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Teaching
Your Parrotlets To Talk
Often, birds start out being "closet
talkers", meaning they will only talk if you are not in the room
or if they are in their cages. They practice quietly and often you
can't quite figure out what they are doing. It starts out being a medley
of sounds that eventually turn into distinct words. At first, it can
have a squeaky sort of honk sound. When perfected, it retains a robotic
quality. Many start out with a "song" rather than recognizable
speech.
Holding your bird very close to your mouth while talking seems to encourage them
to mimic you. Young birds have an instinctive ability to mimic the calls of their
parents and learn the sounds of their flock. Imitating their sounds can encourage
them to mimic yours. This is not easy for us, it can't be expected for it to
be easy for them.
Rather than teaching individual words, we use short phrases. Associating a phrase
with an action teaches more than simple speech, it helps with training. Examples
would be saying "Time for nite-nite" as you cover the cage. If said
every evening, your bird will associate these words and actions with a bedtime
routine. Even if he never learns the words, he will quickly learn that this means
his day is at an end. If you have raised children, you are aware that they respond
to short, familiar phrases. They like a lot of enthusiasm. So do birds. (This
is why so many birds learn to repeat expletives - they are said with such enthusiasm.)
Both male and female Parrotlets can learn to talk. Many learn to speak at six
months of age and some even sooner as early as 3 months, though at first it may
be awhile before their persons are aware of what is being said.
Soon we will be offering cds you can play for your Parrotlet that will repeat
simple expressions. These are a great tool for teaching your Parrotlet to talk. |
