Use these tips to help teach your pet parakeet how to talk.
Parakeets are among the few bird breeds that can learn how to talk. They possess the tongue, vocal cords and cleverness to mimic sounds- even human voices. A lot of parakeets don't talk, however, because their owners lack the patience or knowledge to teach them. If you want to teach your bird to talk, follow these tips- but be careful what you wish for! Once you get him talking, he may be such a chatterbox, you'll want him to shut up!
THE YOUNGER, THE BETTER
The younger you start your bird's training, the better chance you'll have of success. You can never start too early, but serious training should start around 5-6 months.
Even if your parakeet is a couple of years old, you can still give it a try. Though the odds are not in your favor, it can be done. Since it doesn't take much time or effort, you really have nothing to lose if you try.
If your bird is brand-new to your home, give him a few weeks to acclimate to you and his new environment before starting his lessons.
ISOLATE BIRDS DURING "LESSONS"
If you have more than one bird, take the one you are teaching in a separate cage to another room. You don't have to leave them separate- "˜keets are very social creatures and, if he is used to the other birds, he will miss his friends. Just put him separate during the talking lessons. It will prevent your bird from getting distracted.
Try to remove toys from the cage during the lessons. Being alone and without toys for a few minutes will bore him, so he'll be more apt to pay attention to the lessons.
When your bird is back in his cage later with his friends, if you have other birds that talk, encourage them to start chattering. It will help to reinforce the lesson.
GETTING STARTED
Once you have taken your bird to a separate room with fewer distractions, give him a few minutes. He'll get bored and begin looking for something interesting, so he'll welcome your attention.
Begin with a simple word or short phrase, like "Hello," or "Love you!" For about 10 minutes, say it over and over again to your bird. If your bird is hand-tamed, you may want to take him out of the cage and perch him on your finger, letting him face you when you talk.
Training sessions at least twice a day, lasting for about 10 to 15 minutes each, should suffice. Give him a treat when the session is over, so he will begin to look forward to the time.
You should record your voice saying the word or phrase repeatedly (pausing about 10 or 20 seconds between each repetition), for about 10 to 15 minutes on tape. That way, if you can't be home for a lesson, someone else can play it for your bird, or you can set a timer on your stereo or radio in the room so that it will go off when you're not there. The sound of your voice when you are not there will immediately grab your "˜keet's attention.
If you do have your lesson taped, you should consider letting the bird hear it a couple of more times each day, besides your lessons together. Consider it "homework" or "study time." Put the bird alone in a cage and put his cover on it. Play the tape next to the cage for about 5 or 10 minutes. After that time, remove the cover and let your bird have some time to relax or play.
The more short sessions you can manage during the day, especially if they are a combination between live and taped lessons, the better your chances are of getting him to start talking. "˜Keets tend to imitate sounds they hear frequently- some birds have even been known to imitate microwave beeps and computer sound clips.
CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY
Sometimes the difference between success and failure is consistency. Try to have your lessons around the same time every day. If you must skip a lesson here or there, try not to entirely skip days, or several days in a row.
Use the same chosen word or phrase at every session until your bird picks it up. Once he has one word or phrase down, choose another and alternate between the two during lessons. This will help reinforce what was already learned, and send him the message you want him to imitate a new sound. The more words he learns, the quicker he will begin to pick up new words- so you might want to start being careful of what you say around him, especially if it's something you don't want others to hear!
There is no real way to tell how long it will take- much will depend on the individual bird. While some birds pick up words in a few days, others can take weeks to learn to talk. With some patience and persistence, however, it is very likely that when you talk to your bird, he'll soon talk back to you.
