How to Get Budgies to Talk

Budgies, also known as parakeets or budgerigars, are a small, intelligent breed of parrot. In fact, they're the most popular parrot breed due to their small size. All parrots are capable of speaking, though certain individuals tend to be more verbal than others. Age plays a major role. A young bird who is raised around humans is more apt to speak than an older bird who spent the first months of life surrounded by other birds and few humans. That said, all budgies are capable of talking with consistent, loving training.

Things You'll Need

  • Budgie treats
  • Television or radio
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Instructions

    • 1

      Move your bird's cage into the home's main living area. This will expose the bird to lots of human speech, and it will make the bird feel like the humans are part of its flock.

    • 2

      Take the bird out of its cage and bond with it. Pet it, offer treats and talk to your parrot. Before a bird can begin talking, it must feel comfortable and bonded with its humans.

    • 3

      Turn on the television or talk radio when the bird is home alone. This will expose the bird to human speech, even when you're not at home to talk.

    • 4

      Hold several 10-minute training sessions per day to begin teaching the bird how to talk, one word or phrase at a time. Take the bird out of his cage and repeat the word or phrase that you'd like to teach the bird, but be sure to intersperse it with other chatter to prevent boredom. Say the word in a slow, clear, sing-song voice. Look at the bird while you're talking and offer attention and treats during the training session.

    • 5

      Greet the bird with the word or phrase every time you pass the cage. On occasion, offer a treat so the bird continues to associate the word with a good experience.

    • 6

      Reward the bird with praise and treats when it "babbles." Babbling is any non-bird sound. Babbles are usually comprised of one or two syllables that are repeated several times, like "la la la."

    • 7

      Reward the bird with praise and treats when it says full words or phrases. This will reinforce the behavior, thereby making it more likely to occur in the future.