Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Preparatory Process
• Part 2 of 2: Teaching the Parrot to Imitate Human Speech
• Tips
• Warnings

Budgerigars are a type of parakeet and are very popular as pets due to their curiosity and intelligence, as well as their ease of care. If you want to befriend your parrot by providing mental stimulation and a happy life, you can even teach your pet to speak. Budgerigars perfectly imitate the speech of their flock, even if this flock is not birds, but people like you.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Preparatory Process

1. 1 Limit the number of your parrots. Parrots are able to develop their sound imitation skills by interacting with other birds, so having more than one bird can have a positive effect on the variety of their chirps. However, too many birds will cause them to focus their full attention on each other instead of communicating with you.
   • The presence of several birds usually does not negatively affect their learning of human speech, but if there are more parrots, it can stop any progress.
   • If you only have one budgerigar, make him think he has a friend by placing a mirror in his cage. This will help him practice more and develop his tweets. However, the mirror should be removed from the cage before each activity with the bird so that all of its attention is focused on you.
2. 2 Make your parrot feel comfortable in your presence. Make friends with your parrot by giving your pet plenty of your time, talking to him and making sure he has a nice and comfortable stay in your home. In fact, the budgerigar should be treated in the same way as any other member of the family, because he is also part of the family.
   • Your goal is to develop a relationship of trust between you and the bird. Do not force the parrot to communicate with you when he does not want to. If the bird is scared or ignoring you, it means that you have chosen the wrong time or are in too much of a hurry. But this is not a sign that the bird will never make friends with you.
3. 3 Choose the right time to practice with your parrot. Make sure the bird is calm and ready to concentrate all of its attention on you before practicing. If the parrot is tired or distracted, it will not be so easy to train it.
   • It is best to deal with the parrot in the morning. You can even start repeating the words of your choice for the bird even before you remove the cover from its cage.

Part 2 of 2: Teaching the Parrot to Imitate Human Speech

1. 1 Repeat the same word for the bird over and over again. Speak clearly and slowly, teaching your pet only one word at a time. The parrot won't start repeating it right away, so just persist in repeating that word.
   • Note that budgies are easiest to pronounce sounds d, T, To, NS and b... Therefore, such a simple phrase as "Hello, how are you?" not suitable for initial training, as it will be very difficult for the bird to pronounce it.
   • If you don't know which first word to teach your parrot, try starting with its name. Probably, the pet has already heard this word more than once, so its sound is already quite familiar to the bird.
2. 2 Reward the budgerigar to pronounce the word you teach him. This will reinforce this behavior and help further strengthen your bond with your pet. Parrots like panicle millet very much. Celery and carrots are also great treats for them, which also provide the birds with vital nutrients.
3. 3 Talk to the bird for a few minutes at a time. However, do not try to make the lessons too long. It will be nice to work with your pet for a total of half an hour a day.But if you work with a parrot for too long, the bird may get bored and begin to learn less willingly.
4. 4 Don't let the bird be distracted during lessons. Cover the other three sides of the cage with a cloth to maintain concentration. When talking to the bird, be directly in front of the cage so that the parrot understands that you are talking to him.
5. 5 Be consistent in your lessons. Do not move on to the next word until the parrot has learned to pronounce the first word correctly at least three times in a row. Make sure your pet has actually learned the word before moving on. This will make the parrot more likely to repeat the learned word or phrase later on.
6. 6 Be patient. Don't try to force the parrot to speak. Many parrots fail to speak, but it is always interesting to try to train a pet!
7. 7 Move on to learning more difficult words and phrases. When the parrot has mastered a few words, you can move on to learning whole phrases. As in the case of teaching words, repeat the chosen phrase to the parrot when he is calm and ready to concentrate his attention on you. The bird will concentrate if you are alone in the room with it, and the presence of other observers can scare it.
8. 8 Try teaching your parrot to name an item or its color. Say a word and show a specific object to the parrot. With enough practice, then it will be enough to bring this object to the bird, and it will repeat the word that you taught it. It will be a simple repetition of the sounds you make, but it will look as if the bird actually recognizes the object.

Tips

• Combine training in human speech with training your parrot to sit on your finger. If you want the bird to sit on your finger, lightly nudge your pet's belly with your finger. When the parrot is on your finger, you can talk to him in the immediate vicinity.
• Try singing or playing budgerigar music! Some parrots manage to remember the melody and repeat it.
• Practice with your parrots at the same time every day and they will learn to repeat your words.
• If the parrot bites you, don't twitch. Most likely, it will not be able to damage your skin. But if the bird bites you, you need to tell her in a firm voice "no". Do not yell at her, this can lead to fear and an aggressive reaction from the parrot.
• If you want to teach your budgerigar to speak, you should do so at an early age. It is best to purchase a young parrot directly from the breeder, rather than through a pet store. This way you will know exactly the age of your pet. Older parrots are already getting used to twittering rather than imitating human speech.

Warnings

• Do not be angry with the parrot, do not scold or scare him! Remember that not all parrots can learn to speak. Never act mean to your pet (even if you are upset). If you are upset, just walk away instead of punishing the bird because of your grievances.
• Letting the parrot out of the cage, curtain the windows. The bird may think that there is free space outside the window, and will fly into the window glass, which is fraught with injuries and even the death of the pet.