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.