How do I train my year old African Gray to talk?

Question

How do I train my year old African Gray to talk?

Answer 1

Getting Ready:

The best place to keep a new parrot is in the kitchen area. Here families tend to congregate so it will be exposed to lots of human activity and sounds. The atmosphere should be quite relaxed. Also, the kitchen is light, airy and colorful and plenty of food snacks and smells are available. These are all things parrots like. If you are stressed out or unhappy the bird will be too and it won’t learn to talk. Give the bird a few weeks to get used to its new surroundings before taking it out or attempting to teach it to talk. Give it plenty of attention if it is not shy. If it is shy, concentrate on taming it before attempting to get it to talk.

Interaction with humans is the key to training parrots to talk. Parrots are flock birds that are normally part of a large group and are constantly interacting with the birds around them. Parrots that are deprived of companionship are not happy parrots and will not learn to talk.

Parrots learn to talk through one on one relationship with their owners. Do not have more than one parrot in the room or even in adjoining rooms. It is very difficult to teach two birds to talk at the same time.

Amazon parrots learn to talk during the time they would normally learn their wild calls. This window for learning is no more than a year long. After this window closes some exceptional birds will still learn new words and phrases easily but most will not. African Gray parrots on the other hand begin learning later in life and continue to learn words, phrases and mechanical sounds throughout their lives.

If you pick an older bird that is fearful of humans please realize that teaching it to talk will be difficult if not impossible. These birds must first learn to trust people. Many never do. For them, a lengthy period of socialization and calming is required. Taming wild birds is not the subject of this article, but it consists of finger training and activities that build the bird’s confidence and trust in its new owners.

Time Of Day:

Parrots are most vocal in the morning and evenings. This corresponds to the times of day that they normally would disburse in the morning to feed and congregate in the evening to roost. It is futile to attempt to keep parrots quiet at these times – just get used to the noise. These are also the times of day that parrots learn to talk the best.

Positive Reinforcement To Learning:

Positive reinforcement techniques really help. Food is a major driving force in bird behavior. You should use food treats to reinforce words and actions that your parrot uses. I only give my parrots nuts and seeds as treats. Parrots enjoy shelling these nuts as much as actually eating them. The more husk a food treat has the better. My favorites for larger parrots are almonds and peanuts. Sunflower seeds are great for smaller birds. You can begin your training session with a peanut and give an additional one whenever your bird repeats a word that is new to it.

Teaching Words and Phrases Through Repetition:

Turn off the TV and radio and stop any activities that may be a distraction. Have other family members and pets leave the room. Let in the sunlight. Birds key off of the emotion and gusto in your voice, not the word itself. So how you say a word is more important to the parrot than what you say. To teach a parrot to talk you need to be the center of the bird’s attention. A parrot that is learning will look and listen to you intently while you speak. It will stand high on the perch with an alert body stance. You may notice that its eye pupils change in size rapidly. Say the word in a loud clear voice with a slight hesitation between repetitions. Remember – emotion and gusto.

Birds learn to talk more rapidly when they can associate a word with an action or an object. For example, when you give your parrot a peanut say Peanut Mmmm, Peanut Mmmm. When you uncover your parrot in the morning say Rise And Shine!. It is amazing how much a little bird will understand and he is more likely to use the word when he has an inkling of what it means. African gray parrots can easily learn a hundred words this way and exceptional birds can learn three hundred.

When teaching a bird to name objects pick objects that are small and colorful. The reward in these cases should be giving the bird the object. For example, if the bird correctly calls key chain, give the bird the key chain to play with. This technique works well with the word grape. Grape is apparently an easy word for parrots to say. Some other easy words are key, paper, box, corn, carrot, nail, water, treat, bean, and rock.

Parrots learn to talk better from high-pitched feminine voices of women and children. Once the bird is relaxed begin the lesion. Keep the training periods no longer than fifteen to twenty minutes at a stretch. Start with simple, short words and phrases such as hello and good morning. Hold the bird perched on your hand or finger about twelve inches from your mouth. You can also do this with the bird perched on a tee stand.

I try not to teach my birds to whistle until they have a rather large vocabulary of words. Actually, I find whistling parrots rather annoying. Once they learn to whistle they will often do it all day ignoring all the words they have learned. If you do whistle, whistle a pleasant short melody for them to learn.

I have never used a tape recording to teach my parrots to talk. Mechanical systems lack the human interaction and the birds quickly tire of them. Parrots really need to bond with the source of their vocabulary and a mechanical source just doesn’t interest them. If you do use a recording do not play it for more than half an hour at a stretch.

The first words that your parrot learns will be the hardest ones. You will find that their learning comes in spurts. Sometimes two to four months can pass when no new words are learned. This is normal. The bird’s first attempt to repeat a word is apt be an indistinct mumble. Reward the bird with praise and a treat no mater how garbled its attempt is. Parrots have trouble with consonants so emphasize those letters and say them louder and clearly. Saying a word twice – like coochi coochi makes it easier for the bird to repeat.

Do not try to teach more than one word or phrase at a time. Interact with your parrot in every way possible during training sessions.

When the bird c***s it head to be scratched say Wana scratch or It feels great. When you give him a toy say the name of it or just toy. With each treat you can name the treat – like peanut or grape or just say Mmm Mmm, Mmm Mmm ! When he perches on your hand say Good birdie! When you take him out of the cage say I wana come out! When I uncover their cage in the morning I say Rise and Shine, Rise and Shine!

The first indication that a parrot is trying to say a word is a soft mumble. The parrot will continue practicing the word alone long after you are through. When you hear this give the parrot a hand by repeating the word again. Many parrots will pick up mechanical sounds they hear around the house. The telephone and doorbell are often mimicked. This can be cure or annoying depending on the sound and how many hours the parrot says it.

I have found that about half the “words” my parrots have learned they have learned by themselves. Still, teaching a parrot to talk is a very pleasant and sometimes a rewarding experience. Remember that if you are not very successful another family member may be.

Answer 2

Repeatition is the key. They learn from hearing so the more they hear the word the more they will recognize and reproduce it. Speak directly to the bird in a friendly encouraging tone with whatever phrase you want it to learn.

Answer 3

First, I have to say that the WORST place to keep a parrot, or any caged bird is the kitchen!!! Fumes, grease, etc. are serious dangers to a parrot, and just a second or two burning teflon including pans, toasters, coffee pots, etc. can kill a parrot within a minute.

Talking to your parrot using the same phrases daily is the best way to begin to teach your bird language... for example say "good morning" evering morning when you first see your bird, saying "Bye Bye, See you later" when you are leaving the house. Counting out treats or peanuts... "one, two, three"... this type of MEANINGFUL repition is best for language acquisition. Just simply repreating phrases out of context could result in a parrot that just rambles on without any meaning to the words spoken. African Greys especially mature at a much older age and the average is 2-3 years before words are spoken. Be patient, loving, kind, and don't EXPECT your bird to talk... just enjoy it if he ever does, but know that he might not ever speak... not all parrots learn spoken language. Best of luck to you and your feathered friend!

Answer 4

Well Good Luck. I have a African Grey and he has very little to say. He makes a lot of different noises. Says a few words, I guess he has decided he doesn't need to talk. I have had him for 11 years.  I really don't think he is the norm though, most people have very chatty Greys.  You just talk to him, he will pick up on things himself.  But watch the swearing an such a bird just doesn't need  to say those words.  If in time you had to sell him, most people don't want an bird that swears like a truck driver. Plus he might say things at the wrong time. Have fun with him  I love my Grey he is the sweetest bird I have.