Tips on getting your bird talking
Teaching Your Parrot to Talk
Teaching a parrot to talk is not difficult but it does require time and patience. Not all types of parrots are able to talk so before you start make sure that your bird is capable of speech. Of the birds that can speak most can learn a basic vocabulary of words and short phrases. Some types, like the African Grey parrot, are capable of learning hundreds of words and full sentences.
Before you can start teaching a bird to talk you must be sure that he is tame enough to enjoy interacting with humans. He does not need to be tame enough to handle but he does need to be comfortable enough with humans that he will allow you to approach the cage without being afraid. He should be the only bird in the room, at least when the lessons begin. Most birds prefer the company of other birds over that of humans so he may ignore you if there are other birds around. It is also best to start when the parrot is young. Older birds can and do learn to talk but younger birds seem to pick it up faster.
Once you see that you parrot is comfortable enough with you to pay attention to you when you speak to him you can begin. The process is quite simple, all you have to do is repeat the same thing over and over again. Remember that birds have a relatively short attention span so don’t plan lengthy training sessions. It usually works best if you repeat the word 10 to 15 times and then stop. Do this several times a day. Don’t try to teach him while feeding him or he will associate the sounds you are making with receiving food instead of realizing that you want him to repeat them. Start with a single word or phrase and stick with it until he has mastered it. The phrases “pretty birdie†or “pretty boy†seem to work very well as starter phrases. Once he has learned that you can move onto almost anything. Be careful of what you teach your parrot to say. Remember that you can’t un-teach him a phrase and he will be repeating it for many years. Make sure it is something you don’t mind hearing over and over again and that it will not embarrass you if it is uttered in front of company.
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