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Teaching
Your Budgie to Talk
Talking Budgies:
Did you know Parakeets have a knack for talking? These birds are
gifted in the talking department and can pick up large
vocabularies. Buying a Parakeet for his talking ability is not
ethical and should not be done. All parrots are different and some
will never talk. This article was intended to inform pet owners of
their Budgie’s potential to speak, and positive ways talking can be
encouraged.
Firstly, selecting a young bird is important. If a
young bird is selected then talking is greatly increased. Why is
this? A young Budgie is more likely to pick up human speech rather
than an older Budgie since it has been exposed to humans. Most
Budgies that are older were kept in aviaries with other Budgies;
therefore, they have imprinted vocal abilities from other Budgies.
This critical window is important for selecting a good candidate for
talking. Older Budgies may be able learn a few words; however, most
will resort to their natural Budgie calls. This does not mean you
have to purchase a handfed Parakeet, just one that has fledged and
is very impressionable.
Another factor that produces good talkers is how
strongly the bird bonds to its owner. A Budgie who is bonded will
try to communicate with the person it desires. The more time spent
with the parrot, the more the bird will try to communicate. This
means the bird should be kept alone and other Budgies must not be
present. Two Budgies housed together will easily avoid human
interaction and prefer each other. Keep your Budgie with you until
a bond is established.
Teaching Technique:
Remember the days when bird enthusiasts were told to keep repeating
words to their birds in a dark room with a towel covering the cage?
Do you recall buying those tapes that repeated certain phrases over
and over? These are old methods that are outdated. We are finding
that parrots with large vocabularies come from households that
interact with the bird daily. Their owners spend lots of quality
time interacting and talking to them, one on one.
Spending time with your parrot is important to its
mental health and its speech development. Birds that are taught
with the outdated ways lose interest and only learn a few words.
Birds who are talked to and interacted by their owners daily are
the best talkers.
What are some ways to teach your bird to talk? Start
by talking to your bird every time you change his food bowls or
every time you offer treats. Start with something simple like, “Is
that yummy?” When you reach for the bird and he steps up on command
say sometime like, “Good bird.” While you’re playing with the bird
and his toys you might want to say, “Is that fun?” See how
incorporating phrases help to reinforce speech? You’ll be amazed at
how quickly they learn. Once the phrase is clear find another
activity with another phrase. Before you know it, your Parakeet
will be picking up all kinds of words.
A Male or Female for talking?
Does it matter if my Budgie is a male or female? The answer is NO;
however, males seem to be better at talking. Females can talk,
usually their words are not as clear as the males. Why is this? We
believe that because males vocally court the females, they are
better designed for talking. Females vocalize, but not to the
extent of the males. With that said, females still talk and should
not be penalized due to their vocal ability.
Do Budgies know what they are saying?
Do Budgies understand what they say? The answer is unknown;
however, years of research by Dr. Irene Pepperberg, has yielded some
interesting results. She studies the cognition abilities of African
Grey parrots. According to hear research, her subject Alex, can
identity objects and answer simple questions. Though she has
produced some remarkable results, she has been working with her
parrot for many years. Another case of a parrot, that is believed
to have full blown cognition, is Victor the talking Budgie. This
little parrot has caused so much controversy—many will argue he can
talk with meaning. Others are quick to shoot this theory down.
Whatever his abilities are, Victor has a large vocabulary and just
listening to him is remarkable.
It is safe to say that parrots talk for a reason. It
would be a huge mistake to believe that parrots only mimic. Parrots
are intelligent creatures and deliberately use speech to support
their wants— whether it is for affection, treats, or emotions. |
