Trained Parrot BlogParrot Wizard Online Parrot Toy StoreThe Parrot Forum

Help! Can Melody talk?

Want to teach your bird talk? Learn about and discuss methods for training birds to vocalize and mimic different sounds on cue.

Help! Can Melody talk?

Postby Melody » Thu Aug 28, 2014 6:43 pm

Melody has been with me for three years and is a female white budgerigar. She knows many tricks already, and loves and trusts my whole family. However, I've tried to teach her to talk three times, but she won't do it. Is there something I'm doing wrong?
I've repeated the same word for an hour daily with the same tone of voice, but Melody is impatient with me and wants a treat, so she just does some other trick to get my attention. Would anyone please give me some tips? I'd really like Melody to learn to speak. :budgie:
Melody
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 20
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: 1 melopsitticus Udulatus (budgie) named Melody
Flight: No

Re: Help! Can Melody talk?

Postby marie83 » Fri Aug 29, 2014 5:00 am

Some birds don't talk. female budgies can talk but don't tend to very often. Just enjoy her as she is :)
User avatar
marie83
Cockatoo
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 3565
Location: Midlands, UK
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Yellow sided Green Cheek Conure
Pineapple Green Cheek Conure
Flight: Yes

Re: Help! Can Melody talk?

Postby Wolf » Fri Aug 29, 2014 6:54 am

First off, some birds will not talk, although no one knows why. Some birds that are capable of speech, and yours is, will only talk when no one is around and are known as closet talkers.
I don't know if Melody will ever talk, but my guess at this point is that she won't. There are things that you can do to encourage talking, but there are no guarantees.

Repeating the same word or phrase over and over will help. But after each time you say the word you need to leave a space for Melody to say it back to you, before you say it again. You also have to listen very closely to see if she tries to say it, although at first it won't sound like a word, if she is trying she will make a noise and if she tries then reward her. Never make any training session last for more than 15 minutes at a time. When training her always find a way to give her the treat, if she doesn't do the thing or doesn't try to at the end of the session get her to do something that she knows how to do so that she gets the treat. ALWAYS. While 15 minutes is long enough, you can do this many times in a day and if you want it to happen you can never give up on her.

Birds that talk also learn to do it because they are always exposed to people talking, they tend to pick up on words that are spoken with a lot of emphasis, kind of like when two people get into an argument and get a bit emotional, they also pick up on words that are spoken with a rhythm, sort of like singing the word. Birds for some reason love drama so if the word is spoken with this in mind it will also encourage them to repeat it.

That about sums up what I know about this topic. Oh! One other thing, Copying another bird. This may also help, on you tube look up Disco, the talking budgie and watch Disco with Melody.

I hope this will help you.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Help! Can Melody talk?

Postby Pajarita » Fri Aug 29, 2014 11:06 am

Actually, there is almost no chance that a female budgie will talk. It's the males that do and then only when they have no contact whatsoever with another budgie (nature made it so they learn the female's dialect in order to win her over as a wife but the females don't need to learn anything) which is actually a terribly sad life for any budgie which are VERY flock-oriented.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Help! Can Melody talk?

Postby marie83 » Fri Aug 29, 2014 6:56 pm

Madison did but very rarely. I dont think she learned it from me though but from my 'tiel magic. Sadly we had her at a time where all the books I had were very old school, no internet access and it was "ok" to keep a single budgie. Moral of the story- just cuz some expert wrote a book doesnt make them right which I learned pretty quickly....

Anyway whilst it is unlikely she will ever talk there's no harm to keep talking to her and see if she picks something up. Like I say, enjoy her for the bird she is (and definitely strongly consider getting her a budgie companion)
User avatar
marie83
Cockatoo
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 3565
Location: Midlands, UK
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Yellow sided Green Cheek Conure
Pineapple Green Cheek Conure
Flight: Yes

Re: Help! Can Melody talk?

Postby Melody » Fri Aug 29, 2014 7:06 pm

Thank you! I wasn't sure if she could and now it is much clearer for me.
Melody
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 20
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: 1 melopsitticus Udulatus (budgie) named Melody
Flight: No


Return to Training Parrot Vocalizations

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests

Parrot ForumArticles IndexTraining Step UpParrot Training BlogPoicephalus Parrot InformationParrot Wizard Store