Meanwhile, we have a foster father lined up for Pickles: Mr. Cowan. That way Pickles can have more company during his quarantine, so he doesn’t get too bored and lonely, and Gran can free up her quarantine room. Once Pickles is fully recovered and the quarantine period is over, Mr. Cowan will reintroduce him to the flock. That will be right around the time school’s out, just before I move, so I’ll get to see Pickles reunited with his flock. It should be interesting to watch.
“Leaving in eight minutes!” Gran says, tapping her foot and looking at the clock.
Mom dashes in, holding up her contact case in triumph. “Found them! Socrates was sitting on the case. I swear, it’s as if he were deliberately trying to make me miss my plane!”
Knowing Socrates, that wouldn’t surprise me. He understands more than people give him credit for.
“He’s not the only one who wishes you could stay longer,” I mumble.
“Oh, honey, I wish I didn’t have to go back already.” Mom starts to look teary eyed.
“Don’t cry,” I scold her. “You’re filming tomorrow. The director will have a cow if you show up with puffy eyes.” She laughs and gives me a hug.
“Break it up, you two,” Gran says. “You can do your crying in the van—if we ever get in it.”
“I don’t know what there is to cry about,” David says to me as he picks up Mom’s suitcase. “You’re moving out there in less than two months.”
“Don’t talk about that now,” Sunita says, “or we’ll all start bawling!”
I get a lump in my throat. Sunita’s right. I know that moving home with Mom is the right decision, but it’s going to be hard to leave Dr. Mac’s Place.
At least this way I’ll have some time to say good-bye.
Bird Words
By J.J. MACKENZIE, D.V.M.
Wild World News—People love to listen to parrots talk. But are these birds just clever copycats? Or do they have the intelligence to understand what they’re saying?
Smart Alex. One of the most famous talking parrots is an African Grey named Alex. In 1977, Dr. Irene Pepperberg began working with Alex when he was one year old. Her training methods required Alex to do more than just mimic—he had to connect words to their meanings. For example, if Alex said “key,” Dr. Pepperberg gave him a key, not a reward of food. When he performed well, he was rewarded with food, but only when he asked for the treat by name.
Today, after 20 years of work, Alex can iden tify and name more than 40 objects, such as paper, wood, key, banana, nut, rock, cup, and carrot. He can even distinguish color and shape. For example, in one experiment a tray holds a plastic key and a metal key. If Dr. Pepperberg asks, “What toy?” Alex will answer, “Key.” If she asks, “How many?” Alex will answer, “Two.” Then she rewards him with an almond, his favorite treat.
Alex can do more than identify objects. If he asks for something—say, a banana—and the person hands him the wrong item, Alex will say “No” and repeat his request until he gets what he asked for.
Alex even teaches other birds how to talk to people. Dr. Pepperberg says that he rarely makes mistakes as a teacher and that the other birds actually learn faster from Alex than from human teachers!
Alex’s language remains very simple. He cannot talk to his human friends the same way that people talk to each other. He can not talk about how he feels or what he did yesterday. He cannot speak in sentences the way the parrot does in the fictional movie Paulie. Still, research like Dr. Pepperberg’s does seem to tell us that parrots are far more intelligent than we ever imagined.
HOW TO TEACH A PARROT TO TALK
Not all parrots can become big talkers like Alex. But with hard work and lots of patience, you can teach almost any parrot to say at least a few words. The chattiest parrots are African Greys, Amazons, and Macaws. Males usually talk more than females.
Here are some tips for teaching a parrot to talk:
Look who’s talking. When choosing a new bird, ask yourself these questions:• Does he seem interested in people?
• Does he look at you and listen when you speak?
• Does he already squawk and vocalize a lot?
A happy bird with an outgoing personality will be easier to teach.
Start early. The best time to begin is when the bird is six to twelve months old. A young, hand raised bird is easier to teach than an older bird, although older birds can still be taught.
One on one. Birds are very social animals, and if you have another bird, the two birds might spend most of their time talking to each other in their own language. But if it’s just you and one bird, your pet will be eager to socialize with you.
Be quiet. Turn off the TV and radio. Work in a quiet room without a lot of traffic or distractions.
Take it easy. Start with a simple one- or two-syllable word, such as hello. Say the word slowly, over and over, with a few seconds in between.
Short and sweet. A bird has a short atten tion span, so keep each training session brief—about 15 minutes. Two lessons a day are best. Early mornings and afternoons are good times to practice, because that’s when birds are naturally most talkative.
Do it yourself. Some people use recordings of their voice to train their birds. But many bird enthusiasts don’t recommend using this method. The bird may become so bored hearing the tape over and over that he begins to ignore it. Or he may learn to repeat the word, but he won’t necessarily connect the activity of talking to people. Your goal is to teach your pet to talk and interact with you and other people.
Face to face. Stand right in front of your parrot. Make eye contact, and talk to your pet, not just at it. Speak clearly—your bird will learn to say the word exactly as you pronounce it!
Reward often. Have your bird’s favorite treat handy, and reward him for even the smallest effort to say the new word. Don’t worry if your bird mumbles or babbles in the beginning—that’s a normal part of the learning-to talk process. Once he learns to say his first word clearly, each new word will be easier to learn.
Have patience. It could take your bird as little as a week to learn his first word—or as long as two months or more! Each bird is an individual and will learn at his own pace.
Keep talking. Even when you’re not having a lesson, chat with your bird when you’re feeding him or cleaning his cage. Say hello when you come into the room. Praise him often and make him feel as if he’s part of the daily life of the household. Your bird will be happier, and you’ll reinforce the idea that talking is a positive aspect of your relationship.
When Maggie’s veterinarian grandmother has an emergency, it’s up to five animal-loving kids to become vet volunteers and save a group of sick puppies.
Cat lover Sunita longs for a kitten of her own, and finds herself caught between a group of angry neighbors and a colony of feral cats.
David must overcome his reputation as an irresponsible troublemaker in order to ride the horse of his dreams.
On a trip to Florida, Brenna learns about the plight of the endangered manatee, and she wants to do everything she can to help out a manatee rescue center. But is she causing trouble where she wants to help?
Laurie Halse Anderson, Time to Fly
(Series: Vet Volunteers # 10)
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