Senegal Talking

Question
I bought a Senegal a few months ago.  The best purchase I made.  My question really is, can you spend too much time w/ your bird?  I work, so at least 40 hours a week he is in his cage.  BUT when I am home, he is w/ me.  When I go outside he is w/ me.  I adore him, and he me.  99% of the time he doesn't bite me.  He has starting screaming when I am getting ready for work in the morning and I don't take him in the shower w/ me.  As soon as I walk into the house after work and he hears me..he starts screaming.  He doesn't do this for my husband who spends just as much time w/ him as I do, or my daughter whom he hates and will bite every chance he gets.  I have a bond w/ him I do know that.  HE will lay on his back in my hands and let me rub his head. He will also do this for my husband now. When I talk to him, he "chatters" at the very same time I am talking (how can he hear if he is chattering?).  He doesn't do that for my husband.  I bought 2 CDs to teach your bird to talk.  I play these while I am at work.  He mimicks all kinds of sounds in the house but refuses to say "hello".  Infact sometimes he gets mad at me and growls when I repeat "Hello" to him.  Is it possible to spend too much time w/ him?  Will this ruin any chance of teaching him to talk.  Is chatters and makes all kinds of sounds and grinds his beak, but refuses to speak.  If he never talks that is okay.  But I want to work with him to reach his full potential and if he can talk.  I can't wait until he does!  Please HELP!

Answer
Hi, Christine.  Thanks for posting.  This is a very interesting question and one I've never been asked before!  I can tell by your post that you love your bird very much and he loves you very much in return (based on his behavior).  

Your parrot behaves the way he does toward you because he not only loves and trusts you to the nth degree, but he also is bonded to you.  He gets along with your husband, but he is not bonded to your husband.  This is the difference.  The parrot has chosen you for his mate, probably likes and trusts your husband well enough, probably because you love him, but for some reason, dislikes your daughter.  I have a parrot who hates my daughter, too, and I didn't know why until my daughter told me she used to throw little things at him when he made noise and she wanted him to be quiet while she was watching TV!  He never forgot that!  However, some parrots just don't like children; I can't explain it...just something about kids!  Birds' senses are like any other animal...they get certain vibes off people and decide who they like and don't like.  

To answer your question...I think most of the time, the bird will decide when s/he has spent enough time with their human.  For example, certain parrots of mine, who are tame enough to be played with, will let me know when they are done playing/have had enough of me by their behavior.  They'll just stop playing and sit in a corner of the couch or try to get back to their cage or climb on my lap/arm and just sit.  Some climb down from where they are and go back to their cages themselves.  But then, I have some parrots who would stay on my shoulder/next to me 24/7 if I allowed them to.  However, I know they need to eat, drink, have time to themselves for bathing/preening, chewing, and napping, etc.  So, I don't allow a bird to spend so much time with me that s/he can't tend to those type things.  

Your bird screams in the morning because he knows you are leaving.  He screams when he returns because he wants your immediate attention.  All of my parrots do this, too, when I come home because they associate me with food, and they want to be fed NOW!  But, you have to draw the line.  How do you react when he screams?  Do you go to him and pick him up?  If you react to the bird in any way (even a look) when he screams, you are actually reinforcing his bad behavior.  You don't mention how old he is.  If he's a young bird, this is the time to teach him right from wrong, and what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior.  You'll feel guilty, I know, but you have to teach/reteach this bird according to the rules you want to set.  When he screams, DO NOT react in any way, shape or form to him...ignore him COMPLETELY.  When he doesn't scream at a time when he usually does, REWARD him.  Reward him each and every time he does what you want him to do, but never reward him when he behaves badly.  A reward can be praise, a pet and/or a favorite treat.  Teach/reteach a parrot the same way you would a toddler.  

As far as talking goes, not all parrots talk.  All parrots have the ability to talk, but there are no guarantees.  In some species, the males are better talkers, and in some species both sexes learn to talk.  Sometimes, bird owners don't think their parrots talk, but when their owners aren't around, the birds talk up a storm!  This is because I think a lot of times, the bird is more interested in what their humans are doing and saying at the time.  I put a voice-activated tape recorder in a parrot room one time and discovered several of my amazons talked and I had never heard them say a word when I was in the room!  Sometimes, a bird can't get a word in edgewise.  Repetition is key.  Pick small words with hard consonants to start with and just repeat them over and over.  Sometimes a parrot has trouble saying certain sounds, so try different words over a period of time.  Different birds learn at difference paces.  I've never had much success with parrot talking tapes, but a TV or radio works great!  You just have to ensure you pick the right channels to prevent your parrot from picking up bad words.  Also, parrots speak at a faster rate than humans.  Therefore, when saying words, don't speak too fast or when the parrot repeats the word, it could be said so fast you don't understand what the parrot is saying.  If he's a young bird, he might still be learning what his "voice" is!  Beak grinding is a sign of contentment in a parrot.  The chattering, even at the same time you are talking, is a beginning of talking (unless he's mimicing your lip movements), so it sounds like he is trying, but just doesn't have the hang of it yet.  

I think I've answered your questions, but if not, please come back.  Thanks.

Chrys