Teaching Your Pet Bird To Talk
It is possible to train many species of bird to talk. The most obvious are members of the parrot family, but other talking birds include mynahs, jays and crows. If you are looking for a talking bird, it would be best to buy a parrot.
If it is kept indoors, the best method of teaching your bird to talk is to put the cage near the telephone. The first words that your parrot will speak will be the words that it has heard most often. Therefore, it will soon learn how to say ‘hello’.
If you wish to progress onto longer, more complicated words, repeat them over and over again and, as before, be prepared to be extremely patient. Remember that a large parrot, such as a macaw, has the equivalent intelligence of a four-year old child, and you should treat it as such.
At some time or other, you may hear a sudden screech from your bird’s cage. Do not be alarmed, for there is nothing physically wrong with it, it is simply seeking attention. Once it has your attention, it will stop screaming.
In fact, you can use the bird’s urge to seek attention to help you teach it how to talk. After your bird has just learned to say ‘hello’, ignore it for a while, then as soon as you hear it say ‘hello’, go to it and talk to it and reward it with a piece of its favourite food.
If you stay with the bird, it will stop talking because it has your attention. Then disappear around the corner, start repeating ‘hello’ and as soon as your bird says it, come back and reward it again. If you continue this routine, your bird will soon grasp the idea of it all.
Every parrot species is capable of talking, but there is no guarantee of success – it all depends on the character of the individual bird and the dedication of the trainer.
Teaching a parrot to talk can take a long time. It will help to have the bird around the house with you because if will hear lots of talking and stand a better chance of picking up a few words.
Remember above all that your pet bird has feelings as well and is very receptive to your emotions. If your pet bird senses that you are frustrated or angry with him for not talking as quickly as you would like, this will only have a negative effect on your bird’s progress and very possibly your relationship with your pet bird.
So stay calm and never show anger towards your bird, treat him with respect and remember that he is not a robot that should do what you want just because it is amusing to you.
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