Talking Parrots

Every budding parrot owner asks the same question – how long does it take to teach a parrot to talk?  The answer to this question is by simply knowing the conditions that affect the ability of your parrot to learn to mimic the sounds that it hears on a daily basis.  This can be in the form of the type of parrot specie, the age of your parrot, its level of tameness, its health, living conditions, etc.

To teach a parrot to talk, a young hand-raised parrot ranging in age from three to six months is the ideal candidate.  The reason a young chick is preferred over an adult parrot is because older parrots have already pre-determined the sounds in their minds in the months and years after their birth.  Not that it is impossible to teach these parrots to talk, but you will require a lot more patience and persistence to see any real results.

To teach a parrot to talk depends largely on the kind of parrot specie and the strategies and techniques that you employ.  In the very beginning, you should tame the parrot by building trust and rapport.  You can’t teach a parrot to talk if it is still afraid and uncomfortable with your presence.  It takes time for the relationship to build up and once that has taken place, your bird will be ready for training.  If your parrot is an African Grey, then your work would be relatively easier since African Greys are more proficient in training to talk.  Among parrots, they also have the best tonal quality and pronunciation.  But that should not put you off in teaching other varieties of parrots to talk as well.  With other parrots, the challenge is the amount of time it would take to teach them to talk.  The satisfaction is in the achievement and the journey you go through and the hurdles you overcome. 

The real joy of owning a talking parrot is the life-long companionship that it offers as compared to non-talking birds.  Imagine having a pet that talks to you for the whole of your life?  Even men’s best friend don’t live that long and they can only bark.  As you progress in your relationship, you can broaden the parrot’s vocabulary because parrots have a strong memory.  That alone should be fun as you will always have something new to teach a  parrot to talk with new words each day.   

The basic method in teaching a parrot to talk is by repeating a word or phrase each morning before removing the cage cover.  The parrot is most attentive in the morning and in the darkness of a cage cover as it awaits the arrival of its master.  The reward method is the best method to do it.  Give the parrot a tidbit when it utters the correct word or mimics the right sound and repeat it.

When your parrot gets used to the sound or word that you are teaching it, it will use the same sound or word to get your attention or when it is hungry.  You should answer back with the same sound, as an acknowledgement or affirmation.  How long it takes to teach your parrot to talk is dependent on your perseverance and time investment.  If you are working in the day, utilize audio recordings where you can set the times at hourly intervals depending on your regular teaching schedule.  Audio recordings are used by professional trainers and is a great way to leverage on technology.

Be creative when you teach your parrot to talk.  The process should be fun, enjoyable and not a chore.  When you enjoy what you are doing, the task becomes easier and much faster to accomplish.

Amazon Parrot

Not sure which are the best talking parrots? Well, African and Timneh Greys are the best talking parrots in terms of clarity of pronunciation. Both belong to the African Grey family. The larger bird is called a Congo African Grey. The Timneh is smaller and has a horn colored upper mandible and maroon tail feathers.  Because they are more popular, they tend to cost more too.  The downside of African Greys however is that they are not as colorful as their South American or Australian cousins.

Large Amazons are great talking parrots too. They include the Panama, Blue Fronted, Yellow naped and Double Yellow Headed Amazons.  Eclectus and Lories are noisy and not well known for their ability to talk. Males are green with beautiful yellow beaks while the females are purple and red in color.  However, they make great pets because they are just simply beautiful.

Teach Your Parrot To Talk in Less Than 15 Minutes

By Amanda Drake

Without a doubt parrots are one of the most intelligent pets you can own. Their extremely high intelligence, coupled with the fact that they love a social life, makes them extraordinary companions. Because there are so many different types of parrots, you must do your research before acquiring a pet bird, because many factors will influence the type of experience you will have in owning a bird.

People are often surprised to learn that parrots require quite a bit of space, so you must consider what size cage your home can easily accommodate. When you visit websites they usually group available cages into small, medium and large, but if you have never owned a pet bird it is often difficult to determine how that relates to specific breeds of parrot.

A small parrot would be something like a cockatiel, the numerous varieties of conures, Indian ringnecks and any other bird who does not get much longer than 12 inches (from top of head to end of the tail feathers). The toys that must be put into the cage to keep your bird happily occupied are smaller and so you can probably house one bird in a 24″ x 22″ cage comfortably. If you put smaller birds in a large bird’s cage (for instance if someone gives you a cage) you must also make sure the bird’s head cannot fit between the bar spacing. For small birds, the bar spacing should be no wider than 3/4″.

A medium sized bird would be considered to be the size of an African grey parrot, the Timneh grey parrot, Amazons and the smaller cockatoos like the Sulphur Crest and the Goffins Cockatoo. These birds are very playful and so the playground you build inside their cage requires lots of room, not to mention their wingspan is considerably larger. Ideally they will have room to hang upside down from a swing and flap their wings in joy. The absolutely smallest size cage for one medium bird would be the 32″ x 23″ size and even larger would be better. The bar spacing for these medium parrots can be as much as one inch, but no more. They should also be made of heavy enough material that the bird cannot chew through it.

All the same considerations must be given to providing a cage for a large parrot. Large parrots are the greater Cockatoos, Eclectus and Macaws. Especially for Macaws, a cage with plenty of height is needed to accommodate the very long tail feathers or you will end up with a parrot with broken feathers. These birds require many large, destructible toys in their cages as reducing the world to toothpicks seems to be the Cockatoos’ mission in life. Some people say these birds can be kept in cages 36″ by 24″, but they won’t be happy. You will need several large parrot toys as well as swings, so for these gorgeous birds, go as big as you can possibly afford.

Parrots are shockingly clever, and that is why you will see cages advertised with “parrot proof locks” on the doors and feeding stalls. This is not sales hype. I have personally seen cockatoos work for literally hours to open a cage door and they eventually succeed. Even with “parrot proof locks” you may still need to resort to bicycle chain and a clamp to eliminate jailbreaks.

Keep in mind if you house two birds together they will need more room. All birds like to stretch out their wings to full extension on occasion, and when excited will extend both simultaneously, so a perfect cage size allows enough room for this to be possible. When in doubt, go one size larger as you will then be able to put in more toys, swings and exercise rings.

The last consideration when buying a cage is what it is made of. Although the cages that are powder coated or stainless steel tend to be more expensive, you will find they do not rust (which can be critical for your bird’s health) and they are much easier for you to clean. Also, for your ease of cleanup, always get a cage where the bottom of the cage pulls out to change the papers without you having to go into the cage. This is easier for the owner and also allows for bird sitters to care for the birds when you are on vacation.

In short, make a healthy, spacious, entertaining environment for your parrot because if they are happy, you will be happier as well. Parrots live for decades so the investment is well worth it.

Amanda Drake managed a parrot rescue in Arizona for 3 years and is dedicated to making sure people understand the commitment required when taking a parrot as a pet. Her website http://www.birdvideo.org is dedicated to helping neglected and abused parrots.

This is a great video that I just have to share with you.