Hi, everyone!

My sister recently adopted a green macaw. He had been neglected, and was very withdrawn. She despaired of ever "getting through" to him, and teaching him to interact with people again.

One day, while vacuuming the living room, she moved his cage into the converted breakfast nook where the female guinea pigs and the babies live. The macaw (who they named "Braak" because it's the only noise he would make) quickly became fascinated by the guinea pigs, sliding down the side of his cage to get a closer look. Then, when a baby guinea pig dashed by at a rapid pace, Braak turned his head sideways and said "Hello!"

(They had no idea that he could talk; he wouldn't communicate with the humans in the household at all.) Pretty soon he was saying "Hello" to every guinea pig who went past his cage. I have heard that birds can only see objects clearly when they are moving, so perhaps this is why he only greeted guinea pigs who were in motion!

Anyway, the guinea pigs soon responded to this human-like greeting by wheet-ing, because they associate the word "Hello" with having their people come home at night and feed them. Within a minute or two the whole place was in total chaos: "Hello!" "Wheet! Wheet!" Hello!" "Wheet! Wheet!"

And then...suddenly the BIRD was saying "Wheet! Wheet!" :-)

So now, they have a happier, more relaxed macaw, who has learned from his guinea pig buddies to trust the human members of the household, and who greets everyone who enters with "Hello! Wheet! Wheet! Braak!"