How to Teach a Parrot to Talk
Spanning across many different species and genera, parrots are among some of the most intelligent creatures on the planet. While not all parrots can talk, the one's that do talk have become justifiably loved by families who hope to take in a creature that they can interact with on a higher level. Their intelligence, coupled with their uncanny and near effortless ability to talk and imitate human voices make parrots a, although sometimes expensive, welcomed pet amongst a variety of cultures.
If you are the owner of an African Grey Parrot, you are in luck. The African Grey Parrot is among one the most intelligent parrots and birds in the world. With superior human voice imitation skills, this type of parrot, if you are seeking one, is actually the most ideal for teaching how to talk. While some parrots may not know how to talk entirely on their own, you may be able to find a fundamental basis of learning that you can expound upon with the tips and steps in this Info Barrel article. Ultimately, regardless of the species, training a parrot how to talk can take a great deal of patience that is akin to, for example, teaching a child how to read, write, or speak.
Things You Will Need
- Cassette Tape Recorders
- Parrot Cages
- Parrot Food
- Parrot Treat
Step 1
The learning process can be a very complex phenomena. Whether you are training a child, an adult, or even a parrot, it is important to realize that, just like humans, not all parrots learn the same. Even though there are certain distinct strategies regarding teaching and learning, what may be effective for one parrot may not necessarily be effective for another parrot. Being calm, and having patience, with your parrot you hope to train and teach can be an invaluable skill to learn and have.Step 2
While many parrots may have individuals names assign to them at a pet store, whether you change that name or keep it, it is important that you get to know your pet parrot on a first name basis. Just like human interaction, our names give us an identity and display that we are valuable to the other person. When teaching and training your parrot, it is important that you specifically use his or her name. While you may not be able to share an immense amount of commonality with your pet parrot, you do both have names that have been given to you, and they way you say and address your pet parrot, by name, can be a great start and maintaining to a mutual relationship where the ultimate goal is to have your parrot learning to talk.Step 3
Assuming that your pet parrot has a name already, dependent upon when you actually take ownership of your pet parrot in its lifespan, you should consider beginning to teach and train your pet parrot to talk within the first few months of its life. Optimally, just like children have critical stages of growth and development, a parrot will be more able and willing to program to talk the more youthful it is. Beginning to teach your pet parrot how to talk, around 4-6 months can be the best approach.Step 4
Whether you are speaking directly to your pet parrot, or you are mentioning something to a friend of family member, it is completely common for parrots to pick up on and imitate the words said in passing or as part of a conversation. When training your parrot to talk, a degree of repetition, in your words and speech, can be ideal in help your parrot to effectively expand its vocabulary. It is important, in this step, to be mindful of the appropriateness of your topics, conversation, and speech. Curse words, that you may otherwise not want your parrot to hear or repeat, can easily be absorbed, retained, and used in the least expecting (and most inappropriate) times.Step 5
Just like a child may need your attention to learn, so also does your pet parrot. Whenever training your pet parrot how to talk, be sure to speak with clarity, while maintaining an appropriate distance where your parrot can clearly see your mouth. It is important that the parrot be held in front of you, so that they can clearly and effectively acquire the sounds that you are speaking.Step 6
As mentioned before, repetition and clarity are absolutely important to teaching your parrot how to talk effectively. While training your pet parrot, be sure to use a variation of words and phrases, with a similar presentation and tone. A pet parrot can inherently sense the excitement in your voice, so, therefore, you should convey genuine feelings of excitement and joy when training your parrot. Like humans, your pet parrot can easily catch on to negative moods, such as be depressed, impatient or angry.Step 7
Word association can be an absolutely effective technique you can use while training your pet parrot how to talk. In this case, you can couple the words you say with some form of evident action. If you are moving your pet parrot around the room, while holding him/her in a cage or on your hand, you say words such as "left" or "right" while actually moving your pet parrot left or right at the same time.A pet parrot can make a great family pet. It can offer so much joy and excitement to a family, but, at the same time, teaching it how to talk can be a bit tiresome and tedious. For a pet parrot owner, whether you are a child or an adult, it is absolutely important that you exercise patience with your parrot. Oftentimes, he/she won't pick up on everything you are teaching right away. In fact, in many situations, it may take quite a bit of time just to learn one word.
Tips & Warnings
Because a pet parrot can effectively learn through the consistent volume, tone, and presentation of a human voice, recording your voice on an actual tape recorder can be a great way to gain consistency in your approach. Consistent speech will make it much more easy for a parrot to learn how to talk and speak certain words or phrases. It does help to be understanding that, even with all the teaching in the world, a parrot won't necessarily be able to speak or talk as fluently as humans do, nor will they be able to hold meaningful, in-depth conversations.
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