# Can I Have Some Water? (Ya Gotta Love 'Em)



## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Soooo .. Junebug (African Grey Parrot) has a new phrase and new way to "con" the human Mom (me) into a bit of extra attention.

I make SURE that all the birds and animals have full bowls/pans of fresh water and food each and every morning and again each and every evening.

Lately, Junie has started with this "Water?" "Can I Have Some Water?" She says this clear as day and in what I perceive to be her "own" voice .. she's not mimicking my voice or that of anyone else that I can recognize.

So, I go over, check the water and top it up .. each and every time .. I'm very well trained by this bird! 

As I make the rounds where Junie, Lucas, Bubba, Tiki and Sassy are kept, I kind of use those eyes in the back of my head that all Mom's have .. only to see Junie deftly come down from her perch, go to the water bowl, grab it with her beak, and DUMP it!

Sure enough .. a minute or two later after the existing water has been disposed of ..

"Water?" "Can I Have Some Water?"

She, herself, constructed the "Can I Have Some Water" question .. I've NEVER said that to her. I have said .. "Look, Junie" "Fresh Water" but NEVER have I given her the context that she uses.

She's a very, very smart bird ..

No bird brains around here except for the humans! 

Terry


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## SueC (Jun 9, 2005)

LOL! She's so clever!

That must be a new game to her. One day, you'll find her 'smiling' to herself after you replenish her water bowl.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

What a smartie. It's amazing when they use words to form their own sentences, or use a phrase toward another animal. My POW Hana will tell the parakeets "No biting!" when they get frisky and too playful around her.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

LOL  What a clever bird.


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## corvid (Oct 16, 2008)

SueC said:


> LOL! She's so clever!
> 
> That must be a new game to her. One day, you'll find her 'smiling' to herself after you replenish her water bowl.



Or better yet, saying..."God , Im gooood !!"


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Thanks for having a read! Yes, Junie is a very, very smart bird!

Terry


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Very cute story. The two of you should take it "on the road"...........


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## rainbows (Aug 19, 2008)

It's amazing what they will "pick up" from their environment---radio/tv/visitors/etc--- without ever being "taught" and of course the really smart ones KNOW just how to push your buttons.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

That is soooo hysterical!! What a cutie AND smartie!!

Will be looking forward to MORE "smart" updates from Junie!!

ROFL    

Love, Hugs and Scritches

Shi


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Junie definitely keeps me on my toes and ALL the time. I have to be very, very careful what I say whenever I am where she can hear me.

She can do perfect imitations of the office phone ringing, the fax phone ringing, and my cell phone ringing, so she definitely picks up things from the environment she is in. She even knows to say "Hello" after she does the cell phone ringing. She and the others mentioned live in my office.

Junie also loves to bark like my little poodle, Sundance, and truly loves to drive Maggie (dog) crazy by saying "Maggie, get out of the way, please!". "Maggie, move it NOW!" She orders Maggie around in a perfect imitation of me telling/asking the dog to move. The dogs, all three of them, are always underfoot when I'm doing the bird/animal chores. They are great little "helpers" 

A year or more ago I had mixed up about a quart of Kaytee Exact to feed the horde of baby pigeons that I had. Something distracted me, and I managed to knock over the container of formula which ran all over and down the sides and into the dryer. I reacted by saying something very bad and very vehemently. I rued that day for months as Junie would scream what I said whenever she felt like it. I can just imagine what the neighbors or passersby must have thought. Fortunately, Junie seems to have forgotten this little episode .. at least I hope so! It won't surprise too much, however, if she blurts it out again at some appropriate time in the future! 

Terry


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## rainbows (Aug 19, 2008)

More likely, inappropriate time!! HUGE EMBARRASSMENTS IN STORE!!


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Terry,

I had read that the African Greys were highly intelligent, but that is really something. She obviously has made the connect between language and actions. That is one smart bird. Maybe if you drop the formula into the dryer again she will say the word for you.

Margaret


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Way to go, Junie - very successful ploy!  

I noticed that she picked the one thing you won't let her go without. Quite the clever girl!


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Terry,

Too funny......and also scary how smart they are!

Linda


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Thanks again everyone for being interested in, amazed at, and charmed by my Junebug! For those who may not know, Junie has no feet. Her parents chewed both her feet off when she was just a babe a few days old. The man who bred her went looking for a sucker to give Junie a home, and found me. The rest is history. Footless though she is, Junie has no idea that she has a handicap and is a healthy, active, and at times .. very irritating bird when she outsmarts the Mommy Person! 

Terry


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

TAWhatley said:


> Junie has no idea that she has a handicap and is a healthy, active, and at times .. very irritating bird when she outsmarts the Mommy Person! Terry


Uh huh......Terry, your posts make me wish I had a Junie of my own sometimes......then, also, your posts bring me back to reality with a big THUD.....thank goodness Junie has you for a Mom. Don't think I'd measure up.....

Linda


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## corvid (Oct 16, 2008)

Terry, why they did that to the baby, is that behavioral thing being kept capture ??..
Do you know ? I m glad Junie being so smart , as she is, is not calling you something to the effect ;

"Sucker, where is my water??????" 

Nell


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

corvid said:


> Terry, why they did that to the baby, is that behavioral thing being kept capture ??..
> Do you know ? I m glad Junie being so smart , as she is, is not calling you something to the effect ;
> 
> "Sucker, where is my water??????"
> ...


LOL! I'm sure it won't be long before Junie comes up with something that will keep me in my place!

I think it is fairly common for hookbills to chew the feet off other birds including their own babies. I don't know why they do it. Perhaps another member can shed some light here.

Terry


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

corvid said:


> ...is that behavioral thing being kept capture ??..
> Nell


I wonder if it is confusion by a new parent with where the baby starts and stops. I've read that sometimes dogs will chew off the umbilicus too closely and injure the abdominal wall. One of my pet mice (years ago) chewed through one of her baby's tails at birth - perhaps thinking it was the it was the umbilical cord? (The baby was named Stumpy and she lived a long and healthy life.)


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

*Junebug Strikes Again*

I was taking Nikki Bohannons lovely pigeon out of the crate this afternoon and getting the bird ready to go to a quarantine cage in the yard. I was holding this lovely pigeon when Junebug (parrot) says "Ooooooohhhh .. Pretty!". I turned around and said to Junebug, "Yes, Junie, this is a very pretty pigeon". Junebug responded with "Hmmmmmm". A few seconds later, I got "Can I have some water?" 

Junie observes and knows what is going on in her environment which is my office and the "hospital" area in our finished garage. I am quite sure that Junie is capable of learning which birds are pigeons as opposed to ducks, geese, sparrows, starlings, etc. I fully expect her to be able to say the next time .. "Pretty pigeon".

Lucas (Mobrella Cockatoo) differentiates between himself and other birds as Aflacs and Little Birdies .. to Lucas .. if it's white and bigger than him .. it's an Aflac. If it's anything else, it's a Little Birdy.

These two are total delights to me and pretty much astound me each day with their intellect.

Terry


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Way to go, Junie!  Although discounted as anecdotal, I've noticed that animals treated as intelligent tend to return the favor. Your birds are fortunate to have such an interesting home!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Oh, that's funny! She sounds adorable. And very smart! LOL.


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