cabby 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When your bird says the words, ignore it. Don't do anything to it that might make it think it will get attention for saying the words. If it is out of the cage, put it in. If it is in the cage, cover up the cage. Ignore It.
Then about a minute after it has stopped, uncover the cage and praise it alot.
Also you can try to teach it a different word to say in the situation. So if it says the bad word, tell it an alternative word you would like it to say, then ignore it. Give it a ton of praise (maybe atreat like millet) if it says the alternative word.
After a while the bird should start to relize that you are unhappy with it saying the bad words and maybe will start saying the alternative words.
This site is great if you need more help -
http://www.birdtalkmagazine.com/bt/board/default.aspx
Good Luck!!!
2006-07-28 07:15:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hm.
My first suggestion is to not give the bird any attention when it says the unwanted phrases. Don't yell at it, don't look at it, don't be upset, just pay it no attention.
Often, when it sees that it gets no attention for the unwanted phrases, it will eventually stop.
Try to teach it some new acceptable words. (I know this sounds easier than it really is lol). When the bird can repeat acceptable words, give it attention and praise. If the bird sees that it gets praise for saying these words and not the cussing, it would naturally say what gets it praise.
But not giving it the attention it wants when it cusses is especially important.
Good luck
2006-07-28 07:08:20 · answer #4 · answered by All is On 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A friend of mine had the same problem, she never got him to stop. She lived next to a doctors office and each time a patient came as the bird sit outside, he would call them names. One lady called the police and they warned her about the bird. So, she has to keep him inside now.
2006-07-28 07:08:20 · answer #5 · answered by alabamalady813 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think once they learn a word, its in there. But if you don't encourage the bird to say it, and teach it new things to say, perhaps the cuss words will phase out, or at least not seem so overpowering if he is saying other things.
2006-07-28 09:07:17 · answer #6 · answered by wpililli 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Theres nothing you can do to be honest,once the bird has been taught you cant unteach him just maybe teach it how to wistle..thats what i did for my cockatiel when she kept calling my mom a ***** lol but just teach it something else that can entertain it
2006-07-28 12:05:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry to say, but once the bird learns to get a reaction, he'll always do whatever got him the attention. Your only hope is adopt him out to a very liberal new home. :-(
2006-07-28 07:07:10 · answer #8 · answered by GRUMPY1LUVS2EAT 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Someone called the police because a bird cussed? What a dirty little ****.
2006-07-28 07:34:58 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
shotgun.
2006-07-28 07:05:23 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋