Animal scientists believe that parakeets have the average intelligence of a three-year-old. They can learn up to 200 words and a variety of tricks. In fact, they’re considered one of the best talkers of the parrot species!
One of the best ways to get a parakeet to talk is to constantly play and talk to it. Through constant exposure to humans, the bird thinks that it’s part of your flock, and will do its best to learn your language.
That’s one reason why hand-fed parakeets are easier to train than others. It is used to being petted and spoken to, and both the exposure—and the bond and trust that are developed in the process—will make it more attentive to your vocabulary lessons.
You should also get a younger bird. Some say males are easier to train, though some of the best “talkers” are females.
Parakeets Training-Training your parakeet to talk
Hold your lessons early in the morning, when the parakeet is well rested and at its most energetic. Each session should last about half an hour. Start with very short words or phrases, which you must utter clearly, exaggerating the sounds. Another tip is to say the words very slowly. Parakeets have a habit of mumbling very quickly, like a tape on fast-forward, so the words sound more “normal” if you say it at that pace.
Animal scientists have found out that parakeets quickly learn words with hard sounds like K and T, so start with something like “cutie” or “cracker” before going on to “hello”.
Some parakeets don’t learn words, but will mimic other sounds. They may enjoy copying the ring of a cell phone, the rumble of the car engine, or a fragment of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Parakeets Training-Training your parakeet to perch on your hand
Before you can even get your bird to talk, you need to earn its trust. First let it to get used to seeing your face. Use a calm and soothing voice, and come with food and treats so that it realizes you are its friend.
Then, let it get used to perching on your hand. Keep the room very quiet, so it remains calm. Then slowly take one of its perches, and move it towards the bird until it is near its feet. Gently push it against her feet and say, “Up!” Pushing makes the bird fall backwards, so it will step forward to regain balance. If your parakeet flies away, pause and then repeat the process.
After several sessions you can get the parakeet to hop on the perch, and then your finger, on command.