How to Teach a Parakeet to Talk in Phrases

Watching your pet parakeet talk and imitate a variety of sounds is among the most rewarding experiences of owning a parrot. Parakeets are flock birds that live in groups in the wild and communicate with each other using sounds. While some parakeets are natural talkers, others may need coaxing and training to talk. It is easier to teach parakeets to talk from an early age.With proper care and training, however, your parakeet will soon be mimicking sounds, and talking words and phrases that entertain and liven up your home.

Things You'll Need

  • Parakeet
  • Bird treats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Expose your parakeet to stimulating human environments that will encourage it to learn to talk. Place its cage in areas that have a lot of human interaction such as the kitchen. Allow the bird at least two weeks to get used to the sounds and activity. The food aromas emanating from the kitchen will help your parrot relax, acclimatize it to human sounds and prepare it for speech training.

    • 2

      Begin the speech training session early in the morning or late in the evening as it nears dusk. Parakeets are at their nosiest during these times in the wild, and will be most receptive to speech training.

    • 3

      Ensure that the area where you are training your parakeet is quiet. Request family members to leave the room where you will train the bird. Switch off the radio, TV and other visual and audible distractions, as you will require your parrot's wholehearted attention.

    • 4

      Perch the parakeet on your hand or finger. Hold it about twelve inches away from your mouth or perch it on a tee stand. Slowly speak short phrases such as "Good Morning" and repeat it every ten seconds. Reward your parakeet with a treat when you hear it make a sound that resembles "Good Morning." Teach the bird a new phrase only once it has mastered the one that you are teaching it.

    • 5

      Teach your parakeet to associate words with actions. For instance, greet the bird with a cheerful, "Good Morning" or "Rise and Shine" at the start of every morning when you draw the cloth away from its cage. Say "Good Night" to your parakeet each evening when you put it to bed.

    • 6

      Keep the training session short. Have two training sessions each day, and let each session last for twenty minutes. You may hear your parakeet practicing the words you teach it on its own, well after the training session is over. Encourage and help the bird by repeating the words or phrases that it is trying to imitate.